Trunks All Aboard: An Elephant ABC

by Barbara Nichol, W. Cornelius Van Horne (Illustrations)

When Grandpa goes traveling, he sends home postcards. But these are no ordinary postcards, and Grandpa is no ordinary man. At the turn of the century, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne was one of the most influential businessmen in North America. While in Europe in 1909, retired railroad president William Cornelius Van Horne sent hand-drawn postcards to his grandson in Montreal. He loved to draw elephants standing at the rail of an ocean liner, elephants smoking cigars on trains, and of course, elephants with their “trunks all aboard.”

Author Barbara Nichol was inspired by this collection of elephantine epistles and has written the whimsical and fanciful verse that captures the turn-of-century spirit of Van Horne’s creations.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2001

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in my local library's ABC collection. It is actually a pretty cool book because the illustrations are from a wealthy early 20th century Canadian businessman, named Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, who liked to draw elephants and sent this set of hand-drawn postcards to his grandson in Montreal. Feeling very inspired by them, the author Barbara Nichol, wrote these little ABC verses to go with them. I loved the illustrations and the verses are rather clever. Recommended for ages 1-6, 3 stars.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

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