Elephant Man

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.)