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The wheat is ripe, but the harvester is broken and a plague of locusts is on the way. It looks as if Jim and his mother may lose the farm. But when Jim show kindness to a stranger, their fortunes are set to change in the most surprising way imaginable!
From the creator of the bestselling favourites Animalia, The Legend of The Golden Snail and The Jewel Fish of Karnak comes this inspiring and magical tale.
About the Author
Graeme Base is one of the world's leading creators of picture books. His alphabet book Animalia, received international acclaim when it was first published in 1986, and has achieved classic status with worldwide sales approaching three million copies. It has now inspired an animated TV series.
Other favourites by Graeme Base include The Eleventh Hour, My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch, The Sign of the Seahorse, The Discovery of Dragons, The Worst Band in the Universe,The Waterhole (and The Waterhole Board Book), Jungle Drums and Uno's Garden. In 2007 this last title featured in six major awards and was winner of three: Speech Pathology Book of the Year, younger readers; The Green Earth Book, USA; The Wilderness Society Environment Award.
In 2003, his first novel for young readers, TruckDogs, was released. It was short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards the following year. In 2009 Graeme produced the the fascinating, beautiful and challenging book Enigma; can you crack the code? Graeme's most recent book is The Golden Snail.
Graeme lives in Melbourne with his artist wife, Robyn, and their three children - James, Kate and Will.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 3 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
67%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
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REVIEWS
Reviewed by 3 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-3
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Comments about Little Elephants:
great funny book which has helped encourage the kids to read more
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Comments about Little Elephants:
This book is probably more suited for older readers because the story line is more advanced. It was not quite what we expected but very imaginative. We prefer some of the other Graeme base stories like Uno's Garden and Animalia
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Comments about Little Elephants:
I read this book to my 4 year old granddaughter.
Displaying reviews 1-3
Publishers Weekly
Base (Animalia) sets this magical tale in a threatened farm belt, alluding to the American Dust Bowl era and The Wizard of Oz. Jim, an earnest boy in blue overalls, lives with his anxious mother “on a wheat farm, and the risk of plague was never far away.” Fearing that pests will spoil the crop, Jim sadly frees his pet mouse. Later, though, a top-hatted traveler promises Jim “good fortune” and leaves behind a red megaphone; when Jim blows into this horn, he hears “a faraway trumpeting sound.... A shimmering cloud of gray dust wafted away on the breeze.” That night, Jim’s mouse returns, along with happy herd of rabbit-size elephants. Together, the animals bravely battle locusts to save the harvest. Base scatters visual hints throughout the narrative: model biplanes and a photo of a uniformed man suggest Jim’s absent father, and elephant and circus images hint at the origins of the mini-pachyderms. Base’s portraits of human beings can be awkward, but his tiny elephants—who run amok like the bullfrogs in David Wiesner’s Tuesday—are captivating. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Kirkus Reviews
A magical mouse helps young Jim save the family farm. It's harvest time on the wheat farm, and Jim's mother gently explains to him that he can't keep the white mouse he's found because it could attract others. The risk to the harvest is too great. Jim walks far from the farmhouse to let little Pipsqueak go. The next day in the field, Jim encounters a strange man wearing a jaunty hat who predicts that the wind will bring good fortune--but on the radio that night there's news of a swarm of destructive locusts heading in their direction. Later, Jim gets a surprise: Pipsqueak has found his way back, and he has brought something special. Under the bed, Jim finds a herd of tiny elephants. He tries to keep them a secret, but one night they escape and wreak all kinds of lovingly illustrated havoc. At the very moment Jim's mother notes the damage and figures they have a mouse problem, the locusts attack! Not to worry: The tiny and suddenly winged elephants drive the deadly locusts away and bring in the harvest to boot..."two ears at a time." The minimal text wisely recedes for Base's gorgeous paintings, and the story's very implausibility is a large part of the delight. An offbeat and winning mix of earthiness and enchantment. (Picture book. 4-7)
ISBN: 9780670076475
ISBN-10: 0670076473
Audience:
Children
For Ages: 4 - 7 years old
For Grades: K - 1
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 32
Published: 26th September 2012
Dimensions (cm): 29.0 x 30.0
Weight (kg): 30.1
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