Customer Reviews

Eli

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 8 year old daughter has just discovered Bill Peet books and she loves them. She loves to read, but these are the first books that she has expressed an interest in keeping and collecting. She has even asked for his autobiography! Bill Peet has brought a light and an excitement for reading that is wonderful to see! Not only are his books entertaining, but they have a moral to the story that is appreciated by the reader.

My daughter, Kelly, wrote her own comments about the book. They are:

"I liked the part when Eli saved the bird. I also liked it when the birds saved Eli! It was a very, very good book! I liked it very much!"

She just can't wait to get the next Bill Peet book that I can find for her! It will definitely be the summer of Bill Peet at our home.

I used to check this book out of the school library almost every week! I loved it so much that I looked all over the web to find it for my 3 year old daughter! What a special book.

Although not written in rhyme like so many of the other Bill Peet books, this one shines with its descriptive story-telling and fanciful sketches. We first fell in love with Bill Peet's work with the book "The Caboose Who Got Loose" and have since not lost the opportunity to own as many of his books as possible, since my sons never wanted to return the books to the library and insisted on purchasing copies to have "for keeps". I am sure you will like these stories with a moral as well.

Eli the lion was once a proud king of the beasts, but now he is meek as a mouse. What brought about this change? Age. He's too old to romp and fight or even be kingly. Now he only wants to be left alone.

Unfortunately, because of a good deed he did, a flock of vultures want to be his friends. Well, even old has-been kings don't want to associate with vultures. They're "ugly old coots, flee-bitten beggers, and good-for-nothing grubby old bone-pickers" as far as he is concerned.

But they insist on hanging around and luckily for Eli they do. Because the Zoobangas want him, and he can't hide in the gunkazunk grass in the gumbazunka swamp. If you're wondering why and what, I don't blame you. A fun story to read.

(Suitable for the primary grades.)

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

I am thrilled with this book! We bought it just because my son's name is Eli- but I have become a big fan of Bill Peet!

I purchased it for the title and was not disappointed by the book, the author is now on my list of other to buy

I loved Bill Peet books as a child, and I still really like them today. I recently bought the whole set so that my children will have them, and realized that I remember every character and every plot from 20+ years ago when my parents read them to me. They really made an impact on me. The illustrations are cute and captivating, the characters are engaging, the stories and well told, and each book has a meaning. There are few authors who can create such a fine balance in childrens' books.

Eli, the once proud lion, has lost much of his ferociousness due to his old age. In fact, he no longer dines with the rest of his pride but must make do with the left overs that the vultures eat. He hates having to even associate with them.

One day he saves Vera, a vulture, from a jackal attack, and the rest of the flock want to adopt him as one of their own. Eli will have nothing to do with that. But might the vultures be able to help when some hunters arrive?

Bill Peet's books are filled with charming characters and great illustrations, and this book is no exception. The plot is a little close to one of his other books, but that doesn't keep it from being very charming. The moral, that everyone has value, is certainly wonderful.

This is a book to treasure. If you've got young kids in your life, you will enjoy reading it to them.

I love this book! Like all Bill Peet books, it is entertaining, with great drawings and fun.