Elephants Books

I am glad I bought this book, but the story is not exceptionally well told.

Very touching story about 2 elephants, Shirley and Jenny who found each other after many years apart , now at the Elephant Sanctuary in TN. Awesome pictures.

This is feel-good book about the elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN. The pictures are great, the stories are great for elephant-lovers, but I gave it only four stars because the book is pretty short. I bought it for my wife, and she read it in about an hour. Overall, I feel good about the money going to such a good cause.

Love this book. Bought it because I love elephants and because Shirley, the main elephant of focus in this book, is my adoptee from the Elephant Sanctuary. It's more than a book for children, it's for anyone who loves elephants and wants to see them treated with respect and compassion. Thanks to Carol Buckley for all her glorious efforts on behalf of elephants. Now, if we could just stop using animals in circuses, life would be great!

This biographer wrote about a man whom 99% of readers have never read his books. And he does it well. Johnson wanted to push into the future and not repeat the linear exposition of novels that remain popular today. Johnson was a literary artist, not a bestselling author. Coe recognizes this and should be acclaimed for the honest and careful style he uses as a biographer to explain Johnson and his work. Johnson influences many writers today who seek the leading edge.

Coe has taken a subject known for his experimentation in fiction and produced a delightfully experimental biography.

Johnson was a difficult character and, at times, an unlikeable person. Overly arrogant concerning his talents and constantly annoyed at his lack of sales the reader of this study will find it hard to warm to him.

Nonetheless, he did genuinely try to innovate with his fiction and I am a big fan of his experimental writing. As with many experiments, they don't all work, but I respect him for trying and find his failures more interesting than a lot of writers' successes.

Coe has constructed this book in four parts.

The first is broadly a critical analysis of his work, focussing on his novels in chronological order. This is an insightful and measured look at the books and adds a great deal for both the fan and reader new to Johnson's work. This is a section which will be re-read by many each time they tackle one of his books.

The second, and major bulk of the biography, is a life told in 160 fragments. Here Coe tells the story of BSJ's life through a collection of writings - diaries, letters, notes, published and unpublished work. It is a wonderful way to let the reader into BSJ's state of mind and the finest moments are the many times that BSJ rants at an editor or agent for not selling enough of his books.

The third is a neat collection of quotes from people interviewed for the book. Memories and views on BSJ from friends and colleagues.

The final part is a fascinating piece of detective work from Coe, piecing together BSJ's last days.

I cannot remember having read a more imaginative, honest or thought-provoking biography. This is a masterpiece and deserves a wide audience.

The Washington Post reviewer betrays his own mindset when he allows that Johnson's ALBERT ANGELO to be "an impressive novel, though redolent of 60s experimentalism," in which the word "though" stands out like a red flag. What does he mean, "though"? Read the sentence without "though" and it would represent my point of view. Oh well to each his own. But I say, what's wrong with 60s experimentalism? You'd think it was a taint of some kind.

The truth is that Bryan Johnson, ill read and ill served by his publishers (though he couldn't have been easy to handle) is a far more interesting author than Jonathan Coe, no matter how many awards the latter has received. The whole project had a quixotic tilt for Coe, who seems to have regarded himself very reflexively, for of course he is constantly having to defend his own bourgeois conception of the novel against the avant-garde of Johnson and, say Beckett, and constantly he is shading his generally well thought out exegeses on Johnson's books (a few of which I have not read) by citing their inhuman, formalist coldness, a quality he abhors, a quality that he believes contributes to the "deadness" of experimental writing.

So it's a funny book in many ways, and yet I am grateful to Coe for writing it, for it establishes a context, no matter how skewed, by which he might form a coherent view of BS Johnson's life and times. And surely we owe him a huge debt of gratitude if only for spending eight years interviewing many souls (and many who have since passed on) who knew Johnson and who otherwise would have let their knowledge go quietly into the grave of experimentalism in England. It is a rich turf, nearly unknown, terra incognita and nearly untouched by biographers.

All in all, a splendid book, a book you can lose yourself in, and perfect for long winter nights

You may love BS Johnson, you may never have heard of him, but if you're interested in writing - how to write, why to write, what does it all mean? - this book is wonderful: interesting, enjoyable, thought-provoking, but most of all, somehow heartwarming, even though it is about a writer who killed himself.

In a way, this is the biography of BS Johnson that BSJ himself would have wanted (and then some). I'm not talking about the content particularly, although Johnson's life has been rigorously researched and then described in fascinating detail, but the tone and form of the biography. It holds a mirror up to what Johnson was trying to do with his own (mostly autobiographical) novels and reflects as much as it can back at you. Johnson had two strongly (passionately, belligerently) held beliefs about the novel. First was the idea that 'telling stories was telling lies' and he tried to make his writing as honest as possible (or did he? is there in fact as much artifice in the 'truth' he writes about as in any work of fiction?), writing mostly about himself and his experiences. He didn't believe in 'fiction' but he did believe in the 'novel' and his second strong belief was that James Joyce's Ulysess changed the novel so significantly that to act as if it had never happened was tantamount to treason, instead the novel must continue to evolve. An experimental writer (although Johnson himself disputed this term, claiming his experiments were just that and never submitted to publishers), his most common experiment was with form - using whatever form he felt best suited his material.

And that is exactly what Jonathan Coe has done. He grapples with the act of writing biography, how to get at 'the truth', how to write honestly about someone you never knew, and he freely admits when he's guessing or extrapolating. He talks personally about his experience of Johnson, as a teenager, a student, a biographer, a fan, but also as a successful novelist, standing in direct opposition to Johnson, not just because Coe is admired by the literary establishment but because he creates fantastic stories/'lies'(although is it just coincidence that Coe's novel The Rotters Club, written at the same time as this biography, is more strongly rooted in his own past than any before?). And then, having collected all his biographical evidence, Coe creates a narrative out of it by using whatever form works best to 'tell the story' - usually directly quoting from a friend, an irate letter of Johnson's, one of his poems, screenplays or novels. This is done most evocatively towards the end of the biography in one section that consists solely of recollections from friends and Johnson's widow.

BS Johnson himself, of course, is the only person who could ever reveal the real truth behind the truth, what really went on 'inside his skull', but Coe manages to reveal the heart of the man. While Johnson could dismiss Coe's tentative Coda suggesting what might have led up to his suicide, BSJ and the rest of us can only admire this honest, passionate, playful portrayal of a troubled, confused man, a single-minded writer, and writing itself.

This is the original, wonderful Babar. It was my favorite as a child (I still have the 1973 original edition) and I am happy to be able to share this gentle story and its beautiful illustrations with my own child today. There is nothing to be afraid of in this book, including the minor boo-boo, which is bloodless and something any child can relate to. The point of this book is not to teach about the seasons, but to enjoy seeing the fun things that the elephants in the charming kingdom of Celesteville do all year. From picking apples to skiing, the family has fun together. Santa doesn't appear in this book, even though one reviewer said otherwise, and I can't imagine why another reviewer said it's really the same as Barney. Nonsense. That is like seeing no difference between a smiley face sticker and a pretty, though simple, painting.

Additionally, Babar is an important French character, and if you want to introduce your child to French culture, this is a good start. This story gives several glimpses of traditions still very much alive in Europe, like buying a cake before coming to tea at a friend's house, and listening to an outdoor orchestra on the plaza in the summertime. An A+ book about the comforts of family, and the joys of life throughout the year.

In this book, Babar, the King of Elephants, takes us on a tour of the four seasons. He tells us about different things that his family does during each of the seasons. The book ends with Santa Claus at Christmas time. Generally, the story is quite innocuous, with little that might scare young ones, except for a very bloody skinned knee. But we're reassured that the doctor says it's not serious. All told, the book has about 750 words.

Mine is a hardcover edition. The pictures are nice, but a bit small, you have to strain to see little birds in the nests
being fed their worms (in the Spring section). The book is basically a book about seasons, it features Babar and his family in all seasonal activities, but could as easily be Barney,Elmo, or any other character. It has no real story plot, and no drama, like the Story of Babar (my children's favorite). It's nice and educational for 2-3 year olds perhaps, but one shouldn't have to pay 10 bucks to teach about seasons.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Meet Babar and His Family was one of her picks.

The Babar books belong in every home with children. If you already know the series, I'm certain that you agree. If you don't know Babar and his family, you should. They represent idealized "family values" as elephants together. Their relationships with others are ideal as well, including their elephant friends, other animal friends, and the Old Lady (a human) who teaches school in Celestville, where they all live. I also like introducing children to a world where animals may have more authority than people do. That can help establish all kinds of interesting new thoughts about our relationship to the natural world.

Meet Babar and His Family has a good balance of illustrations, actions, and story development to keep your youngster's mind occupied while you read to him or her during the preschool years. Later, your child will be reading this and other Babar stories to you. Memorizing what you have read aloud and learning to follow along with the words will be part of that process of learning to read.

As the title suggests, this story is built around introducing each of the characters, helping you understand their qualities and role in the series, and showing the kinds of activities they typically do. The only aspect of the stories that is not fully developed is that Babar and his wife, Celeste, are king and queen of the elephants and rule over Celesteville. But they are wearing their crowns and are identified as king and queen, so you can expand on this theme of the later stories easily enough.

Most of the other stories in the series do not include all of these characters, so finding them all here will make it easier for your child to understand the other stories when you move on to them.

The Babar family's children are Pom, Flora, and Alexander. As is usual, they get a little too active, and one of them gets hurt (Pom, in this case) and is treated by Doctor Capoulosse. Naturally, Babar's young cousin Arthur is in the story, playing with his friend Zephir, the monkey. Cornelius, the oldest of the elephants, has tea with the Old Lady.

The story takes you through four seasons' worth of activities, including ones that the family does together (like go skating, picnicing, and listening to a concert) as well as children's activities (like a snowball fight, going to school, and taking the school bus). The Babar family likes to be together with their friends, also.

After you have enjoyed this warm family story, I suggest that you get out your calendar for the year ahead and jot down the activities that you would like to do with your family and friends. Then speak, call, go on-line, or write to make the arrangements. Spending the time you want with those you love requires a little planning and putting a priority on this activity. After all, you probably were looking forward to having a nice family life when you got married and decided to have your first child, weren't you? Stalled thinking, lazy habits, and lack of focus can keep you from enjoying this opportunity. Be like Babar and Celeste and be the royalty of your family by leading on to worthwhile activities!

Live a full and happy family life together!

I grew up in the same hometown as the author; in fact, I often babysat him. I really wanted to know what Mark had to say. It seems as though he just wanted to vent (with good reason)and explain about his childhood and adolescence. This narrative made me wish that I had been more intuitive of Mark's agony during the mid-sixties, but none of that ever came though to me. And isn't that the point of the book...who knew (literally)? This short book was a quick, easy read and gave good insight into the interesting, if bittersweet and short life of a fine young man.

Living in a state of blame brings no healing. There becomes a point where "YOU" become the only blame. That point is at hand.
Hard childhood's, were not meant to produce adult excuses.

If you are someone or know someone who is faced with questioning his or her sexual identity, you must read this book!
I read this book and I was so moved with passion that I cried with happiness and sadness thru out the book.
This is an inside look at the deepest level of the amazing struggle of one inspiring individual.

THIS IS A MOVING STORY ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD SO MANY OBSTACLES THAT IN SPITE OF THEM SURVIVED TO TELL THEM, THE STORY IS MOVING AND QUITE HEARTFELT. BUY A COPY

Lola Gale is a famous singer who has lost he lucky marbles. She hires Nick Truck who is an elephant and detective to find them. Nick collects clues and tries to find out who has taken the marbles. The book includes lots of word play along the way! The book has a twist at the end you will never guess who has taken the marbles and why!


The books illustrations were done in black and white. Most kids will not be drawn to this book due to the lack of color.

This is a good book for kids who enjoy mysteries. They can read it and try to solve the mystery before Nick Trunk does!

The very young may not readily understand the meaning of the film noir black and white drawings in Mystery At The Club Sandwich: this caveat aside, it's an inviting, wonderful story of one Nick Trunk, Private Detective, who is the only one to help foxy singer Lola regain her lost marbles. Nick's efforts at solving a sticky crime prove hilarious; especially to picturebook readers with some reading and critical thinking skills behind them.

Written in the style of an old Phillip Marlow detective story but for young children, Mystery at the Club Sandwich is a great story with plenty of amusing word play. Even the pictures are black-and-white like the old movie series. It is the story of Club Sandwich singer Lola Gale (a fox) who lost her marbles - her six lucky marbles. It is up to Nick Trunk (an elephant) to solve the mystery and locate her marbles. With only the clues of a peanut butter smudge and an ostrich feather it will be a hard case to solve. Join Nick Trunk as he investigates the magician entertainer, the cook, and even Ms. Gale's personal employee seeking to solve the crime. Wonderfully written entertainment for adults and children Mystery at the Club Sandwich is a highly recommended book for young children.

Very Good, But Not Consistent Enough
Boasting a title more clever than its story, "Mystery at the Club Sandwich" pays homage to the mysteries of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The black and white illustrations (against an appealing silvery-white background) the clipped language, and the tough-guy stance all parody the "noir" films and books of the 1940's, and much of it is funny and clever. Unfortunately, Doug Cushman doesn't quite sustain the noir sensibility throughout the book, and the parody flattens somewhat after a promising beginning.

The opening scene is taken from the Bogart version of "The Maltese Falcon." Detective Nick Trunk, an elephant with a slight resemblance to Lee J. Cobb, encounters a pretty, fur-laden kitten in his office. While the private eye's digs aren't shabby enough, there's some angled reflection on the wall, and his client has some `lip' on her:

"One morning, the door to my office opened. In walked a beautiful lady. She looked like trouble.
`My name is Trouble,' she said. `Maggie Trouble. Are you Nick Trunk?"
`That's my name,' I said."

Lola explains --in direct, short sentences-- a nicely convoluted story about how her employer, singer Lola Gale, lost her marbles. Real marbles (for good luck). Trunk replies "I will take your case," but like any two-bit detective he wants his payment up front. The elephant works for peanuts. (He will settle for peanut brittle, however). Witty, clever, and smartly written satire.

The authenticity begins to evaporate when Trunk meets Gale, who looks more like Ms. Dumont in the Marx Brothers movies than a femme fatale. She's staid-looking, with real pearls, and an upscale air. Opportunities for noirish illustrations and biting dialogue give way to a more pedestrian mystery exploring clues, questioning multiple suspects--and repeating jokes and puns about peanut butter. Only the chef (a bespeckled pig) and a walrus working at a diner look like character actors from the films this book tries to emulate. A few clues and an insight later, the mystery is solved, with a final page exploding with puns.

Although Cushman's draws well, and he includes some interesting dialogue and characters, the spoof just doesn't feel authentic enough. A better satire would include and parody more noir elements in a manner that would appeal to a wider age range. Cushman does a good job with some of these ingredients: The snappy dialogue, the drawings of the pig, the walrus, and Lola, the contours of the diner, and, later, a more messy detective office. However, the lighting, the characters (especially Nick Trunk), the names, and much of the whole "look" and tone are not consistently authentic. Younger kids aren't going to get all of the film noir allusions without the help of an older reader. Therefore, the author--more so than in other books--has two audiences, kids and adults, and adults' knowledge of the genre should be satisfied. Still, the book is often snappy, and the kitchen and diner "scenes," and Trunk (when drawn looking weary)fit the style. When the elements are there, there's the possibility of discussion with your younger audience.

Generally speaking, the noir film/book parody is just too easy and overdone. It requires meticulous attention to the details, exploiting them in as many clever ways as possible. While I enjoyed the book, and kids will like the humor and the mystery, it was ultimately a bit disappointing. Note: As mentioned by others, the book is dedicated to "Sam, Phil,and Dashiell": Only the latter is a mystery writer, Sam and Phil refer, as fans know, to the fictional heroes Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe.

Amazing story of a college student who starts her journey with an elephant. Very interesting because it is true.

I purchased this book because I admire Carol Buckley's work at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. For several years, I watched the heroine of this book, the Asian elephant Tarra, on the Sanctuary's website "Elecam," which records the elephants movements during the day. I vicariously fell in love with Tarra from watching her daily movements and was determined to learn more about her past life. This book provided me with a loving history of Tarra, how Carol came to meet her as a baby, purchased her and eventually take her around performing for the next 15 years.

But Carol Buckley had a conscience and a heart. She realized that Tarra was sick and tired of her life as a captive circus elephant. Even though Tarra was treated better than 99.9% of other circus animals, she still grew bored and frustrated with a life pleasing humans and living isolated from others of her own kind. The black and white photos of Tarra with Carol show her life as a performer. Finally, Carol was able to do something few of us are able to achieve: she was able to live her dream by creating a Sanctuary for abused, homeless and unwanted Asian elephants (soon to include African elephants as well). Tarra was the first inhabitant of the Sanctuary, and she was soon joined by others. The book also documents Tarra's happy new life in the company of other female Asian elephants.

This is a heartwarming, true story of Tarra and Carol. For anyone who loves elephants and is a compassionate soul, this is the book for you. Hopefully other needy elephants will someday get the opportunity of living in Hohenwald and getting to know both Tarra and Carol. Great book!

TRAVELS WITH TARRA is an enchanting, black & white book about one woman's lifelong friendship with a captive Asian elephant, brought to America as a baby to be a promotional gimmick for a tire dealership, back when that could still be done.

It is plain & simple reading, with a delightful tale to be told, of an affectionate & adventurous young woman & a bright & willing elephant.

A heartwarming read, filled with photos of those magnificent animals &, as Carol tells Tarra's story, we also get to see the ages of that quietly brave & dedicated young woman.

TRAVELS WITH TARRA is a unique book, to treasure always.

Carol Buckley made her dream come true, a retirement for her elephant Tarra and a sanctuary for elephants on a farm in Tenesse.

Carol and Tarra was in showbusiness together for 20 years but Carol started to question what they did, and what she did to Tara. Having earned more money than she could use, she settled down on a farm in Tenessee, and established one of the few captive elephant sanctuaries in the world. Soon more elephants came to join, ...

I bought this book for my 3 year olds birthday. They love the show so I thought the book would be of the same calibre. I was a little disappointed. The story is very basic and appears to be purely a money raising spin off from the show. One of the key reasons for buying the book was the accompanying DVD. This made the purchase worthwhile. Regardless my 3 year old loves it.

I like the fact that this book comes with a DVD even though it's a short one. The book has beautiful artwork, drawn mixed in with real life photos. The DVD is about 15 minutes long and is not the same story as the book but my 2 year old still really enjoyed both. She was in a phase where she always wanted to be read the book and watched the DVD repeatedly. Now that she's 2 1/2, I think she outgrew it, maybe got too much of it when she first got it but it's worth the purchase. I'll be looking out for more of this type when it comes out.

My 3 year old daughter loves this cartoon. We can't wait till more episodes come on DVD. Very educational!

This is a great book for young kids, as well as kids just learning to read. It is a basic story with great pictures and illustrations. The accompanying DVD is very nice, although short. It only has one episode of the show on it, which is about 15 minutes long. My 3 year-old son has really enjoyed this book and loves to talk about all of the animals in the book. It would be great if National Geographic and BBC would publish more Mama Mirabelle books!

Published in 1908 , this doctoral dissertation of Wilhelm Worringer soon became the most valid theoritical support for Expressionism.Elaborating the idea of Riegl's "kunstwolen"(roughly means the will to create)Worringer suggested that the history of art is the history of artistic intentions raher than the artistic skills which culminates in the scientific observaton of the external world and became a Greco-Roman-Reaissance tradition.Empathy ,on he oher hand,is a subjective approach to aesthetics and fails to exlplain the arts outside the European tradition.So a more fundamental phychology is needed and Worringer showed that how this "will to form" at any period of human history is related to a man's surrounding world which causes him insecurity and fear. Art is a responce to overcome this constant flow of randomness and becomes a corrective to this feeling by means of creating permanent asthetic forms. Great book .Physical shape and large font of this book is highly satisfying.Also read author's "Form in Gothic".

Without writing a summary, I have to say that this book was delightful. It gives an excellent perspective on western thought in the early 20th century.
I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in art theory, art history, architectural history, or just generally interested in the modern movement.

Breaking man's urge to create down to the point of a dialectic battle between his level of comfort with the surrounding environment, Worringer outlines the historical balance between our urge to make what we perceive concrete (through abstraction) or organic (through empathy). This classic dissertation argues it is only by finding a state of equipoise between these two urges that art can make a lasting connection with any generation.

Recommended for all those interested in advancing art and design evaluation beyond mere opinion.

This was an enlightening account of the issues surrounding the Vietnam War, the reasons for American involvement and the inside track to the Vietnamese perspective. The author explains the facts all sides needed to contend with, but left the conclusions to the reader to decide what was the right thing to do. This is a fair representation of the debate over the Vietnam War.

I learned about the politics of war for the people in Vietnam, and the price paid for actions taken by those in power. It also explained the reactions of all those involved.

I thought the book was excellent~ in writing and content quality. I plan to use this book with my 10th grade students as I feel that it provides an excellent look into not only the war, but the politicians and American people at that time.

ISBN 0394879082 - I've never been a huge Babar fan, but I do like this book! It's a perfect Halloween title for little kids who only THINK they're ready for "scary stuff".

Babar and his family go to Black Castle to picnic. When it begins to rain, they head indoors, where the kids joke about ghosts until, much to their surprise they meet a real one! Friendly and lonely, Baron Bardula plays with them until it's time to go home. After some pleading by the children, the baron agrees to go home with them, but it doesn't work out very well. Still, the kids have made a great new friend!

Not scary, really, so it's a nice little book for the 6-8 age group it's intended for. The ghost is less scary than a ghost might be, and more of a prankster, and even those pranks are at the direction of Babar's children.

In this book, Babar and his family go to the haunted Black Castle for a picnic. But while they are there it starts to rain, so they have to go inside and wait for it to stop. As they were waiting, the children went and roamed around. While they were roaming around the castle, they ran into a ghost. At first they were scared, but the ghost told them he was a good ghost. They thought he was very cool so they decided that he should come home with them. The ghost told them that only children could see him, so they had some fun playing tricks on their parents. But finally, Babar got suspicious about what was going on and overheard his daughter talking to, and about, the ghost. So Babar got fed up and made it go back to the Black Castle where it came from. The children were sad, but they knew that they could go and visit the ghost any time. Then the next day Babar asked them if they wanted to go back to Black Castle for another picnic. The children were so happy. The were going to get to see their ghost friend again.
I liked this book as a child because I always thought that stuff with ghosts, haunted houses and stuff like that were interesting. My favorite character in this book was Zepher the monkey, he was kind of funny. So if you think you are interested in this kind of story, you should read it.

The Babar series is just wonderful for beginning readers. There are many qualities that parents will like- the cultural aspects, messages about responsibility, family, and community, as well as engaging, but not-too-complex plots for youngsters. My daughter particularly likes this one- it has just enough mystery and intrigue to interest her without confusing her.