Seventeen Kings and Forty-two Elephants - Hardcover

Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.

Kindergarten-Grade 2 In words both sensible and nonsensical, Mahy's entourage of kings and elephants makes its way through the jungle. Readers don't know where they came from or where they're going, but the journey is a joyous one. Before the procession disappears into the night, assorted jungle creatures respond to the songs and music of the travelers: ``Forty-two elephantsoh, what a lot of 'ums, /Big feet beating in the wet wood shade, /Proud and ponderous hippopotomums /Danced to the music that the marchers made.'' Painted on silk, the batik illustrations glow with the lush, clear colors of the fabric. Their visual patterns reflect the verbal patterns and the fun of the text. The hippopotomums are palpably ponderous, the flamingos gorgeously pink. Not since Preston and Parker's Pop Corn and Ma Goodness (Viking, 1969; o.p.) has there been such a marriage of happy, rhythmic language and illustrations. Go for it. Your small patrons will love it. Janet D. French, Centennial School Dist . Libs . , Warminster, Pa.
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