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Summary
Summary
"Kids will take comfort in this endearing -- and enduring -- tale of friends helping friends." -- BOOKLIST
Theodore the elephant has hurt his leg and can't meet his cousin at the end of the forest. What a pity! Of course, all the other animals are more than willing to give him advice. After all, that's what friends are for -- isn't it? Enhanced by Holly Meade's vivid collages, Florence Parry Heide's dry wit rings through this cumulative tale of a long-suffering elephant, his well-meaning friends, and a straight-talking opossum who shows them all what being a REAL friend means.
Author Notes
Florence Parry Heide was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 27, 1919. She studied at Wilson College before transferring to the University of California at Los Angeles, where she received a B.A. in English. She worked in advertising and public relations in New York City before returning to Pittsburgh during World War II. She moved to Wisconsin with her husband after the war and started writing books at the age of 48. She wrote or co-wrote over 100 children's books including the Treehorn series, Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated, and The One and Only Marigold. She also wrote under the pseudonyms Alex B. Allen and Jamie McDonald.
Heide received numerous awards and honors including having The Shrinking of Treehorn named by the New York Times as the Best Illustrated Children's Book of 1971 and winning the Jugendbuchpreis for the Best Children's Book of Germany in 1977; The Day of Ahmed's Secret received the Editors' Choice Award from Booklist in 1991, and Sami and the Time of the Troubles received the Editors' Choice Award from Booklist in 1992. She died on October 24, 2011 at the age of 92.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-First published in 1968 (Four Winds; o.p.) and illustrated by Brinton Turkle, this selection is a bit more didactic than most friendship stories, but the topic is always in demand, and the language patterns and repetition may make it useful for beginning readers. "Theodore the elephant is sitting in the middle of the forest. He has hurt his leg. What a pity!" So begins this cumulative tale of how he enlists his many friends to help him visit his cousin. He gets lots of advice; for instance, the bird tells him to fly, the spider tells him to use his other legs, the monkey suggests that he just swing by his tail. It's not until he meets the opossum that he gets what he really needs, and everyone learns that, "Friends are to help." Told in the present tense with an old-fashioned flavor, this story offers a simple variation on a very old theme. Meade's cut-paper and watercolor pictures are fresh and lively, with soft clear colors.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Theodore the elephant, who has hurt his leg and can't get across the forest to meet his cousin, asks his friends for advice--that's what friends are for. After much well-meaning but ineffectual advice, the opossum sets everyone straight: friends are to [cf2]help[cf1]. The cumulative text builds satisfyingly, and Meade's new illustrations, full-bleed double-page spreads in watercolor and cut-paper collage, are striking. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Poor Theodore Elephant is hobbled--an injured leg means he can't meet his cousin at the edge of the forest. He considers asking his friends for advice. "Nonsense," declares practical opossum, "Friends are to help." If Theodore can't go to his cousin, the friends will bring his cousin to Theodore. First published in 1968 with illustrations by Caldecott Honor-winner Brinton Turkle, this cumulative tale of caring is here animated by another Caldecott-winner's collages of carefully prepared and painted papers. Artful scratches and swirls give elephantine texture to wrinkly Theodore and make a lion's mane luxurious, and rainforest-ripe colors cause even the smallest creature to pop from the pages. Contact shadows and a variety of edges and background treatments add depth and movement, while pin-point touches of black convey an extraordinary range of expressions. Particularly effective is a sun-seared sienna silhouette of the animals' trek, leading to a memorable denouement: "To give advice is very nice, but friends can do much more. Friends should always help a friend. That's what friends are for!" (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS^-Gr. 2. Caldecott Honor Book artist Meade's lovely new watercolor and cut-paper collages add warmth and humor to this story of friendship first written in 1968. Theodore the elephant has hurt his leg, preventing him from visiting his cousin at the other end of the forest. Stuck, he ponders his plight: "`I'll ask my friends for advice. That's what friends are for.'" Let the useless spool of advice unravel! The bird suggests that Theodore fly, the daddy longlegs advises him to use his seven other legs, the crab suggests that he grow another leg, and so on. In the end, the sensible opossum proclaims that friends should do more than give advice. He suggests that they bring the cousin to Theodore, and when they do, a party ensues. The precise lesson on advice giving may be beyond some children, but kids will take comfort in this endearing--and enduring--tale of friends helping friends. --Karin Snelson