A Carousel Tale by Elisa Kleven
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Book Description: Ernst, a young blue crocodile, loved the carousel in the park. Every day he would say hello to the wooden animals. His favorite was the honey-colored dog.
When the dog’s wooden tail comes loose just before winter, the carousel keeper gives Ernst the important job of watching over it until springtime. But the tail looks so sad sitting on Ernst’s shelf without its dog that Ernst can’t help but try to cheer it up by turning it into a beautiful bird. As spring approaches, Ernst wonders if he will have to give up his newly created treasure. And if he doesn’t what will the poor dog have to wag?
My Review: While I read this book to my second graders, you couldn’t hear a pin drop. They stayed very engaged throughout the story. At the end they gave it the rating of two thumbs up – high praise from that group. The book is very imaginative and it’s about a topic they know and love: carousels. Ernst, the main character, is a sweet, lovable and very creative little blue crocodile who faces a dilemma. We were all holding our breath to see what the outcome would be. The outcome made us feel happy and warm inside! I’m also excited about this book because in our reading series we read another story about carousels and I can’t wait to compare and contrast the two stories. The illustrations, also by Elisa Kleven, are peaceful and beautiful. They were rendered in mixed media collage with watercolors, ink, pastels, and colored pencils – overall a very magical and calm effect. This book appeals to both boys and girls (since I have 11 boys and 8 girls in my class), and I would say from ages preschool through maybe third grade. I will definitely look into other books by Elisa Kleven.
