An unforgettable story of immense courage and an unbreakable spirit.
"Gather round--prepare to be amazed! A sight so very gruesome that you simply won't believe it. Ladies and gentlemen ... the Elephant Man!"
Every night people swarm to a theater in London to see the Elephant Man, whose real name is Joseph Merrick. They scream in terror at the sight of him. But beneath Joseph's shocking exterior, he longs for affection and understanding.
Disfigured in childhood by a rare disease, Joseph is rejected by his family, bullied in the streets, and ridiculed at his job. While touring Europe with a freak show, he's robbed and abandoned. Joseph seems to encounter misfortune at every turn, but eventually finds friendship with a kind doctor. Though he died young, Joseph became world famous and inspired many with his gentleness and dignity.
Masterful illustrations and archival photographs are joined with simple but moving language, bringing the celebrated true story of the Elephant Man to life for young readers. This is a tremendously affecting book about being different, refusing to be a victim, and finding happiness in even the most challenging of circumstances.
Grades 3-5. 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times New Roman; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Sometimes the smallest bit of kindness can change the worldfor a person. Such is the tragicstory of Joseph Merrick, better known as the Elephant Man. From his early childhood, Joseph wasmercilessly humiliated and bullied by family and strangers for his deformitiesand was eventually forced to work as a circus performer. Not until he met Dr. Frederick Trevesdid Joseph find his first friend. Focusing on Joseph’s emotions and experiences, this engrossing bookpaints a sympathetic picture of an intelligent man suffering countlessindignities due to his diseased body. A variety of illustrative techniques are used throughout the book,ranging from pen and ink to collage. Interspersed are many period images of Joseph, including medicaldrawings and photographs, and people he counted as friends in his lateryears. Especially poignant areJoseph’s handwritten poems, photos of his deformed skull and skeleton, and thehat and hood he wore to cover himself in public. This offers an important reminder for those growing up intoday’s image-obsessed world.
This chronicle of the life and struggles of Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, is a humanizing narrative portrait covering his family history, societal exploitation, love for poetry, and search for understanding. Illustrations--a quirky assemblage of historical photographs and scratchy, dim-hued drawings--create a gritty, vintage vibe befitting Di Fiore's historical tale of discrimination and inner beauty.
Di Fiore colors history with imagined scenes to humanize a man the world knew as the Elephant Man. Joseph Merrick, introduced mid-freak show in present tense, would rather have made people laugh than scream. Instead, severe disfigurement forced him to perform in freak shows as the Elephant Man, named for the heavy lumps growing on his skin. In past tense, the author simply recounts Merrick's journey through illness and exploitation to self-acceptance, courtesy of the compassionate Dr. Frederick Treves. The author personalizes Merrick's story by imagining his reactions to being ostracized, ogled by onlookers and medical students, and smiled at by a beautiful woman; his plausible sadness, joy, and loneliness promote empathy rather than pity. Hodnefjeld's drawings respect but soften Merrick's figure, in contrast to unflinching archival photographs of his body. The eye-catching blend of photographs and line drawings, including photographed heads on drawn bodies, offers glimpses of both Merrick's time and his life. An afterword explains how Merrick died as well as the probable cause of his deformity: Proteus syndrome. A photo reconstruction suggests what Merrick might have looked like without his disease, recalling a wish he expressed in poetry: "Could I create myself anew / I would not fail in pleasing you." This compassionate summary of Joseph Merrick's life shows young readers that people can be "measured by the soul" rather than appearances. (bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-10)
The grim, short life of Joseph Merrick, who became known as the Elephant Man, unfolds in solemn prose. Merrick, whose severe deformities developed as a child, was ostracized by the public. Unable to find work, he became a traveling stage attraction before a kind doctor took him in at the London Hospital, studying his condition and providing him the opportunity to make friends. Hodnefjeld's mixed-media collages feature dismal urban landscapes with ghoulish figures gawking at Merrick, with archival photographic elements incorporated throughout. While Di Fiore relies on invented dialogue, she nonetheless assembles a moving, empathic account. Ages 8-11. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Gr 3-6-This picture book biography tells the story of Joseph Merrick, who shortly after his birth began developing growths on his body, a putrid odor, and other characteristics that led to his famed nickname, the Elephant Man. Born in England in 1862, Merrick led a hard life, cast aside by those who could not get past his deformity. His stepmother forced him to leave school, refused to feed him, and eventually kicked him out of his own home. In order to survive, Merrick joined a theater company, where he was put on display and ridiculed. His only solace came from Dr. Frederick Treves, a friend and confidante who allowed Merrick to live comfortably at the London Hospital after he returned from his tour penniless. Merrick lived out the remainder of his short life in this capacity. This unusual title emphasizes themes of overcoming hardships and adversity and of acceptance and inner beauty. Di Fiore has expertly adapted this tale with sensitivity and simplicity. Esteemed Norwegian illustrator Hodnefjeld's mixed-media illustrations-pen and ink and photo collage-make this adaptation stand out and breathe life into Merrick's fascinating story. VERDICT A solid addition to biography collections.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.