I really enjoyed this book. Book? Tale? Allegory? Lyrical poem? It is short (intended for 9-12 year olds) so I finished it all in one sitting. I was absolutely taken by the wonderful prose of DiCamillo (I've never read any of her other books - my understanding is that The Magician's Elephant is a bit of a departure for her). I found the writing evocative and emotional and very real. Simple, but real. And the illustrations really complemented the story. 
 I think this would be a perfect book to first read aloud with a child. The language is fun and there are a lot of really interesting characters.