Emma's Elephant: And Other Favorite Animal Friends [Hardcover]

David Ellwand (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Full-page, black-and-white photographs capture various children with their favorite animals, from pigs and ponies to cats and snails."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1. Using a format almost identical to that in The Big Book of Beautiful Babies (Dutton, 1996), Ellwand once again displays his obvious talents as a black-and-white photographer. This time the subjects are a bit older and they've brought along their pets, from "Rachel's rascally rat" to "Emma's ENORMOUS elephant!" Each softly toned, full-page or double-page photograph captures child and pet in an appealing and occasionally unusual pose. For example, "David's dotted dog" rests quietly at his side but "Bella's beautiful butterfly" sits squarely on her nose. Alliteration adds to the fun but there is little other rhyme or reason to the order of the text. In a particularly clever photo, "Gordon's glittering goldfish" appear to be swimming in air right in front of his slightly startled face. Unfortunately, the stitched binding runs directly through Gordon's eye (many of the double-page photos are marred by this distracting middle seam). Nevertheless, children will thoroughly enjoy this tour of common and uncommon creatures pictured with their quite contented caretakers. Good for both preschool storytime and beginning readers.?Alicia Eames, formerly at Brooklyn Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Ellwand's skill as a photographer is not in doubt. Each picture of a child and an animal friend looks as though it were shot on black-and-white satin; and kids will be taken by the pictures, such as the white rat on Rachel's head, or Priscilla with her perfect pig. But a photo album is really all this is. Adults may expect it to be alphabetically arranged, but the three-word text under each photo ("Simon's slithery snake") is merely alliterative. Some of the two-page spreads are hampered by the binding seam that cuts the picture unattractively. For larger collections or where Ellwand's The Big Book of Beautiful Babies (1995) is popular. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525457925
• ISBN-13: 978-0525457923
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for "reading out of the box", March 5, 2003

By 

C. Seawell (hammond, la United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emma's Elephant: And Other Favorite Animal Friends (Hardcover)

This book is entirely in black and white, but that doesn't limit it in any way. It's perfect for parents who are truly engaged when reading to their children. For instance, each of the photos are detailed with texture and contrast. They're wonderful for asking your children, "What is he holding? What color do you think this is in real life? What sound does this animal make?" etc. I think it would be a perfect gift for parents who enjoy drawing out their child's imagination and intelligence!