Elvis Hornbill: International Business Bird [Hardcover]

Steve Shepard (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

A Burkina Faso father pushes his adopted son, a hornbill, toward a musical career, even though the bird's interest and talent lie in the field of finance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When this book's narrator and his wife move to Africa, they adopt a baby hornbill and name it after Elvis Presley. The parents' hopes for the bird ("I wanted my son to become a singing star") and the bird's interests ("Elvis is computer literate") do not mesh, as the adopted creature wants to become a business manager. The potentially interesting part of the story, a bird that eats grasshoppers whole and has an interest in figures, is continually distanced by an unwieldly emphasis on the father and his hopes for the bird's musical future. Tiresome financial matters--Elvis figuring out how much tax the couple owes the federal government or putting them on a budget in hopes that they will open a retirement account--are too much in evidence and of virtually no interest to young readers. Dark chalk drawings with a distinct African influence are intriguing, but will unfortunately not be sufficient to impress children. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-- With a quirky twist to the eternal theme of familial conflict, this scrapbook-like story opens with the adoption of an orphaned hornbill by a human couple."My son only cared about no-good useless business!" So speaks the disappointed father of his son's proclivity for a stodgy career in finance instead of music. The father, who narrates, is so enamored of his son's dulcet tones that he names him Elvis, and sets out to mold him into a rock 'n' roll idol. Even though his mother believes Elvis should make up his own mind, the father is determined, but it's all to no avail. Elvis loves math, economics, and computer science. Parental disillusionment is transformed into pride and appreciation, however, when Elvis whizzes through the family's tax return. Handwritten notations reiterate story highlights on deeply hued pastel chalk drawings. The flat perspectives and horizontal chalk borders reflect the West African culture of the setting. Should the reversals in this wry, generational tale elude very young children, its absurd situations may fortify older ones with its tongue-in-cheek, "bird-brain" appeal. --Ellen Dibner, East School, Long Beach, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holth & Co (J); 1st edition (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805016171
• ISBN-13: 978-0805016178
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,126,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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