  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2012 Gr 2–4—Harris, Holmes, and Cannell draw on early sources and art to tell this tale of a long-ago special friendship that developed between the caliph of Baghdad and Charlemagne. As in Holmes and Cannell's My Travels with Clara (Getty, 2007) and the trio's A Giraffe Goes to Paris (Marshall Cavendish, 2010), the story is told by a narrator who was supposedly a participant in the reported events. Here it is Notker the Stammerer, a monk who in fact wrote a chronicle of Charlemagne's life. He explains that the emperor was curious about the legendary Harun al-Rashid and "sent some trusted men of his court...thousands of miles, from Germany, across the Alps to Italy, and finally by boat across the Mediterranean" to make the acquaintance of the famous ruler at the center of the Muslim world. Wanting to give Charlemagne a gift "fit for a fellow emperor," he gives him his prized albino elephant. The splendors of Baghdad lose a bit of their luster in Cannell's homely, naive drawings, though the long return journey by foot with the white elephant bearing a huge mechanical clock atop his back is aptly suggested. Oddly, the travelers seem to have no other baggage, and there's no sign of the multitude of other costly gifts they received. A broad map conveys the long route to and fro, and inserted reprints show a lifelike bust of Charlemagne, a stylized painting of Harun al-Rashid, and a silk cloth woven with elephants found in Charlemagne's tomb. The extreme journey is intriguing, Charlemagne's love for the elephant is heartwarming, and for readers becoming interested in history, this tiny glimpse of the eighth-century world is an inviting introduction to that era. The authors include closing notes on Notker the Stammerer and the magical mechanical water clock—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/15/2012 Did you know that Charlemagne would bathe with his white elephant, a gift from the caliph of Baghdad? No? Well, let the monk tell the tale. Charlemagne, emperor of most of the Western world, was curious about Harun Al-Rashid, an impressive Muslim leader. So he embarked upon a journey that took him from Germany to Italy, across the Mediterranean, through Cairo, and finally into Baghdad. There the travelers were stunned by the sophisticated society they found. Most intriguing? The Muslim world’s knowledge about science, medicine, and engineering, far exceeding what Europeans knew. At Charlemagne’s departure, Harun gave him gifts; the most precious was Abu, a white elephant. As they journeyed home, the elephant and the ruler forged a lifelong friendship. A primitive yet joyful art style brings the story close to children, but photographic artifacts from Charlemagne’s reign are interwoven, giving the visual element depth. Though the relationship between Abu and Charlemagne is tender, perhaps the best part of this shows the easy, generous friendship between two powerful, very different leaders. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Loading...
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