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Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary
Have you ever seen a yellow elephant, glowing in the jungle sun?
Have you seen a green frog--splash!--turn blue?
Or a red donkey throw a red-hot tantrum?
In this bright bestiary, poet Julie Larios and painter Julie Paschkis cast a menagerie of animals in brilliantly unexpected hues--encouraging us to see the familiar in surprising new ways.
Have you seen a green frog--splash!--turn blue?
Or a red donkey throw a red-hot tantrum?
In this bright bestiary, poet Julie Larios and painter Julie Paschkis cast a menagerie of animals in brilliantly unexpected hues--encouraging us to see the familiar in surprising new ways.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 15, 2017
I have a long affection for children’s picture books, despite having no children. When I saw a review on this and a small sample of the artwork, I was motivated to find out more.
A sort of variation on the beloved “Color Kittens,” this combines a color and a familiar animal, sometimes in unusual combinations.
Each picture is accompanied by a poem, with a strip of colorful detail.
I think the vivid colors will work for young eyes, as well as the crisp lines.
Occasionally it is stylized enough that it may be less accessible, but the variety in style means some pictures should still work well.
I’m in love with the colorful artwork. I’d love to have a a group of these as prints. It even sent me to Paschkis’ site to learn more about her work. Alas: no prints of these for sale.
Cross posted at my blog, with additional pictures: https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2017/...
A sort of variation on the beloved “Color Kittens,” this combines a color and a familiar animal, sometimes in unusual combinations.
Each picture is accompanied by a poem, with a strip of colorful detail.
I think the vivid colors will work for young eyes, as well as the crisp lines.
Occasionally it is stylized enough that it may be less accessible, but the variety in style means some pictures should still work well.
I’m in love with the colorful artwork. I’d love to have a a group of these as prints. It even sent me to Paschkis’ site to learn more about her work. Alas: no prints of these for sale.
Cross posted at my blog, with additional pictures: https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2017/...
July 2, 2015
Red clay road.
Red donkey braying.
He has a red temper.
He's probably saying,
This load is too heavy.
I'm hungry.
My feet hurt!
I'm tired!
I'm hot!
It's
not
fair!
Red donkey sits down.
Someone shouts, "Come!"
But he won't come.
Red donkey tantrum.
March 14, 2010
This picture poetry book is for children ages 5-10. I think younger children will appreciate the focus on animals and colors right off the bat. As they grow up they may understand and appreciate the amazing adjectives used to describe the animals and their color. The poems are short and use color to capture the emotions of the animals. It is very easy to smile while reading this book.
I enjoyed the paintings. They were structured very interestingly in a box. They are not a typical landscape view like in many other children’s books. I would keep this book around for read alongs, teaching colors, and pointing out the importance of adjectives to older students.
I enjoyed the paintings. They were structured very interestingly in a box. They are not a typical landscape view like in many other children’s books. I would keep this book around for read alongs, teaching colors, and pointing out the importance of adjectives to older students.
January 31, 2019
This book is about poetry in colorful animals. It has a lot of colorful artwork that dsecribes the poems.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2013
This colorful picture book about a variety of animals is told in free verse poetry. This is a bestiary. Each set of pages provides an animal that is a particular color on the right hand side. On the left is a brief poem that describes the animal and all of their antics. This is a great book for preschool or kindergartners! It offers various animals which kids always love. It also presents an opportunity to review their colors while introducing them to poetry.
The artwork is bright and fanciful. The animals jump off of the page (especially the frog). This is a great way to bring poetry to the youngest of our students. Too often we expect these early readers to stick to sentences structure when really the focus should be on the simple words and their phonetics. If that is the case, why not offer them so poetry?
The artwork is bright and fanciful. The animals jump off of the page (especially the frog). This is a great way to bring poetry to the youngest of our students. Too often we expect these early readers to stick to sentences structure when really the focus should be on the simple words and their phonetics. If that is the case, why not offer them so poetry?
November 12, 2013
Sometimes when I'm at the library I grab books that might be a little above my 2-year old's level, because I want to read them so much. This book was one of those instances. So, imagine my delight when she started to request it several times a day! I'm excited to have a child who enjoys poetry, even when it's free verse.
Then again, how could she not? This book is gorgeous. It has colorful, textured illustrations featuring a different animal on each page. And for each animal, there is also an awesome poem, full of great poetic elements. The word play is great--I love reading them aloud to my little girl.
It feels pretty sophisticated for a children's poetry volume. And I like that best of all.
Then again, how could she not? This book is gorgeous. It has colorful, textured illustrations featuring a different animal on each page. And for each animal, there is also an awesome poem, full of great poetic elements. The word play is great--I love reading them aloud to my little girl.
It feels pretty sophisticated for a children's poetry volume. And I like that best of all.
December 27, 2018
Short and quick poems about animals and colors. Easily moves. Preschool and up
October 8, 2007
The beautiful illustrations caught my eye before the poetry pulled me in. However as soon as I read “Red Donkey” I was hooked, the humor in the pages as well as a childlike sensibility makes these poems eminently readable. The bright and evocative illustrations with fascinate younger children while the poems lend themselves to easy memorization. Paschkis’ choice of colors for each animal in the bright bestiary is unexpected but inspired. A red donkey that throws a red-hot temper tantrum, a yellow elephant dancing in the jungle sun are among the other animals in the bright bestiary.
May 1, 2016
I checked this out because of my current project of writing (and hopefully illustrating) a book of animal poems. I didn't find the poetry particularly magnetic, but I quite like the illustrations.
I was amused that in the author/illustrator bios on the back flap, each of them gave the names of their pets but not their husbands.
I was amused that in the author/illustrator bios on the back flap, each of them gave the names of their pets but not their husbands.
May 13, 2008
Bright colorful illustrations accompany wonderful poetry, poetry with sounds and images that are perfect for each poem. A green frog which becomes blue in water, a red donkey, a tan lion, a black fish, and a gold finch are only a few of the animals included in this great poetry collection.
February 11, 2012
Intricate, appealing illustrations pair with accessible, rhythmic poems to explore colors, sounds, and word play. Loads of detail and vocabulary in very few words/pages, and the animals are intriguing.
July 26, 2013
3.5
Very strong art with pretty good children's poetry. For poetry that doesn't rely upon rhyming for kids, this is really good. Overall, as either a picture book or poetry book, it's ok.
The Red Donkey poem was by far the best!
Borrow it from the library.
Very strong art with pretty good children's poetry. For poetry that doesn't rely upon rhyming for kids, this is really good. Overall, as either a picture book or poetry book, it's ok.
The Red Donkey poem was by far the best!
Borrow it from the library.
November 5, 2013
Sophisticated yet playful poetry for a young audience. I was amazed at the wordplay and use of poetic elements. Each poem was a little gem, perfect for young readers. The illustrations were beautiful.
April 9, 2014
Yellow Elephant is a lovely collection of poems for children ready to explore beyond Dr. Seuss. Simple in spirit, they introduce more advanced vocabulary and offer great conversation openers for kids.
February 5, 2015
This is a book I probably wouldn't have have just picked up are read, but there was something about it so...I read it...and guess What?? I liked it! Nice Pictures, nice poetry. The only reason I can't give it a 5 is poetry can be hard for some..but I still thought it was well done!!!
August 22, 2015
I would use this book when teaching colors to preschool/kindergarten students. It would help them learn their colors thanks to the great pictures and fun poems about each color. Older students could use this book for inspiration to write their own poetry about a color/animal combination.
April 22, 2014
Poetry book with animals and colors as the theme. The word play is lively and whimsical and the illustrations are gorgeous.
July 22, 2008
Terrific poetry for kids. Great illustrations.
March 8, 2011
Great combination of vivid art and short, surprise-packed poems!
June 13, 2011
Great book! The art is amazing. My 2 year old loves anything with animals.
May 10, 2012
LOVED the illustrations, but found the poetry was lack-luster.
May 27, 2012
Amazing poems for children
October 25, 2012
Clever poems with neat illustrations about colors and animals. Used for colors theme in preschool.
Read
February 22, 2016This is a good book for early grade students. In this book they talk about many different colors along with different animals.
August 3, 2016
This is a beautiful introduction to poetry for children. Each poem is brief and features a colorful animal. The illustrations are amazing by artist Julie Paschkis.
February 7, 2018
A fun poetry book featuring a different animal and color for each poem.
December 20, 2018
The gorgeous abstraction of the fish painting shows the potential that this book otherwise does not deliver upon
January 16, 2022
This book captured my attention for the challenge given to the fact of the bright yellow on the front and the fact that the book is meant to be a bestiary. And so it was with high hope that I was ready to get into this particular book.
The book isn't really a bestiary though but a collection of animals in one hue whether it is the pink cat, the brown rat or even the purple puppy. Each entry has a poem that somewhat flows, a full page illustration all in one color and on the page with the poem is another pillage of illustration still in the same color but portraying other aspects of the poem. It is rather quite charming.
The illustrations are what really makes this book and as a result you can just get it for that if you don't mind spending money on a book you won't read. There are a few illustrations that don't match the others such as the rat in the clown suit and also the turtle that has a small human riding on its back, which wasn't explained in the poem.
All in all it was a decent work if you take it all into consideration but also one that can be quite easily bypassed.
The book isn't really a bestiary though but a collection of animals in one hue whether it is the pink cat, the brown rat or even the purple puppy. Each entry has a poem that somewhat flows, a full page illustration all in one color and on the page with the poem is another pillage of illustration still in the same color but portraying other aspects of the poem. It is rather quite charming.
The illustrations are what really makes this book and as a result you can just get it for that if you don't mind spending money on a book you won't read. There are a few illustrations that don't match the others such as the rat in the clown suit and also the turtle that has a small human riding on its back, which wasn't explained in the poem.
All in all it was a decent work if you take it all into consideration but also one that can be quite easily bypassed.
December 8, 2019
Title: Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary
Author: Julie Larios
Reading Level: 2
Book Level: 2
Summary: A colorful collection of animal poems set to gorgeous illustrations. Students will enjoy reading their way through a rainbow’s assortment of animals spanning from green frogs to orange giraffes.
Genre: Poetry
Mentor Writing Trait:
Conventions: This book is excellent in showing off differing forms of punctuation, in addition to the beautiful artwork. Students can be shown how each mark helps the reader know how the poem is to be read, and then practice reading them aloud. Perhaps then, each student could choose their favorite color and animal in order to create a poem of their very own that uses various punctuation to help the reader. This book can then be bound and preserved for future reading and enjoyment.
Author: Julie Larios
Reading Level: 2
Book Level: 2
Summary: A colorful collection of animal poems set to gorgeous illustrations. Students will enjoy reading their way through a rainbow’s assortment of animals spanning from green frogs to orange giraffes.
Genre: Poetry
Mentor Writing Trait:
Conventions: This book is excellent in showing off differing forms of punctuation, in addition to the beautiful artwork. Students can be shown how each mark helps the reader know how the poem is to be read, and then practice reading them aloud. Perhaps then, each student could choose their favorite color and animal in order to create a poem of their very own that uses various punctuation to help the reader. This book can then be bound and preserved for future reading and enjoyment.
February 4, 2022
This was a cute collection of poems about animals. Each animal was paired with a color. Each poem was short, simple, and paired with a single illustration. I enjoyed the poems and I think kids might too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews