Synopsis
India, the circus elephant, is an absolute whiz on the mouth organ—she's the star of the show, and she knows it. But when a tough new circus trainer, Oswaldo the Magnificent, arrives to teach everyone different tricks, India does not warm to sharing the limelight and refuses to obey him. She sulks in the corner and makes mistake after mistake. After she is banned from performing, India discovers the value of friends—and of working as a team. Bold and vivid illustrations evoke the fun of the big top and complement the humorous and endearing narrative.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3- Big-Top star India, an elephant, plays the mouth organ in the evening show. When the circus begins to lose money, the ringmaster hires "Oswaldo the Magnificent," a stern rhinoceros in leopard pants, to teach the animals new tricks. He makes India "do things an elephant really shouldn't do," such as crossing the tightrope on a unicycle. She is not happy with this new assignment, and after she incidentally interrupts the show with a loud toot on her mouth organ, she runs away from the arena to sulk. Oswaldo is impressed by her speed and suggests that she perform her act on roller skates. At the end, India is the showstopper again. Argent's soft watercolor and colored pencil illustrations underline the animals' emotions and portray their respective facial expressions while their circus undergoes a rapid period of change. Whimsical detail, like a poodle with hair rollers or Oswaldo's leather-and-stud bracelet, adds to the characterization. India's experience is told in simple language, and children will relate to the theme of being forced to adapt to new realities. An additional purchase.-Monika Schroeder, American Embassy School Library, New Delhi, India