Will's Mammoth

Though his parents explain there have been no mammoths for over 10,000 years, Will goes out in the snow one day, certain he will meet some

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Will loves mammoths--huge, hairy, woolly mammoths. His parents explain that there are no mammoths left in the world, but Will knows better. Off he goes into an iridescent, snowbound world of his own creation, where he quickly finds all manner of woolly prehistoric beasts. The story is rich in imagination although sparing in words. Martin's text, hand-lettered and colored, is a straightforward frame for the real adventure revealed in Gammell's pictures. There is a feeling of joy and anticipation as Will's original snow-covered boulder bursts into one lone mammoth, only to be joined immediately by a whole herd of the wise-eyed creatures. In the course of the day, Will and his mammoth herd rout a pack of dangerous saber-toothed tigers, sing with the wolves, and meet a fur-clad cave family. The adventure is complete when they unexpectedly discover flowers blooming in the snow. A call home for supper returns Will to the everyday world, where he goes to bed with a promise of "I'll see you tomorrow." The illustrations are Gammell at his best. His scratchy, expressive line is full of energy, giving life and movement to the figures, while a sort of "spattered" overlay effectively creates the swirling snow. Rainbow hues reflect from the ice and snow onto brown shaggy fur and mammoth tusks. The color accents both figures and landscape, giving a feeling of solidity and eliminating any hint of monotony in the brown-furred creatures or snowy vistas. Gammell's prehistoric world is, in fact, unexpectedly colorful, and the contrast between the vibrant color and the white snow is extremely pleasing to the eye. A marvelous imaginary journey that will strike a responsive chord in young and old alike. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"What did you do today, Will?" ask a literal-minded mother and father. Their son replies, "I rode my mammoth." Chronicling most of this boy's fantastic voyage in very few words and superb watercolors, Martin ( Foolish Rabbit's Big Mistake ) and Gammell ( Song and Dance Man ) evoke a prehistoric landscape vast in scope and ticklishly humorous in details: the long red tongue of a woolly rhino licks her offspring's bristly forehead; two mammoths play tug-of-war with an infant of their species; cave-dwelling humans build snow mammoths instead of snow men. But it is Will's mount that is most lovingly characterized: tough but tender-hearted, this nameless creature plods impassively through snowy vistas to pluck a flower for his rider. His goofy face, with sunken blue eyes and great, unfurling tusks, is sweet yet sad, a radiant invention in a small epic of the imagination. Working on a scale less domestic and with a palette less pastel than previously, Gammell equals or outdoes his fine earlier achievements. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.