The Elephant at the Waldorf [Hardcover]

Anne Miranda (Author), Don Vanderbeek (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A lively tale in verse recounts how an entire circus crew and one little boy figure out how to get an elephant into one of the poshest hotels in New York City. By the author of Baby Talk.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Campy pastel illustrations with the fluidity of graffiti art give this book a certain punch, but the story itself lacks staying power. A girl and her mother happen upon a circus truck at the doors of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. (The uninitiated may wonder what the Waldorf actually is, for although Miranda refers midway through to "the Waldorf hotel," she doesn't account for the carnival's presence there.) Inside the truck is an elephant that-despite the best efforts of a ringmaster, acrobats, and magicians-won't enter the hotel. Ultimately, an elephant trainer's young son politely asks the elephant to move, whereupon, naturally, the animal complies. First-time children's illustrator Vanderbeek's splashy drawings-with their fuchsia and electric-blue highlights against hot greens and purples-seem to belong on animation cels. People are rendered as empty-headed caricatures, and vast New York skylines take on lush yellow and orange hues. The overly vertical, sans-serif typeface, however, intrudes somewhat on the wacky artwork. And despite Miranda's attempts to enliven the text-by rhyming "euphoria" and "Astoria," for instance-her tale amounts to a pallid lesson in manners. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2?A young girl and her mother watch from the sidewalk as a circus troop attempts to coax an elephant from its truck into the hotel where the animal is to perform. Acrobats, trapeze artists, and clowns all fail, as does the trainer, until the man's young son saves the day. This is a nicely written, humorous, rhyming tale, reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's work. Unfortunately, the illustrations, dominated by dark shades of purple, green, and gold and containing human figures with grossly exaggerated features, convey a garish, disturbing edge that is at odds with the light tone of the verse. There are many delightful circus stories already available; stick with them.?Mary Rinato Berman, New York Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Bridgewater Books (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816734526
• ISBN-13: 978-0816734528
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,643,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was a little girl I loved rhymes, especially the ones my grandmother used to recite to me. Now that I am all grown up, I enjoy writing them. One rhyme my grandmother liked to say as she bounced me on her knee was "to market, to market to buy a fat pig, home again, home again jiggity jig!". But, she never told me what happened to the pig when it got home. I always wondered, so I wrote a funny book about a frazzled shopper who brings home one very naughty pig and a host of other uncooperative animals from the market. Of course, they make a big mess. What, oh what will she do? You'll have to read the book to find out! To Market To Market, illustrated by the amazing Janet Stevens, has been translated into Korean as has Monster Math illustrated by Polly Powell. Be sure to look for my other books, including Glad Monster, Sad Monster with Caldecott Award winning illustrator Ed Emberley. Glad Monster has recently been translated into French and Spanish and is available in France, Canada, Spain and much of the Spanish-speaking world. How cool is that?

I'm currently living in Spain with my two grown-up basketball-playing boys, my husband, and my trusty computer. I enjoy painting, gardening, blogging, facebooking, singing barbershop and of course watching my boys play basketball. I'm still writing away and may soon have a new book or two to add to my list of published works.