Product Description

"What if sand were fudgy?" "What if Father was called Pumpernickel?" "What if the schoolbus sang?"

Meet Ernst, the inquisitive little crocodile, and enter a world where fancy is always ready to take flight—and where home is the best place one could ever imagine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #619265 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-01
• Released on: 2002-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this cut-paper collage book that evokes the texture and look of quilted squares, Ernst, a blue crocodile, goes through his day repeatedly asking, "what if" (e.g., "What if sand were fudgy instead of sandy?"), only to discover how much he appreciates the world as it is. Ages 4-7.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- What child or poet or artist could resist a story that begins "Once upon a time, in a world full of light, trees, bugs, seashells, birds. . ."? Young Ernst is a crocodile who loves to think "What if?" Busy little pictures that sparkle with dots, splotches, and specks exactly reflect his luminous inner world. "What if the honking school bus could sing?" he wishes one day. His questions seem never to stop. On Ernst's birthday his loving family makes him so happy that his real world and his imagined one come together. This fills him with such joy and delight that he can think of no better world to inhabit. The small-scaled illustrations in collage paper effectively let readers into Ernst's imagination. They produce the same kind of enchanted satisfaction one gets from peeping into a Venetian glass paperweight with all its small, brilliant flowers. Older preschoolers, particularly imaginative children, and fans of M. B. Goffstein will love this book. --Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"This small and beautiful book neatly reconciles the child's wishes with dreams fulfilled." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

Customer Reviews

Elisa Kleven's Ernst
Ernst is the story of a young crocodile who lives with his mom and dad and grandma in a comfortable home where daydreaming is an artform. Ernst starts many of his sentences with "What if..." and Kleven has captured, in both words and images, the passing fancies of many a four or five year old. Her illustrations are small in scale but envelop the reader with a sense that the intricacies of the universe are worth paying attention to. Ernst is endearing and Kleven's fans know him also as the protagonist of the later-published The Puddle Pail. As a second grade teacher doing a class author study of Elisa Kleven's works, I have delighted in watching my students delight in Ernst! We all need permission at times to nurture the dreamer within ourselves and Ernst does that and more; Ernst is a celebration of the small and the grand, in daily life and in our dreams.

A unique gem
This book is a treasure, full of childlike observations ("What if sand were fudgy instead of sandy?"), exquisitely detailed art and birthday joy! I was glad to see that the character, ERNST, is also found in another Kleven book, THE PUDDLE PAIL.

Virtues of the Small & Imaginative!
I actually "met" Ernst, the little blue crocodile character in Kleven's book, "The Wishing Ball." I loved the sweet, imaginative character in that tale and thought: how unique, a gentle, blue crocodile--a lovable reptile! The concept and the story appeals to me; both are worth sharing with children and with classes. So, later as I was poking around on Amazon, I discovered this book, simply titled, "Ernst." Well, one look at the joyful cover sold me on the product, and I purchased it. :)

"Ernst" is a beautiful book--in illustration and in story. I love the magic of "What If.." that is the centerpiece of this story. Children ask it. Teens ask it. Young adults ask it. Actors, artists, writers, directors, inventors, dancers, musicians, architects, philosophers, detectives, doctors, scientists, teachers, futurists--well, all people ask it, at one time or another. "What if" combines mind, emotion, imagination, hope, wishes, spirit, and energy into a marvelous cauldron of thought that gurgles, swirls, and bubbles, turning and churning. "What If" is a very human question that can spark in reality and then ignite into dreams. "What if" signals the beginning of something new and exciting.

For Ernst, the very question whisks him away from the mundane and ordinary and takes him into wonderful worlds of his own vivid imagination. Ernst teaches that it is okay to ask our "What If's" and follow dreams so long as we also embrace and appreciate our life moments as they come to us (in his case, his birthday celebration) and the people who populate those life moments. This is a powerful message, especially for the dreamy, questioning child who loves to explore possibilities and ideas. Kleven's book celebrates the "Dionysian" youngster in the often "Apollonian" world of kid-dom and the Virtues of the Small.

In truth, this little book contains many, many teachable elements and universal themes. The detailed art teaches viewers to look carefuly into the illustrations rather than just give passing glances. Truly, the more you look the more you can see and know. For me, one of the most important illustrations is the one were Mamma crocodile is putting quizzing Ernst to bed. The image appears warm; the colors are vibrant. It is the perfect picture of motherly love, patience, and home-building. There seems to be a little "stuffed" crocodile with Ernst as he snuggles in his bed, and the cat sleeping on the window sill is curiously similar to the character, Nellie, from "The Wishing Ball." (I thinks this book was produced several years before "The Wishing Ball," but I find the tiny connections intriguing.)