A Mammoth Imagination - Hardcover

Norman, Philip Ross

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316612014 ISBN 13: 9780316612012

Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 1992

Synopsis

In spite of his friends' disbelief, Little Bonbon insists that he has seen woolly mammoths in the forest and follows some big footprints in the snow to prove that they exist.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In his debut, The Carrot War , Norman pitted antagonistic rabbits against one another in a battle for their favorite food; this time, he reverses that premise by making ordinarily menacing creatures seem cuddly. Here, wild boars romp in a dense forest complete with caverns and gigantic trees. Exhibiting a certain Old World cultivation, these leisurely behaved boars harvest mushrooms, uncork bottles of vino and dine al fresco around a long wooden table. While the adults feast, Bonbon, a young boar, plays in the woods. He insists he's seen mammoths there, but everyone knows mammoths are extinct. Undeterred, Bonbon follows some huge, round tracks one day, and actually meets a friendly herd of the shaggy beasts. Soaring trees and snowy clearings dominate each spread, and the characters appear tiny in comparison to their surroundings; Bonbon and the mammoths look soft and furry, like so many stuffed toys. Norman's gentle tale generates feelings of anticipation, adroitly tuning in to children's fantasies of meeting some fantastic, benevolent creature deep in the wilderness. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Bonbon is a wild boar with a difference--he likes to play, while the others of his ilk spend all their time searching for and consuming quantities of food. One day, he discovers a herd of mammoths and makes friends with them. When the boars ask him to play the next day, Bonbon answers as he goes off into the forest, "No thanks . . . I'll have more fun with my mammoth imagination!" Although stressing the joys of imaginative play, the text is weak and in places unclear--are there really mammoths? There is no real indication one way or the other. The cartoons are executed in orange, brown, yellow, and teal against a wintery backdrop. Unfortunately, at times Bonbon is almost indistinguishable from the mammoths except by size, as they all are the same color and have tusks. Also, the seasons seem to change from page to page. Martin's Will's Mammoth (Putnam, 1989) and Gerrard's Mik's Mammoth (Farrar, 1990) are more satisfying picture books for aficionados of the prehistoric age.
- Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library , LA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Brown & Co
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0316612014
• ISBN 13: 9780316612012
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1