Pomelo's Big Adventure (Pomelo the Garden Elephant)

by Ramona Badescu (Author) Benjamin Chaud (Illustrator)

Pomelo's Big Adventure (Pomelo the Garden Elephant)

Here, for the first time, Pomelo leaves the safety of his garden, the only home he's ever known. Having found the courage to set off on an adventure, he takes to the road on a journey of self-discovery, hoping to find other elephants and clues about his origins.

In these pages, Pomelo hears, sees, smells, and feels things he's never before experienced. And most miraculously of all, he learns about Papa and Mama. Indeed, he finds much more than he ever hoped or dreamed.

Ramona Badescu was born in Romania in 1980. She arrived in France at the age of eleven and started to write for children ten years later. She has written many wonderful books for children of all ages and currently lives in Marseille, France.

Benjamin Chaud lives and works in the south of France. He has illustrated an impressive number of picture books and has written a few as well.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
This jaunty little elephant provides a mammoth lesson for young readers about bravery, grit and fortitude.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--Badescu's pink pachyderm sets off on an adventure after his dandelion becomes bare. He packs his bag with both useful and silly things and tosses a rock with an attached ribbon to decide his direction. He treks through the desert, gets swindled by a con artist, and shares a sausage with his father in the forest. Pomelo then builds a boat and sails until he reaches land. There he makes friends with a starfish. The story has a type of absurdist surrealism that requires reading between the lines, and it might be completely lost on children. Originally written in French, it seems there is something lost in translation. Children will be quick to zero in on the fact that elephants don't have "paws" and that the illustrated sky is white while the text says it's "blue through and through." However, the artwork is enchanting and eccentric, mimicking the story line. For libraries in which Pomelo is popular, a purchase is recommended. For children not familiar with the little elephant's idiosyncratic tales, it may be best to pass.--Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Pomelo the elephant's fourth outing is perhaps the most traditional of any of his books, but, rest assured, it's every bit as eccentric as its predecessors. Ready to see new places, Pomelo packs a knapsack and sets forth, eventually trading in for a windup car and meeting a large elephant he dubs Papamelo and a strange starfish-like creature. Badescu conveys the nervousness and anxiety that can come with traveling solo, and tiny, pink Pomelo remains a quirky, comic hero. Some of the more cerebral and adult observations, though ("We take many risks in life, of course, but Pomelo seems to have plunged into a world ruled by chance"), may zoom past young readers. Ages 4-8. (June)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
Ramona Badescu
Ramona Badescu: Ramona Badescu was born in 1980 in southern Romania.She arrived in France at the age of 11 and started to write for children ten years later. She lives in the wonderfully diverse French city of Marseille.

Benjamin Chaud: Benjamin Chaud lives and works in Paris. He has illustrated an impressive number of picture books and has written at least one as well.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781592701582
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Enchanted Lion Books
Publication date
June 20, 2014
Series
Pomelo the Garden Elephant
BISAC categories
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV002080 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Elephants
Library of Congress categories
-
New Notable Book of 2011

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