BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Frank loves elephants and is thrilled when he hears that the local park in Alabama where he lives could be getting one. But when the elephant--dubbed Miss Fancy--arrives in town, Frank is devastated to see that Avondale Park where she lives is closed to people like him because of Jim Crow segregation laws. Frank tries a variety of ways to get to meet and pet Miss Fancy but has no luck--until one day when Miss Fancy escapes and comes to see him!
This is a based-on-a-true-story picture book with fictionalized characters helping to tell Miss Fancy's story. I loved the illustrations and books about elephants are always fun. It was interesting how the story turned out--because though Frank does eventually meet Miss Fancy, it does not result in the park being desegregated or anything, like I sort of expected. Overall, this is a fun elephant book that touches on the Jim Crow era; maybe it could be used to introduce the idea of Jim Crow segregation but you'd need something else to actually talk about the Civil Rights movement.
Reviewer: TC
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