Elephants Books

I've got a secret. Though your kids will love this book (mine did) it's not really for them--it's for all the exhausted parents out there longing for a little queit time. The illustrations are wonderfully clever, as is the story, and though the main characters may be a family of elephants, you'll enjoy how much they are just like you.

When thinking of animals in bedtime stories one often thinks of rabbits, kitten, puppies, all sort of cuddly creatures. Rarely does one consider an elephant but, thanks to Jill Murphy, change that thinking.

Mr. Large, the lovable head of an elephant family finds that reading bedtime stories puts him to sleep rather than his children. Just think of the sounds that nose (or trunk) could make!

Amusing and imaginative, A Quite Night In boasts artwork that shines with color.

This book by Jill Murphy is cute in it's way. Certainly the artwork is warm and cuddly, but the subject of sleepy parents was just a no-go for my children (boy and girl; 3 and 5).

It's not them, afterall, that are dragging after a long day of play and work. Thus they just couldn't find the humor in the story of parents falling asleep when they were hoping to have a private, adult-only, celebration of father's birthday.

Three Stars. Not the best read-aloud. Artwork is nice, with colorful but muted palette. The problem with this book is that the topic is not one children (my children at least) can identify with; thus not of much interest.

Once again the Large Family come up trumps or is that trunks! Hilarious, it had both me and my children laughing hysterically!

Mummy tried to have a birthday party for daddy, but he was too sleepy. Luke, Laura, Lester and the baby ate all the food after mummy and daddy fell asleep on the sofa while reading to them.

the first book is great looking forward to finishing it where I can start the second book part two.

This 300 pg tome (part one of two) should be entitled "The Structure of Wisdom." It reads like a technical manual on the art of living. Probably the most remarkable thing about Andreas' perspective is that just when you think he has made a universal generalization, he provides a context for his statement and indicates a different context in which the opposite is true.

Clearly written, yet filled with difficult ideas that could be meditated on for a lifetime, I found myself feeling like the book was a mere outline for a vast library of wisdom to be found in the secret "volumes 3 through 1000."

Remarkably jargon-free, this book transcends and includes the field of NLP and lands somewhere in the intersection of Philosophy, Psychology, Therapy, Linguistics, and Cognitive Science. Also rare in NLP books, this work is written with what comes across as real humility--the kind that comes with earned wisdom from life experience.

This work covers a huge range--from the deeply philosophical to the imminently practical--leaving the reader with a sense that many human problems can be overcome more elegantly that we might have thought if we take the time to learn and practice the technical details of human understanding.

I'm taking Bill Harris' online class and bought this book partly upon his recommendation.

This review is for people like me, lay people, rather than practioners in the field which the currently posted reviews of this book seem to be written by. It's for people taking Bill Harris' class wondering what they'll get from this book.

While I am impressed with this book--it is dense and rich and provides a thorough grounding in NLP--it is not a fun, light frothy read. It reads like NLP for Practioners and Serious Students rather than Intro to NLP for the Casual Reader.

I must admit I was hoping for NLP for the casual reader.

I've worked my way through both volumes. For those of us taking Harris' class, my impression is that I don't think it's necessary unless you're really interested in knowing more about NLP and you enjoy learning on your own.

If you decide to do further studies in NLP then this book is excellent for providing explicit back ground and context that you can take w/ you to other authors' books.

Bottom line, you have to know what level of interest you have in NLP to determine whether a book written for professionals is of interest to you.

This is a brilliant and practical book. Most people are creating how they feel, how they behave, what and who they attract, and what and who they are attracted to, without knowing HOW thay are doing any of it. For such people, it seems as if life is "just happening." In Six Blind Elephants, Steve Andreas peeks behind the curtain (or, rather, inside the mind) to describe what we are doing--pretty much on autopilot--to create what happens in our lives.

As someone who teaches similar information, I though Steve's treatment of this material was inspired. If you're looking for a feel-good inspiriational book, this isn't for you. But if you want to understand a lot of what you automatically do outside your awareness, and how it generates much of how you feel, how you behave, and what and who you attract and are attracted to--and, you'd like to be more in charge of this creative process--this book is a gem.

Bill Harris,[...].

Steve Andreas' "Six Blind Elephants" is long overdue. It is a brilliant re-coding (or re-categorization) of NLP, and most of the cognitive sciences. Every teacher of NLP must find his own metaphor for the science of the structure of subjective experience, a story he can tell trainees for 24 days, and Steve has found one that is one of the most comprehensive yet. Bravo! My only disappointment is that it doesn't have a zippier title, like "Mental Mastery/ Verbal Power," or some other type of Mass-Market braggadocio, so that it could get the wide audience it so richly deserves. Remember, if it's true-- it ain't bragging!

ARJUNA THE WHITE ELEPHANT by Richard P. Mroz was... or at least started out as one of the most enjoyable reads I have come across in some time.

However, despite the metaphorical and metaphysical story line, Mroz suddenly seems to run out of "reative fuel",pulls off the side of the road and then...stops.

I understand that life is like the Lotus blossom on the cover of the book. It seeds and strugles in the muck of life only to outgrow it's adversities and then; developes into a thing of great beauty. Naturally, it's life is short, and then...it simply dies.

Mros'character's lives are short as well, too short! The reader would have enjoyed a little more insight into their final years and perhaps... a little more hapiness in-between?

It truly appears that Mros started out with a great idea, but somewhere in the middle decided that Arjuna was in fact, his own ..."White Elephant".

The story begins in a judge's chamber in Pune, India. Mike Carrara has traveled to hear the reading of his uncle's will, fulfilling a promise he made to the dying man. He hears he's inherited a white elephant, by the name of Arjuna, as well as the elephant's trainer. Also property in Western Maryland, USA where the elephant, trainer and assorted animals are presently residing. Being a retired doctor, living in a gated community, Mike doesn't know what he'd do with an elephant. The judge suggests he sell it, he'd get a good price. An associate of his uncle's says it boils down to duty or convenience. Mike decides, and his decision determines what happens next, and down through the years.

The author introduces Ayurvedic principles and beliefs and weaves them throughout the story with good effect. The dialog is good, so good the first few pages of the book will have you smiling and finding a comfy place to read the rest of the book. Besides the story, the message I got from the book is that one action of ours--a good deed--can have a profound effect on others.

I highly recommend the book and hope Mr. Mroz has another novel out soon.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I found it to be delightful and intriguing. My son, Patrick (age 17)enjoyed this book as well and has recommended it to his English teacher as a "must read"!
We hope to see more books from Mr. Mroz.

This book has moved me in ways that can barely be described in English. Most characters in this book speak well and are intelligent, which gives the book a touch of elegance. Arjuna covers topics such as spirituality, renewed life after death, love, understanding, hope, and the meaning of life.
Life is but a breath of the eternal, a blink of the collossal eye. How will you make a difference? Does it even matter? This book, this thing that some may regard as a white elephant, will stay forever in my heart (and ever present on my book shelf). It will be read and re-read during my lifetime!
I find that I have grown very close to all of these characters. I would say more about them but in my affection for it I do not wish to spoil such a beautiful book. I have been inspired to find a copy of the Gita and read it. This book has opened up whole new worlds to me, as it may just do for you.

I found this book comprehensive and informative. It was also enjoyable to read.
The graphic descriptions of killings by elephants and executions of elephants could have been deleted, without compromising the book.

Astonishingly good book by a gifted writer. Journalist Shana Alexander recounts her personal experiences with elephants beginning with 'Packy" born at Portland Zoo, and continuing into late 1990's.

She was privileged to meet and work with many well known elephant people like the Douglas-Hamiltons, Moss, Poole, Rasmussen and others and tells of these encounters while describing the work they do and some of the interesting findings they have made.

The book covers some unusual aspects of elephant lore including a history and causes of the demise of male elephants in captivity. Parts of the reporting are gruesome.

In the latter portions she devotes a great deal of material to breeding and artificial insemination efforts, giving details of procedures as she witnessed them.

While keeping her writing at a professional level she lets her love of elephants comes through. Preservation of the species is an underlying theme of this work but it is not an 'in your face' assault on the reader.

I read it slowly over a one month period and my experience was akin to having her come for a chat every other evening and spend an hour or two telling me about elephants and her experiences. A wonderful book.

The Astonishing Elephant by Shana Alexander is educational, well researched and written, and an absorbing book. If you love animals, though, it is heartbreaking to learn how cruel and unfeeling the human animal can be toward our earthmates--the animals.

The very things that elephants are admired for--their strength, intelligence, sensitivity, the female's maternal instincts and the elephants' propensity to live as families--are the very reasons the abuse of such animals (or any animal) is so horrific.

This book will increase your knowledge of the astonishing elephant, but may break your heart.

Our family read this book while on vacation and all of us found it to be not only entertaining, but very educational. Too often the things that go on behind the scenes of the animal and entertainment world are unrevealed. Not only did we open our eyes to many truths, we enjoyed the tale and the journey. If you love elephants this is a must read book. Thank you Ms. Alexander for sharing your experiences and knowledge with all of us!

My two older sons (ages 5 & 2 1/2) have really enjoyed reading this story since the birth of their twin siblings last year. The adventures of the triplets, especially trouble-making Alexander, keep them glued to the book! They love Alexander's exciting brushes with disaster and are so happy when everything turns out well at the end. The last lines of Babar always makes me tear up: "Truly it is not easy to bring up a family, but how nice the babies are! I can't imagine how I'd get along without them now."

our kids love this book! gentle, loving, and anxious parents - take heart from babar and celeste! this have served as read-to stuff - and has passed into family lexicon. whenever we tell of some mishap, it always ends in "when suddenly ... the accident!" it's exciting, and funny, and reassuring. Kids love naughtiness, they have their surrogates in alexander and his elder, arthur. and they love everything turning out right in the end! i recommend this book.

This book is great for young children and also has a meaning for adults and teens too.I was filled with laughs and smiles when I read this book.I am quite honest when I say Babar is my Hero of the day!

Babar is a big favorite with my kids, but the book contains some comically outdated ideas about childrearing. Celeste sends Babar out on a bike ride so he'll miss the birth of his children. Later, when Celeste has to give up breastfeeding because of insufficient milk supply, the doctor recommends cow's milk (for elephants?) with honey (guess they hadn't heard of the botulism risk). Once they're slightly older, the children have a series of brushes with death. Flor chokes on her rattle, prompting Celeste to hold her upside down and shake her. (Celeste need a first aid course.) Alexandre gets catapulted out of a runaway stroller, goes over a cliff, and is saved only when he lands in a tree. Pom is saved from crocodile attack and near-drowning by his father, who fends off the crocodile "even though he has no gun." Once out of the water, he is given hot drinks and put to bed under heavy blankets. Presumably one can't be too careful about hypothermia, even in Africa. All in all, an uplifting tale.

This is one of our favorite Babar books at our house! It teaches a great lesson about not judging a book by its cover and even though things look alike they can be very different.
We enjoy making the sound the birds make ("Tash, Succotash") in a crazy bird voice. The kids love it.

All little kids are garunteed to love this book.

This recent addition to the classic Babar series is somewhat less whimsical than the original set of books but enjoyable nonetheless. The pictures are nice and have the same spirit as the originals; my 6-year old boy likes the way that the pictures are drawn. However, the story is a bit choppier. The lessons are carefully and explicitly made: (1) be careful what you wish for as you might be surprised and (2) that life is mixed between good and bad just like succotash is mixed with beans and corn.

If you're looking for the classic Babar stories by Jean de Brunhoff, then this would be a second choice.

If you are like me, Babar stories are among your favorites. Hopefully, they are your children's favorites too. This is a new story from Laurent de Brunhoff. As much as I like the story, I must say that I like the illustrations even more. This is one of the most beautifully illustrated of all the Babar stories.

One night in Celesteville, Alexander (King Babar's and Queen Celeste's elephant son) awakens. Drawn by the bright light coming through the window, he walks out onto the terrace to look at the moon. But there is no moon. The light is caused by a beautiful red and gold bird with sparkling feathers. The bird says, "Tash! Succotash! What are you doing here so late?" Alexander replies, "I can't sleep." The bird says that he is a wizard, and asks Alexander if he wants to play parachute or swing-swing. Alexander doesn't know what either one is. He chooses swing-swing, and soon he floating in the air, swinging gently back and forth and left to right. Alexander loves it. The wizard eventually returns Alexander to the terrace and persuades him to return to sleep.

Since Alexander has had such a good time, he wants to know if the wizard will come back to play with him again. The wizard says that he may, but issues a warning. "But remember, there are good and bad wizards, and sometimes it's hard to tell friend from foe."

The very next day, the elephant family goes for a walk and Alexander spots another bird, this time a brown one, that says "Succotash!" And the adventure begins in a new direction.

The moral of this story is that life is full of right and wrong mixed together, like succotash is "lima beans cooked up with corn." Youngsters need to be on the look out.

All humans are inclined to draw patterns in their minds that may or may not be present. You have a wonderful time with a new friend, and expect that the next time will be exactly the same. But you may have met that person on the happiest day of his or her life, and the next time you see the person is the saddest. Also, because your aunt and uncle are nice, that doesn't mean someone else's aunt and uncle will be, too. I thought that this book was unusually good in helping a child establish a sense of skepticism and distinction, rather than extrapolating blindly from the last experience. If this lesson can be learned well, your child's life will be much happier and more successful.

Nice writing!

After you finish enjoying this story, I suggest that you think about where you and your child may be drawing false conclusions from incomplete or misleading evidence. For example, if you and your child went to the aquarium on a day when it was crowded and she or he was sick, perhaps you had a bad time and have avoided the aquarium since then. If so, perhaps you should try again on a not-so-crowded day when both of you feel terrific.

Look for the best and worst, and embrace the best!

Great book. It offers an excellent history of the CBC. It goes behind the scenes and shows you what the legendary people of CBC were like.

"Cue the Elephant" is a vivid, interesting account of the history of the CBC network in Canada. It is particularly interesting to read about how the "star" system there is almost non-existent. The real stars of the CBC are its journalists. This is must reading for anyone interested in Canada.

Knowlton Nash, the closest thing Canada has had to a Walter Cronkite, was in fact a network bureaucrat before becoming anchor of the national news. As such, he was privy to every aspect of the CBC's television history, from the first broadcast in September 1952. CUE THE ELEPHANT is delightful nostalgia for any Canadian with memories of Juliette, THIS HOUR HAS SEVEN DAYS, Hockey Night in Canada, Don Messer's Jubilee, and other essential elements of Canada's recent cultural history.

I loved the Kids in the Hall stuff in it. The CBC is the greatest televison ever.

My daughter and son have all of these books and "absolutely" love them. They pick them out by the color and yellow is first pick right now. My daughter is hoping for a purple one to complete this rainbow of books. We keep our eyes out for any new releases to add to this delightful collection. We have the Ella plush dolls and look forward to finding more Ella items. My daughter is starting kindergarten and has me on the hunt for an Ella lunchbox.......Does this even exist? I'll keep looking!!

Once again a very entertaining "Ella" story that will captivate children and provide adults with numerous scenarios to discuss with their little ones. The heightened sense of suspense, rarely found in tales for this age group, intensifies the power to impart important lessons, while maintaining a positive, loveable character in the persona of the adorable Ella. All of the children in my family love the "Ella" books and are sure to be "gifted" these, as well. I welcome the opportunity to discuss "do and don't do" situations with them that are provided in the story line.

This book is the latest 'Ella' book, which I purchased for my daughter Ella who has all the 'Ella' books so far. The first books we have read over and over. This one she has asked to read only twice. Although the story is nice, we're not big believers in "luck," which is the strong emphasis of this book. Ella must rely on tremendous amounts of "luck" in this story as she disregards authority and her own safety to set sail in a storm after her lost hat. I believe this book is teetering on the edge of over-glorifying Ella's impetuous,naive behavior. I realize it is just a story, but my young daughter looks at Ella as a heroine, especially because they share a name.

The Ella series continues to satisfy! My granddaughters are both huge fans of the Ella books and love her adventurous spirit. Ms. D'Amico opens doors of excitement and challenges for them to peer through, and opportunities for the adults in their lives to discuss choices and feelings which may otherwise have been left unexplored. I also love that the books are always so perfectly age-appropriate and can be read over and over again. My youngest granddaughter loves these books so much she has them pretty much memorized, and though, being four, she cannot yet read them herself, she likes to prop the books on her lap and pretend she's reading them to Daddy. As always, we look forward to the next one!

my two year old loves elephants sooooo much and this book has so many cool pictures of elephants in it, i am considering buying another book just in case the pages in ours rip.

A great gift for your friends that are young at heart!

Why is it good to be old? Photographer Bob Elsdale uses elephants to blend a whimsical perspective with advice on aging gracefully, providing a fun blend of color photos and funny insights on the advantages of growing old. It's the perfect gift for that aging person who 'has everything' and wants to laugh.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book, "Gray Matter: Why It's Good to Be Old!," by Bob Elsdale, may make you crazy. The title, the two pages of text noting that Baby Boomers are aging, and the bonus magnifying/reading lens (included) make you think this is a book on aging and memory (note the elephant theme... they never forget).

HOWEVER, the 30 or so photographs are not related to aging and memory. A picture of an elephant on a surfboard? An elephant playing a bass fiddle? Driving a car on the beach? This seems to be a case of Seinfieldian "New Yorker" humor.... "I just don't get it."

BUT, Bob Elsdale has produced an extraordinary collection of photographs of elephants at the sea. With Photoshop, he's added kites, and chess, and fishing poles. Eerie, yes. Exploitative, perhaps. Riveting, certainly. The detail and composition of the photographs are amazing. You will be torn between gasping at the quality of the pictures while trying to understand the intent of the composer.

Three stars because of the hybrid nature of a 5 star x 1 star book.

This charming novel, set around 1900, tells about a boy of 15 years who unintentionally escapes from a miserable existence and ends up in the company of a girl and an elephant being chased across America by a proper villain. I won't tell you how it ends.

The writing is excellent. It is readable by children age 12 up and adults who enjoy youthful adventure stories.

The Great American Elephant Chase

This charming novel, set around 1900, tells about a boy of 15 years who unintentioanlly escapes from a miserable existence and ends up in the company of a girl and an elephant being chased across America by a proper villan. I won't tell you how it ends.

The wriing is excellent. It is readable by children age 12 up and adults who enjoy youthful adventure stories. I enjoyed it immensely

This story about a young girl who believes an elephant is rightfully hers is well worth reading.

My family read this aloud and the kids (8-11 yrs) loved it. Certainly it is hard to believe that the two young protagonists could have pulled off their journey with the elephant, but isn't that half the fun? The adults trying to obtain the elephant are necessarily evil and the kids both have pluck and luck. A sleeper belonging on every child's bookshelf. Older readers who enjoy the elephant aspect may want to read "Tusk and Stone" by Malcolm Bosse.