Ellie Elephant

Author: Dave and Pat Sargent
Copyright Date: 2000
Publisher: Ozark Publishing, Inc.
Number of Pages: 36
Reading Level: Ages 5 & Up
Genre: Fiction

Summary

This book was inspired by visits to the zoo and seeing elephants there. The story is of an elephant named Ellie who was really sad because she's pregnant and has a big tummy and she feels ugly and useless. One day when she was really upset, she meets Chip the chipmunk who tries to help her. He calms her down, listens to her, and then decides he's going to help her feel better. When talking to Ellie, Chip learns that she used to be a great circus elephant and was called Ellie the Magnificent Elephant. After talking to her, he says he's going to take her to the house of Farmer John and his wife, Molly. Upon arrival, they discover that part of the farm, a haystack, is on fire and it's spreading. Molly runs to call the fire department while John tries to put it out, and Ellie decides to go help. She takes a bunch of water in her trunk and goes to the fire to put it out. Once the fire is gone, she helps John and takes him to his house for Molly to take care of him. Since Ellie was helping, she actually felt useful! Once the fire incident was over, everyone considered Ellie a hero and Molly said she thought Ellie would be a great mom. At the very end of the book, the authors include information about some of the different types of elephants.

Reaction

This was such a cute, fun story! It was great to see how Ellie was able to overcome the negative feelings about herself, serve, and realize her potential. I loved it! I also liked the facts at the end. Not only was it a fun story, but children are able to learn something new!

Recommendations

I would definitely recommend this to kindergarten/preschool aged children. They would love it!

Problems/Conflicts

I didn't see any problems in this book, but I can see how some people might consider the fire to be a problem. Other than that, this book is great!