Nine Animals and the Well [Hardcover]

James Rumford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Who hasn’t gone to a birthday party and had “present envy”? Who hasn’t felt the pride of thinking of just the right gift, only to find out that someone else has thought of a better one? Who hasn’t had to learn the hard way that the greatest gift of all is friendship? This is the lesson the nine animals are about to learn as they make their way to the palace to celebrate the raja-king’s birthday. Why nine animals? And why the well? Because James Rumford’s original fable is also a counting book, where we learn that our ten Arabic numerals came not from Arabia, as one might think, but from India.
With its pictures of paper collage reminiscent of the glorious designs on the walls of the Taj Mahal, Nine Animals and the Well will teach, amuse, and delight.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Nine animals are on their way to the raja-king's birthday party and each guest wants to bring the perfect gift. Monkey is proud of his "cloudlike loaf of bread" until he meets Rhino, who scoffs at it, and Monkey, suddenly ashamed, throws it into the river. As the journey continues, each animal feels its own offering is small and inappropriate compared to the next-Camel brings three almond cakes, Rabbit brings four sugar cones, Cow brings five lotus flowers, etc.-and throws it away in embarrassment and humiliation. The lines of text follow the trail of the discarded presents and the creatures that enjoy them. When Peacock carelessly flaunts his nine gold coins, the pouch opens and the contents fall into a well. The guests arrive at the palace empty-handed, but are reassured by their host that their offering of friendship and the retelling of the story of "the well that swallowed their pride" are the best presents. The rich, jewel-toned illustrations are framed by European, North African, Arabic, and Indian numerals on the side and are placed on handmade Indian paper decorated with flowers. An endnote explains how the numbers we use originated in India. A captivating fable and an effective counting book.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. The Arabic numerals we use today actually originated in India, a fact Rumford uses as the basis for his folktale-like story about nine animals competing as they deliver gifts to the raja. Each successive present seems more fitting for the occasion (as well as greater in number) than the last--until the animals' rivalry backfires. Numerals (as written in India, Arabia, North Africa, and Europe) appear on the left of Rumford's bordered collage illustrations, which are full of hot, vibrant colors and personable animal characters--the impish green monkey often appears disconcertingly human. An author's note briefly traces the journey of the numerals from India to Arabia, North Africa, and Europe and provides an explanation for the animals selected for the art. A delightful way to incorporate literature, social studies, and art into an elementary math curriculum. Catherine Andronik
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618309152
• ISBN-13: 978-0618309153
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,591 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars birthday time!, January 8, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nine Animals and the Well (Hardcover)

It's the raja's king's birthday. He has invited his animal friends to his party. They all try to find the perfect gift to bring for the king. After discussing the gifts they have chosen they find out the king has all the things they planed to give him. They finally arrive at the party empty handed. The king is so happy to see them and they have a great time. Their friendship is the only gift the king needed after all.

On several of the pages the words were typed in an unusual ways. This made it fun to read. We also enjoyed the colorful illustration. Also included is a brief history on numbers that we found very informative.

We would recommend this book because it had a great moral to the story: You don't have to have gifts to have a good time. Friendship is the most important gift of all.