Robi Dobi: The Marvelous Adventures of an Indian Elephant [Hardcover]

Madhur Jaffrey (Author), Amanda Hall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

An Indian elephant befriends a mouse, a butterfly, and a parrot, and together they have many adventures.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

All Robi Dobi the elephant planned to do was make his way home through the storm to his family. But on the way, he meets a series of troubled creatures, each of whom he happily agrees to help. The magnificently magnanimous elephant keeps adding the needy to his troupe until he has a rag-tag bunch rivaling the crew of the Canterbury Tales. Kabbi Wahaabi is the orphaned mouse who has been spray-painted orange. Maya Wishkaya is the dancing butterfly who, in a feat of Icarus-style bravado, has broken her delicate wing. And finally comes the army of green parrots, on a mission to return Princess Tara to her kingdom.

In the course of battling Wicked Purple Panthers, searching for The Tree With the Flexible Glue, finding The Great Painter in the Sky, and taking revenge upon Slimey Kimey the snake-witch, Robi Dobi and company cover a lot of ground. In the process, the animals learn lessons in kindness, teamwork, patience, and taking turns, all drawing on traditional Indian myths and lore.

Madhur Jaffrey, well known for her Indian cookbook writing, uses rich and illustrative language, employing the repetitions and patterns embraced by countless folktales. Amanda Hall's beautifully colored Eastern illustrations reflect the fact that she herself traveled across India--nearly as extensively as Robi Dobi--to research Indian drawing and painting techniques. Hall's gorgeous artwork and Jaffrey's evocative prose vividly trace the pachyderm's philanthropic parade and make for great reading aloud. (Ages 8 and older)

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. A mouse painted orange by an evil witch, a parrot princess captured by a troop of predatory purple panthers, and a broken-winged butterfly all figure in the adventures of Robi the elephant. A contemporary touch or two (e.g., spray paint) enlivens the mostly stock fairy-tale elements, as the friendly elephant meets and assists several troubled animals. Robi's willingness to help those in need is rewarded only by further adventure; episodic excitement, rather than a moral, seems to be the point of the narrative. In vignette, full-, and double-page formats, the illustrations freely interpret an Indian palette, style, and motifs. Pink, jade, lavender, turquoise, and bright orange pictures alternate with half-tones in the flat, stylized, but lively renderings. This book lacks the richness of Jaffrey's Seasons of Splendour (Puffin, 1987), but manages to keep readers' interest without ever allowing a doubt about the eventual happy ending.?Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803721935
• ISBN-13: 978-0803721937
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #820,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I recommend it for children, April 15, 2000

By 

W. Hepburn "elefuntz" (Sarasota, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Robi Dobi: The Marvelous Adventures of an Indian Elephant (Hardcover)

Beautifully illustrated fable for children following an Indian storytelling tradition. Robi Dobi is a helpful elephant who meets several smaller creatures in various kinds of distress and seeks to help them overcome their difficulties. He succeeds quite well and has strange adventures in the process. I recommend it for children of eight and above to read for themselves and to be read to younger children.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robi Dobi: The Marvelous Adventures of an Indian Elephant, December 9, 1999

By 

Leslie Hill (Corpus Christi, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robi Dobi: The Marvelous Adventures of an Indian Elephant (Hardcover)

Robi Dobi is a wonderful adventure story with a strong focus on friendship, fellowship, and problem solving. Robi the main protaganist is an elephant with a penchant for helping others. There are no lack of those in need and many strong friendships are built throughout the story. In addition, the breathtaking illustrations by Amanda Hall are an intricate part of the magic.

4.0 out of 5 stars my 1st grader really enjoyed this book., June 27, 2004

By 

Trinity Falk "trinanddave" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Robi Dobi: The Marvelous Adventures of an Indian Elephant (Hardcover)

My 1st grade daughter (a great reader) enjoyed reading about Robi Dobi and his friends. She told me about lots of animals in the story and all their adventures. She got through it in two longish sittings (one on the bus), so it definitely held her attention!