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cornmaven's review against another edition
5.0
Years ago, I saw the Broadway play, The Elephant Man, which was extremely powerful. So when this book arrived I had to check it out. Most kids won’t know about Joseph Merrick, and the cover itself may make some run the other way. But his is an important story to know.
This is the 19th century, when anyone different is not accepted. And Joseph was not. He had a physical disease, and was treated like a freak. Freak sideshows in the circus were popular then, and that’s where Joseph ended up, his only way to earn a living, especially after being thrown out of his home by his stepmother.
Kids can see wonderful primary source material in this book, including photographs of Joseph Merrick and personal artifacts. The illustrations that help tell the story are simple yet very moving. They’ll learn why Merrick was called The Elephant Man. They will learn about how he was robbed of all his money that he earned when put on display, and eventually abandoned. I hope that it will help kids think about differences and how it is important to embrace them. Joseph could do nothing about his condition, but people around him could choose to accept him, or not. Fortunately, a few did, including a doctor who brought him to live at the famous Royal London Hospital.
Joseph Merrick was only 27 years old when he died. He was a writer and a person just like any of us. He is still remembered today, and this is a wonderful addition to the Bluebonnet Award nominee list.
NOTE: This review will appear on my library's book review social media channel in the future.
This is the 19th century, when anyone different is not accepted. And Joseph was not. He had a physical disease, and was treated like a freak. Freak sideshows in the circus were popular then, and that’s where Joseph ended up, his only way to earn a living, especially after being thrown out of his home by his stepmother.
Kids can see wonderful primary source material in this book, including photographs of Joseph Merrick and personal artifacts. The illustrations that help tell the story are simple yet very moving. They’ll learn why Merrick was called The Elephant Man. They will learn about how he was robbed of all his money that he earned when put on display, and eventually abandoned. I hope that it will help kids think about differences and how it is important to embrace them. Joseph could do nothing about his condition, but people around him could choose to accept him, or not. Fortunately, a few did, including a doctor who brought him to live at the famous Royal London Hospital.
Joseph Merrick was only 27 years old when he died. He was a writer and a person just like any of us. He is still remembered today, and this is a wonderful addition to the Bluebonnet Award nominee list.
NOTE: This review will appear on my library's book review social media channel in the future.
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating read and would pair great with Wonder as a non-fiction/fiction lesson on acceptance of others.
beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since I was a child and I first read about Joseph Merrick, I was both curious about what had caused the tumors and saddened by the way he had been treated. I would have been fascinated by a biography such as this. Though some parts of this story were imagined by the author based on her research of Merrick's life, it gave me new insight into his life and a desire to read more.
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