  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/2006 Gr 3-5-From her early days in Germany to a starring role in America's Ringling Brothers Circus by way of shipwreck and months of teak hauling in India, Modoc's story matches her larger-than-life size. The elephant's 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 Lewin's fine watercolors, boldly portraying the dramatic episodes of the elephant's 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 2006 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2006 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 02/01/2006 *Starred Review* 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. - Copyright 2006 Booklist. Loading...
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