A Carnival of Animals [Hardcover]

Sid Fleischman (Author), Marylin Hafner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2000 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

A no-account little tornado comes twirling along. It means no great harm, but for the animals in the shadow of Barefoot Mountain life will never be the same. A 400pound hog finds a wind-tossed harmonica and learns to play it. Emperor Floyd, a wild rooster, is frightened into insomnia and keeps everyone awake by crowing in the middle of the night. Stumblefrog discovers a sack of Mexican jumping beans left in the path of the twister, and guess what happens?

Most curious of all, the storm drops a "strange little animal, all pink skin and bones, lying in a heap against a hollow log." Its fur or feathers have been plucked clean by the tornado, and no one can guess what nature of odd animal the "Windblown Child" is. Everyone is in for a huge and wondrous surprise.

In these six broad comedies, Newbery Medal winner Sid Fleischman again proves himself to be a wizard of the American tall tale.

Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A half dozen newly minted tall tales chronicle the merry havoc wreaked by a "no-account little tornado" that touches down on Barefoot Mountain. In the opening story ("The Windblown Child"), a group of friendly woodland animals rally round an odd, pink, hairlessDor featherless, they can't tellDcreature ("It could be a newborn pig" one observes) who blows in from the nearby mountain. She turns out to be a rare "Sidehill Clinger" (her disproportionate legs, ideal for climbing steep slopes, are the giveaway). In a neat little coda, her missing fleece turns up in the final story atop the head of a bald farmer. Other memorable characters include the star of "Emperor Floyd," a rooster, who develops insomnia and a taste for fireflies in the storm's aftermath and ends up a porch light, and "Stumblefrog," a clumsy frog who finds a torn sack of Mexican jumping beans, swallows them, then leaps and soars with the best of them. Fleischman (Bandit's Moon) displays his nimble wit with descriptions of a gale that shakes trucks "like dice" and a sly hawk named Thump Oswald who is "slick as bear grease." The glee with which he relates his outrageous yarns is infectious, and Hafner (the Lunch Bunnies books) seems to have caught it, too. Overflowing with the critters and varmints the stories conjure up, her jaunty watercolor and pen-and-ink vignettes create a jaunty counterpoint. Ages 7-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Fleischman, a master of the tall tale, presents six short stories about the odd happenings at Barefoot Mountain after a "no-account little tornado" passes through. Some of the unusual creatures introduced include a Sidehill Clinger whose legs are different lengths for ease in climbing mountains; a rooster who eats too many fireflies and begins to glow in the dark; and Webster, aka "Stumblefrog," whose leaping difficulties are solved when he discovers a sack of Mexican jumping beans. Intended for perhaps a slightly younger audience than the author's "McBroom" series, these shorter, simpler tales feature the same broad humor and quirky characterizations. Hafner's cheerful illustrations, done in watercolors, colored pencils, and pen and ink, add to the comic quality of the book. A good choice for children between beginning chapter books and more ambitious fare, and a solid addition for most collections.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (August 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688169481
• ISBN-13: 978-0688169480
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,286,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Lackluster..., October 10, 2001

By 

Crazy James (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Carnival of Animals (Hardcover)

Sid Fleischman's A Carnival of Animals has some cute stories that are joined loosely together under the premise that a carefree little tornado passed by the area near Barefoot Mountain and a number of animals' lives were changed accordingly.

One of the main problems of this collection of short stories is other than that a number of them relate to animals, the stories in actuality do not always mesh by a underlying thread while others seem to relate to each other. Some of the stories are cute such as the story of what happened to the clumsy frog that ate too many Mexican jumping beans, but some just seem to fill time and space.

The pictures are mediocre and not particularly inspiring. All in all, this book would be a welcome respite from the tedium of a doctor's office, or of passing interest for a night's read... but it is certainly not destined to be a widespread childhood favorite.

Crazy James