The World's Greatest Elephant - Hardcover

Helfer, Ralph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399241906 ISBN 13: 9780399241901

Publisher: Philomel Books, 2006

Synopsis

It’s unbelievable but true! Born on the same day in the same small, German circus town, young Bram and his elephant, Modoc, had a lifelong friendship that spanned over eight decades. But it was never easy. From the breakup of the circus to the shipwreck in the Indian Ocean that nearly cost them their lives, the bond between the boy and the elephant survived the most unimaginable trials. This true story of their adventures together, and eventual rise to circus stardom in the Ringling Brothers Circus, will be a treasure for animal lovers everywhere.

About this title

About the Author

Ted Lewin grew up in an old frame house in Buffalo, New York, with two brothers, one sister, two parents, a lion, an iguana, a chimpanzee, and an assortment of more conventional pets. The lion was given to his older brother, Don, while he was traveling as a professional wrestler, and he shipped it home. The family kept Sheba in the basement fruit cellar until Don returned and their mother convinced him to give it to the Buffalo zoo.

Ted always knew he wanted to be an illustrator. As a child he copied the work of illustrators and painters he admired, including N.C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Velázquez, and Goya. When it came time to go to art school (Pratt), he needed to earn money to finance his education. So, following in his brother’s footsteps, he took a summer job as a wrestler—the beginning of a 15-year part-time career that eventually inspired his autobiographical book I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler.

Ted’s career as an artist began with illustrations for adventure magazines, and it’s only over the last several years that he has devoted his time to writing and illustrating children’s books. “I’m having more fun doing this than anything I’ve ever done before,” he says. He is an avid traveler, and many of his books are inspired by trips to such places as the Amazon River, the Sahara Desert, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, and India.

Ted and his wife Betsy live in Brooklyn, New York, where they share their home with two cats, Slick and Chopper.

Reviews

Grade 3-5–From her early days in Germany to a starring role in Americas Ringling Brothers Circus by way of shipwreck and months of teak hauling in India, Modocs story matches her larger-than-life size. The elephants life is intertwined with that of a boy with whom she was raised from infancy and who became her longtime circus partner. According to the book jacket, the author owned Modoc for the last 20 years of her life. The story is adapted from his adult book, Modoc. The large picture-book format is the typical choice for Lewins fine watercolors, boldly portraying the dramatic episodes of the elephants life and the story of friendship, separation, and reunion. This bold and heartwarming adventure tale should have wide appeal.–Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

*Starred Review* Gr. 1-3. Helfer's astonishing account of an abused orphan who bonds with an elephant may seem like a myth, but it's true. The boy, Bram, and the elephant, Modoc, are born at the same time in a circus in Germany. They grow up together, performing their thrilling act, until Modoc is sold to a cruel owner. But the friends refuse to be parted. They come up with a daring plan, and, after surviving a series of disasters, including nearly drowning in the ocean, make their way to America, where they become stars in the Ringling Brothers Circus. When Modoc is burned while rescuing children from a circus fire, the brokenhearted friends are forcibly separated. Lewin, who also illustrated Yukio Tsuchiya's Faithful Elephants (1988) and the 1994 Caldecott Honor Book Peppe the Lamplighter (1993), by Elisa Bartone, is at his very best here. His gorgeous, watercolor double-page spreads show the huge elephant and the rescue drama, but even more stunning are the depictions of the bond between the lifelong friends, the exhilarating public performances, the wrenching partings, and the loving reunion years later, which Helfer, who owned Modoc for the last two decades of her life, was able to witness. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399241906
• ISBN 13: 9780399241901
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lewin Ted
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48