Elephants

I had this book when I was a child back when it was first published. This book was and continues to be my favorite children's book. It is a wonderful tale of realizing hidden potential. Thankfully, my parents held on to all of my childhood books so I will one day be able to read this great story to my own children. Trust me, this book rates right up there with Dr. Seuss!

This book is awesome. I got our copy at a used book store for $.25 and wish it was not out of print. It's simple enough for a 2-year-old to understand, yet silly enough for a roomful of 6-year-olds to enjoy. Any child or group of children that you read this aloud to will enjoy chanting (or shouting!), "But no elephants!" along with Grandma Tildy, over and over.

My sister in-law gave this book to my 2 year old daughter 3 months ago and she wants it read to her every single day. She wants to take it with her everywhere. She loves this book!!! I love it. This book should not be out of print!

M. McDermott's luxuriant photos admirably capture the subversive hermeneutics of desire at work in every compartment of Edward Gorey's capacious mind. To judge from these photos, at home as much as in his work Gorey enacted a subaltern erotics of duplicity and dialectic: the precise, almost fussy, arrangements of salt shakers and stones, frog spectators and secret guests which echo the Edwardian-styled detail of his famous books and their ecstatic decodification of heterosexual longing into a polysemous weave of interleaved multitextuality illuminate a life's work spent dancing on a metacritical pin. Queer and gender theorists take note: Elephant House will reinvigorate your every critique -- about Edward Gorey and his work, and of course, the texts his prism redacts.

Kevin McDermott's Elephant House is an impressive new photography book. The photographs, taken only days after Edward Gorey's death, afford us an intimate portrait of the man as he lived. The book contains insightful photographs that capture the fine details of the way Edward lived and worked in his own space. Gorey clearly had a fascination with light and texture. He scattered a massive array of objects all about his home with a nearly curatorial eye. McDermott's well composed photos not only capture this aspect of Gorey but illustrate a common thread between these two artists: texture. One photograph depicts groups of small stones as they congregate idly on the rough wood of the porch. The cityscape of salt and pepper shakers and a plate of gourd-like, spherical shapes are beautiful studies in the texture and form of ordinary objects abstracted from their normal contexts, while many others are still lives made of the house's windows and the eclectically arranged objects in front of them. The blue bottles in a few images glow like stained glass as the washed-out light of a cloudy day streams in through them. What makes many of the color images so interesting is the spare, nearly monochromatic palette of colors in the rooms which are offset by only the blue luminosity of bottles or the green leaves of spring showing in the background. These are beautiful photographs independent of their connection to Edward Gorey, but serve also to enhance our understanding of him. The text is an entertaining and candid glimpse of Gorey as a friend knew him, and provides a nicely guided tour through each room. This book is handsomely crafted and thoughtfully designed, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in photography or Edward Gorey.

Edward Gorey was a mysterious personage. His works often leave one thinking "what next?". Elephant House by Kevin McDermott helps relieve much of this worry. Mr. McDermott has captured through his photographs and text what it was like to spend time with the elusive Mr. Gorey. This is a personal and moving tribute to a friend that never feels intrusive, but rather illuminates Mr. Gorey and the daily world he invented and inhabited. For those of us who have made Mr. Gorey a part of our own daily lives, Elephant House lets us spend some quality time with the man through his surroundings. A gem and a gift.

I loved the book!!! The book was very amazing and it made me travel with Noah to a different land, I haven't visit or knew about. I learned a lot from Noah, and discover that elephants are exactly like us. The author paints very nice the theme. I must defenetly recomended to anyone. And as someone siad " you can't judge a book by its cover" don't be fooled by the cover and how many pages you will have to read. For it is worth it.

The book is amazing!! The author beyond words and all in all is equal to an amazing reading and great learning. Noah is the best elephant friend, a person can ever relate to. He talks in a very human language about how the world had presented to him.I enjoyed every minute.And will advise anyone to read it, is worth the trip. As as someone said: " You can't judge a book by its cover." Don't let the elephant in the front fool you. The book is terrific.

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I believe we all need a little dose of something that fills the spirit. In The Way That Elephants Do, you travel the road of life with Noah the Wanderer and feel his triumphs, heartaches, and at times deep pain. I found myself indentifying with Noah as he met the various challenges in his life ranging from coming of age, to the death of a loved one, to the betrayel of those closes to him. This is a must read for those that are real "feelers" and enjoy characters in a novel coming to life. I found myself laughing and crying, as will you.

My daughters and I love this book, but I subtracted a star because it is not quite the same story I expected. We checked it out of the library a couple times, then had to have our own edition. The story and illustrations are slightly changed. My daughters, ages 2 and 4, noticed the changes, and I think the story misses out a little.

For example, the library book starts with a bit booming sound in the jungle and all the animals are startled, but then we find out it's just the herd of the happy elephants who are laughing. The book I just bought begins saying "There was once a herd of elephants," but then it goes on to say that they were happy. Also, this edition does not have the bird who helps Elmer in covering himself with elephant-colored berries. Same story, but some very sweet details are missing.

I don't know why they've shortened the story; maybe they think children cannot stay focused for the longer version. In any case, I will be looking for an older edition, or maybe there's a current book with the same story.

Overall great book, but it has been better.

I have been reading this to my baby since he was 2 months old (now 6 months). It is a bit long for a baby book but he still sits thru and likes hearing the story and looking at the illustrations (surprising considering my little one is antsy). This book has wonderful photos and a good story- mainly about accepting and embracing your differences. Elmer the elephant is patchwork, unlike the others who are grey, and feels like he doesnot belong but by the end he learns that his differences are part of the great thing about him.

One thing that does bother me a bit is that Elmer is the 'class clown' so to say & am not sure if this teaches kids that if they are different they have to be a clown and act up??

But overall I do love this book & am glad it teaches to embrace our differences and that we don't have to conform & to accept people for who they are :) I think this book will continue to capture my child's attention for years to come!

I love this story because it exemplifies the importance of individuality! This is a wonderful lesson for children to see how everyone is unique. The illustrator did a great job of producing pictures that enhance the text.

While the illustrations are superb and disovering some of the clues can be great fun, solving all them is arguably impossible. For those who happen to be well schooled (certainly not children) in obscure areas of knowledge, it may be possible, but not likely given that the author makes one significant error (see page where animals discover feast is missing) and takes such liberty as making up some, but not all of the hieroglyphics (very misleading). Some COULD be deciphered, one, for the letter Q would be an extremely fortunate guess. Morse code can be translated online but will not be within casual reach of many children. The author has some brilliant ideas that are just not well suited for his intended audience. As an adult book, the conclusions are challenging, if not impossible in certain areas due to the aforementioned, however, children can certainly enjoy it if they are not frustrated by the unlikelihood they will solve the mystery based on solving each of the author's clues. If they enjoy the possibility of a correct answer based on guesswork and solving the occasional clue, it may be very enjoyable for them.

This book is a fun book to read! It has very detailed illistrations. It is about an 11 year-old elephant who wants to invite his animal friends to his birthday party. He has a grand feast, but no one can eat it until the Eleventh Hour. To take up the time they play games. When it is time to eat the feast, they find that the food has vanished! You have to solve the mystery to find out who stole the feast. It is a fun and challenging book. It keeps your mind working!

This book is not for 4 -8 year olds, they won't understand it. I'm thirteen, and my mom and I like it.
This book is a mystery about 11 animals who gather for Horace the elephant's birthday. They spend time playing games, and when they come back inside, the food is missing! The reader has to find out who took the food. There are a ton of clues on every page, ranging from all of those clocks, to nametags, to what's going on in the background. There are also many codes. We figured out the morse code page. Some other ones were written in heiroglyphics.
I highly reccomend this book to everybody!!!!!

I had my curiosity piqued when hearing on televison that Dick Clark was reading this book back stage at a major awards show. I found it on Amazon.com and discovered it is like one of those packages you get from a distant relative at Christmas, something you expect will be an ordinary present exhibiting little thought or originality from one who doesn't really know your tastes. But then you open it and find, unexpectedly, it is a real treat. The big surprise is inside, the depth and direction of the book somewhat camouflaged by the cover and title. You find the plot is not really about that, but a series of ever more exciting situations and interesting characters who interact throughout the thread of this highly unique story. Without going into descriptive detail, it brings together a myriad of peoples lifestyles, cultures and attitudes with a complete spectrum of emotional experience: danger, fear, greed, power trips, corruption, egomania, romance, lust, filial devotion, nostalgia, the list goes on. You may, if you're a normal person, find your throat constricting or be shocked at one moment, then the next, be laughing at the unexpected humor in the dialogue and quotes that run throughout. I also felt a certain empathy for the characters as they faced difficult challenges in their lives brought about by their own well-meaning but ultimately bad decisions. How many of us have not been there? The protagonist, Eric, seemed so human with his faults and insecurities, an unlikely hero compared to a Schwartsnegger or Stallone, but conversely, I could see him as a genuine person rather than just another macho character. His inability to cope well with the complexities of todays modern technological world and the burden of old failures and mistakes that haunted him rang an uncomfortably personal note, perhaps too close to home, at least for me. The mercenary villain and Eric's nemesis, Jack, evoked a certain twisted charm as well with his off-center attitudes and occasional funny gallows humor and sarcasm. Also, for the social study crowd, there is a wealth of real information woven into the story line, revealing much about the lives of African citizens, ecology, the drug trade, AIDS research, street gangs, law enforcement and mercenaries, and it all has the ring of authenticity from one who has first-hand knowledge or at least knows enough to research and check facts. My criticisms are few, mainly that the cover and title may have been a poor choice and does a disservice to the quality of the authors high level of imagination and creative plot development, as the elephant gun mentioned is more a family heirloom with its own history, a connection of generations past when life was so much different, the gun was much more than merely a tool that was a symbol of mans imperialistic aggression and ignorance of the balance of nature many decades ago. There were some rather gory battle scenes that might turn a few readers off with too much realism, but it is done in a natural, uncontrived context, unlike the shocker/horror genre so prevalent today. This story's continuity and plot development comes together a bit slowly at first due to its complexity, setting the stage for later events, and could perhaps have been streamlined a bit, but it soon develops at a rapid pace that drew me in as it escalated into a suspenseful and very imaginative climax. All in all, the pluses far overshadowed the minuses. I liked this authors daring effort and different approach and would highly recommend it to fans of this genre. I have read many so-called best sellers that were not nearly as much fun and satisfying.
-Barker Reviews

I read this book a while back and after all the books I've read since, it still stands out head and shoulders above most action and adventure novels. Even though it has romance angles, the plot was so unique I'm going to keep re-reading it every so often just because it made me laugh with it's humor and get angry as it shined a spotlight on how endangered much of our world's wildlife is. This book is a lot of fun and very educational too.

I agree with Wasser Reviews who ask, do you like bronzed bwanas, brazen, buxom (but brainy) beauties and big-bore blasters? Well, Philip Carpenter has something for you. It's two parts high-tech, instruction manual, three parts social-political-ecological observation, mixed with an ascerbic, ego-centric stream of opinion, facts and opinion as fact. Throw in some current and past world news, anecdotal experiences, personal vignettes from Mr. Carpenter's life and one part Harlequin romance novel and you still don't quite have the scope of the book. Every continent and most cultures get a visit (how's your kiswahili?) Nothing goes unnoticed by our hero, Mr. Eric Rutherford. I suspect his observations on animal psychology, poaching, endangered species, hip hop, skinheads, modern music, gangs, cars, AIDS, drugs, weapons, women, Beverly Hills and Bakersfield, to name a few, are remarkably close to Mr. Carpenters. Fortunately, they are interesting, even thought-provoking at times, and frequently informative. I sense some serious research here. The pithy homilies which precede each chapter are well-chosen and relevant. 'Man must sit in chair with mouth open very long time before roast duck fly in' (Chinese proverb). Hmmmmm. So true. A fun read for arm chair action heroes. Is there a movie in this somewhere?

Grab your reading glasses and a big box of Kleenex. I finished this slim book in a few hours and simultaneously wiped out a box of tissues, too. (I am a 200 pound 52-year-old grandpa, and not used to snuffling and blowing because of a book!)

Once you start reading the story of baby elephant Amy and the bond all female elephants have with each other, and her subsequent separation from the herd due to merciless "culling" of the adults, your heart will break with the fate of the poor orphaned calf.

Only through the warm heart of the "Marlboro Man" cowboy does Amy become adopted and brought onto his Colorado ranch to grow up and learn how to be an elephant. Cowboy Bob gives her a little goat as her playmate, and little by little draws her out of her fear of everything and turns her into a mischievous, intelligent and loving creature.

Of course, nature takes its predestined course and Amy grows to quite a bit of tonnage and can't remain the cowboy's pet forever. The cowboy's decision to part with his "large love" is heart-wrenching on himself, the elephant, and the reader.

The book is written in a flowing style rich with elephant facts and wild west allusions to fence mending and cattle driving. There's not a reader alive who wouldn't succumb to this touching story.

Highly recommended....buy it, read it, and pass it around.

Only rarely does a story like this come along, staying with you long after you read the final page. The love that develops between rancher Bob Norris and Amy, the orphaned elephant, is both haunting and beautiful. Even the most cynical will find their jaws dropping at the emotional bond between an animal-loving cowboy and a wild animal.

When Bob adopts Amy, who has been yanked from her African home at a pitifully young age, neither can imagine the closeness they will soon feel toward one another; Amy becomes a member of the family, plain and simple, bringing a joy to Bob's life that is overwhelming. But the most compelling aspect, perhaps, of this book is its honesty: life with Amy is joyous but not always easy. She is, after all, essentially a wild animal, even if she does ride the range with Bob and adopt other farm animals as her own. Bob comes to realize that Amy has needs even his great love cannot provide for her. Bob finds the courage, and loves Amy enough, to give her the life she needs, the life she deserves. But it is not the end of their story, and it is only the beginning of Amy's incredible journey.

Bob Norris and his family were given a rare chance to experience something most people will never have: a true melding of man and nature. Their story is a great gift, one that readers will keep always in their heart.

This is one of the sweetest and saddest animal stories I've ever read. I reviewed it when it first came out and found it fantastic. The only thing the paperback edition lacks is an update on what has happened to Amy. Norris was one of the Marlboro cowboy models, a true working cowboy, and he has a Colorado ranch. One day a fellow came along who wanted to board a few elephants. Norris didn't run a boarding stable and told the man so, but was persuaded to provide a place for a small group of baby elephants, freshly wrenched from their African herds. All sold to various places except the youngest and saddest, Amy, whose name was written on her crate. Norris couldn't see her leave the property after putting in a lot of time to keep her alive, so he bought her. Amy had the run of the property because she could open her stall door at will. She learned to help train cutting horses, although she scared the dickens out of the colts at first. She could lead a colt by the lead rope or reins.
One day a colt that was checked up in bridle reins, learning to accept the bit, entered Amy's paddock through the open gate. Amy didn't like seeing him in there trying to eat her hay, although he couldn't reach it due to the reins holding him back. She came after him, firmly led him back into the arena and closed the gate to keep him out of her pen. THEN she took a trunkful of hay and fed him "by hand" so that he could eat.
Little elephants become big elephants, and eventually the idyllic ranch life of being a monstrous pet nuisance had to end. Amy did learn discipline and an array of tricks including playing a toy piano in the horse trailer as he hauled her between their Colorado and Arizona properties. Ultimately Amy outgrew her life on the ranch and went to the Big Apple Circus. Of course elephants never forget, and when Norris and his wife went to watch Amy perform, she stampeded out of the ring...and knelt as close to him as she could get, sobbing in elephant. The crowd started to panic, then realized they were watching a reunion and not a killer on the loose.
You'll love Amy and Mr. Norris. Have your kleenex handy.

I used to read this book to my son, John, when he was little and he absolutely loved it. He never tired of hearing me read it to him.

The story is funny and involves lots of jungle animals. It also has suspense. Will the elephant sneeze or not? This book allows the reader to use a lot of different voices and a lot of drama, something young children love.

Later, when my son had grown older, I joined an acting troupe, memorized this book and performed it in children's theater. It was always a hit.

I highly recommend this story to people who have or work with young children.

I used to read this book to my son, John, when he was little and he absolutely loved it. He never tired of hearing me read it to him. John will soon be 27 years old, but he still remembers this story and so do I.

The story is funny and involves a variety of jungle animals. It is also filled with suspense. Will the elephant sneeze -- or not? This book allows the reader to use several different voices and a lot of drama, something young children love.

When my son grew older, I joined an acting troupe, memorized this story, and performed it in children's theater, with others acting out the parts of the various animals. It was always a hit!

Somehow my original copy was lost and I have searched for years for another one. No one ever seemed to know about this book. I never even found anyone else who had ever read it. I am so happy that I now have a chance to get another copy and to get additional copies for all of the nieces and nephews in my family and for! ! the children and grandchildren of my friends. It will make a fantastic gift that will be greatly enjoyed and remembered for years.

I highly recommend this story to people who have, know, or work with young children.

This is a wonderful book. It's funny, full of surprises, and the rhythm of the rhyming is so well done. I read this book to my children when they were young and it was one of their favorites. Now I read it to my grandchildren and they love it as well. The humorous but touching story line and the rhyming verses make the children want to learn to read it themselves. It's a classic and should be in every child's reading library.

Dr. Suess is the author of numerous children’s books, for years his titles have been favorites for children. Horton Hatches the Egg is no different. Dr. Suess combines wonderful pictures with a clever plot that make this story enjoyable for readers of all ages. The characters are well developed and very appealing to the audience. Horton, the elephant, is an amusing character that commands respect. Another benefit to this fun story is the lesson it teaches about human nature. This review will examine Horton Hatches the Egg in a critical light, emphasizing the characteristics that make it a high-quality children’s book. The story begins as Mayzie the lazy bird is complaining about sitting on her egg all of time; she is tired and wants a break. Mayzie spots Horton, the elephant, walking through the jungle that she dupes into sitting on her egg for a short time. Mayzie never returns, leaving poor Horton to take care of the egg. The story continues as Horton stays with the egg through months of mishaps and tribulations. Horton and Mayzie meet at the end, through coincidence, and Horton is eventually rewarded for his efforts. The setting of this tale in begins in the jungle. There are smooth transitions from one scene to another. Also, the pictures describing the scene are not too distracting to the reader, but they help to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of where the story might actually be taking place. There is no time period given for this story, which makes the story relevant in today’s society. The setting also contains events and places that young readers might have had some experience with, and those who have never been to a circus or a jungle would still be interested in the story. The setting also helps to create a happy and light mood, which is important in children’s literature (Norton, 1999). The strong development of the characters makes this story very appealing. From the beginning, the lazy Mayzie bird wishes to leave her egg, she is tired of sitting on it. The Mayzie bird remains inert the entire story, readers will also note that the she does not benefit from being this way. Horton, the elephant, is a strong character that remains committed to his promise. Horton is a cute character that children would be attracted to; he is also very humorous. The story follows Horton from beginning to end, which allows young readers to develop a relationship with him, as they laugh and learn from him. The plot is quick paced and full of humor, which makes it very appealing to children. Horton is constantly doing silly things. The wording and language of this story make it flow and every enjoyable as well. The story is interesting and keeps the attention of the readers. The plot is never dull and inspires children to think about other events in life. Another aspect children’s literature that is substantial is involving children with the theme. Often times themes are not that easy to pick out of stories, but if children can identify themes they feel even more connected to the story (Norton, 1999). The theme of this story teaches children about life, working hard and keeping promises benefits all those involved. Overall, this story was well written with humor and realistic characters. The rhyming words would also appeal to children. I must admit that I found the story to be fun and delightful. At certain points I felt bad for the elephant. Horton is a well-developed character that is very appealing to children. Horton Hatches the Egg is a book that children will love and should definitely read.

This book clearly deserves more than five stars!

Horton Hatches the Egg is one of my very favorite children's books. The story opens with Mayzie, a lazy bird, sitting on her nest hatching an egg. She's terribly bored and tired and wants a break. She persuades Horton, the elephant, to take over for her. This is a good choice on her part because, "An elephant's faithful -- one hundred percent!"

So Horton props up the tree so it can take his weight, climbs up onto the nest, and ever so gently . . . sits on the egg.

Mayzie decides a little vacation in Palm Beach will be in order. Once there, she says . . . "why bother?" and abandons her egg.

What Horton didn't know is that this egg needed 51 more weeks of hatching! But, never mind. "He said what he meant and he meant what he said." He sat on that egg, no matter what.

Through a long series of misadventures, Mayzie and Horton are reunited just as the egg hatches. Mayzie wants her egg back, and Horton doesn't agree. Then the big surprise happens and Horton gets his reward!

Teaching children patience and persistence . . . well, that takes a lot of patience and persistence. Horton Hatches the Egg is a way to provide a small fictional example when setbacks and delays occur. My youngsters didn't understand Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration until they were well past their Dr. Seuss days. I like to think that their hard-working adult selves (for the three who are adults) were formed in part by Horton's example in this book.

This book contains many valuable lessons to encourage such as: keeping your word; being honest; looking out for those in need; sticking through to the end; facing your fears; and many others. It's a remarkable thing to realize also how well the ridiculous image of an unhappy elephant sitting on a nest is a bare tree can create all of those good notions. Way to go, Dr. Seuss!

Just imagine! An Elephant sitting on a nest! How Ridiculous! But wonderful! Horton is soooooo friendly, and kind, and faithful, he's just wonderful! I really like what comes out of the egg when it hatches! It is soooooo cute! I just love it! (The book and the creature)

Ghost Boy is about a boy named Harold who everyone calls Ghost Boy because he is an albino. When the circus comes to town, he sees a poster for the Cannibal King, who is also an albino. He runs away with the circus, hoping to meet the Cannibal King. Harold stays with Princess Minikin, a dwarf, and Samuel, the Fossil man, who is really hairy. He meets and falls in love with Flip, who rides the horses and does tricks. He tries to train the elephants to play baseball so that the circus won't go bankrupt. There are two groups in the circus; the freaks and the normal people. Harold gets confused by which group he should be in. His friends are the freaks, but it makes him feel more important to be with the normal people. This book shows a lot of emotion and shows how horrible it is to be ridiculed.

Ghost boy is a story of a fifteen year old albino boy named Harold. After his father died in the war and his brother disappeared, he'd been looking for somewhere to belong. His stepfather is a nasty old man who cares for no one but himself, and his mother worships the ground the man walks on. Harold's only friend is Honey, his basset hound. She's who Harold turns to when the school kids taunt him. "He's ugly and stupid, he's dumb as a post, he's a freak and a geek, he's Harold the ghost" they chant when they spot him. Harold finally has enough of all the teasing and not fitting-in and joins a traveling circus that stops in his town. He meets fellow "freaks" and becomes great friends with a few people. However he learns that not everyone has an open mind, and his new friends don't fit in - not even in the circus. As Harold finds himself, he loses a great friend. This experience and more lead him to the biggest decision of his life - stay in the circus or head back home.

I haven't read a book this good since "Where The Red Fern Grows". I liked the way it told the story of running away. Something that all kids think or dreama about. It pointed out the fact that whatever you look like is not who you really are. I definately would recommend this book to anyone. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down.