Will's Mammoth [Hardcover]

Rafe Martin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Rafe Martin understands the power of imagination and its importance in growing up. In a few words he brings to life Will, a boy who believes in his mammoth. "A marvelous imaginary journey that will strike a responsive chord in young and old alike."--School Library Journal, starred review. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"What did you do today, Will?" ask a literal-minded mother and father. Their son replies, "I rode my mammoth." Chronicling most of this boy's fantastic voyage in very few words and superb watercolors, Martin ( Foolish Rabbit's Big Mistake ) and Gammell ( Song and Dance Man ) evoke a prehistoric landscape vast in scope and ticklishly humorous in details: the long red tongue of a woolly rhino licks her offspring's bristly forehead; two mammoths play tug-of-war with an infant of their species; cave-dwelling humans build snow mammoths instead of snow men. But it is Will's mount that is most lovingly characterized: tough but tender-hearted, this nameless creature plods impassively through snowy vistas to pluck a flower for his rider. His goofy face, with sunken blue eyes and great, unfurling tusks, is sweet yet sad, a radiant invention in a small epic of the imagination. Working on a scale less domestic and with a palette less pastel than previously, Gammell equals or outdoes his fine earlier achievements. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Will loves mammoths--huge, hairy, woolly mammoths. His parents explain that there are no mammoths left in the world, but Will knows better. Off he goes into an iridescent, snowbound world of his own creation, where he quickly finds all manner of woolly prehistoric beasts. The story is rich in imagination although sparing in words. Martin's text, hand-lettered and colored, is a straightforward frame for the real adventure revealed in Gammell's pictures. There is a feeling of joy and anticipation as Will's original snow-covered boulder bursts into one lone mammoth, only to be joined immediately by a whole herd of the wise-eyed creatures. In the course of the day, Will and his mammoth herd rout a pack of dangerous saber-toothed tigers, sing with the wolves, and meet a fur-clad cave family. The adventure is complete when they unexpectedly discover flowers blooming in the snow. A call home for supper returns Will to the everyday world, where he goes to bed with a promise of "I'll see you tomorrow." The illustrations are Gammell at his best. His scratchy, expressive line is full of energy, giving life and movement to the figures, while a sort of "spattered" overlay effectively creates the swirling snow. Rainbow hues reflect from the ice and snow onto brown shaggy fur and mammoth tusks. The color accents both figures and landscape, giving a feeling of solidity and eliminating any hint of monotony in the brown-furred creatures or snowy vistas. Gammell's prehistoric world is, in fact, unexpectedly colorful, and the contrast between the vibrant color and the white snow is extremely pleasing to the eye. A marvelous imaginary journey that will strike a responsive chord in young and old alike. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; 1St Edition edition (September 6, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399216278
• ISBN-13: 978-0399216275
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Illustration is Worth a 1,000 Words!, November 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Will's Mammoth (Hardcover)

Will's Mammoth is a wonderful picture book, with a good story line. I have used this book to help children learn the writing process. In the current classroom (2nd grade)we are doing a unit on dinosaurs and I read Will's Mammoth to the children and then showed the illustrations. I had the children look close to the details of the illustrations and then they wrote discriptive sentences about the page of their choice. The students used their imagination to write their sentences and stories. You will be suprised at the outcome of any child's story within the Story of Will's Mammoth.

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Book with Charming Illustrations, March 15, 2011

By 

libbarose - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Will's Mammoth (Hardcover)

This book was a favorite of my four children - even my daughter. Will, in the story, spends a winter day in imaginary adventures with his woolly mammoth. It has few words and beautiful illustrations, enabling my children to 'read' the story to me. "Will's Mammoth" is the book we choose now for every young child's birthday.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book for my "Will!", September 29, 2010

By 

EG (Blacksburg, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Will's Mammoth (Mass Market Paperback)

My son's name is Will, and this is the only book I've been able to find about a kid with his name. The art in this book is great and I love the imagination and spirit of the boy Will! There aren't words on every page so sometimes you have to narrate yourself, but with a 3-year-old that's kind of fun because after a few times through the book, he can narrate it himself. And now he even knows what a wooly rhinoceros is, who knew?