A Carousel Tale [Hardcover]

Elisa Kleven (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Ernst loves the carousel near his house, and his favorite animal is the dog. When the dog’s wooden tail comes loose just before winter, Ernst is given the important job of keeping it safe until springtime.

But the tail looks sad sitting on Ernst’s shelf without its dog, and Ernst can’t help but try to cheer it up. It isn’t long before he has transformed the lonely tail into something wonderful!

As spring approaches, Ernst wonders if he will have to give up his special creation. And if he doesn’t, what will the poor dog have to wag? The imaginative crocodile from Ernst and The Puddle Pail shines once again in a story that children will treasure.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—The star of Ernst (1989) and The Puddle Pail (1997, both Dutton) returns in another charming adventure. The young blue crocodile loves the carousel at the park, always choosing to ride the "honey-colored dog." One fall day, he's sad to see that the carousel has been covered up until spring. While walking home, he finds the dog's tail, which had fallen off, and the carousel keeper lets him take it home for safekeeping. To Ernst, the tail looks lonely, and he decides to "cheer it up" by painting on a face and pasting on feathery wings. Though his older brother reminds him he will have to clean up the tail-turned-bird when he returns it, Ernst plays creatively with it throughout the winter. When spring comes, he's thinks he will be in trouble, but the carousel keeper appreciates art and tells Ernst to take the bird for a ride. The dog is still without a tail, but Ernst soon finds a perfectly shaped stick on the ground, and he and the carousel keeper sand it, varnish it, and attach it. Kleven's dreamy mixed-media collages add depth to this gentle tale of creativity and resourcefulness. The author effectively depicts the interplay between Ernst's gentle introversion and his brother's grouchy pragmatism, with Ernst's creative vision winning out in the end. A good conversation starter on the nature of art and the art of nature.—Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD
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From Booklist

In this companion to Ernst (1989) and The Puddle Pail (1997), Ernst, a young blue crocodile, loves riding the wooden dog on the carousel, and he is sad when the carousel is closed for the winter, especially when he finds the dog’s tail, which has fallen off. The carousel operator tells Ernst to take care of the tail until spring. Ernest decorates the tail with paper and paint and creates a beautiful bird, which becomes his playmate and beloved companion. But what to do when the carousel opens again? Does he return the tail? The clear, colorfully detailed, collage pictures celebrate the transforming power of art. Preschool-Grade 1. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 38 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582462399
• ISBN-13: 978-1582462394
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Alligators & Crocodiles

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kleven creates a magical world, April 12, 2009

By 

Somewhere in SF "Book Girl" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Carousel Tale (Hardcover)

Once again Elisa Kleven creates a magical world where the redemptive power of love and belief rule! Ernst, the lovable crocodile featured in PUDDLE PAIL and ERNST, returns in this whimsical celebrating the imagination--Kleven's beautifully detailed collages the story to life. As a former preschool teacher I believe A CAROUSEL TALE is an essential addition to the well read childs' library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing plot too similar to another Kleven title, January 12, 2011

By 

em and en (CA via IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Carousel Tale (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my son, who absolutely loves Kleven's 2009 title, "Hooray, A Piñata" (ISBN: 014056764X). While the illustrations remain consistent with Kleven's style - boldly colorful scenes and expressive characters orchestrated in intricate mixed media collage compositions - the plot of A Carousel Tale is nearly identical to that of "Hooray, A Piñata." The books are so similar, that my son now confuses the two books with one another. In both books, the main character, along with a slightly curmudgeonly companion, becomes attached to an inanimate object with the knowledge that that object must be given up at some point in the future. In the end, the protagonist gets to keep the beloved object as its original function is satisfied with a new object. In both books, there is a two-page spread that is almost identical one reads, "They flew in Clara's dreams that night..." and the other reads, "Together they flew through Ernst's dreams." There is also a carousel/merry-go-round in each book...that's just a small example of the similarities.

Both Carousel and Piñata are strong titles; however having read both of them, Piñata is the stronger of the two because the storyline flows more naturally, albeit aided by Mexican tradition. I wish that I had followed my own advice of borrowing the book from the library prior to my purchase.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully creative new book from Elisa Kleven!, April 25, 2009

By 

Lilah R. "book and card enthusiast" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Carousel Tale (Hardcover)

I love Elisa's new book, A Carousel Tale. It's a wonderful gift for children and my students adore the story and artwork. Elisa has captured the magic of children's imaginations with her art and writing, and adults can now enter this magical world too.
Sarita (teacher in Watsonville, CA)