Everyone faces a time when they feel a little different from
others, but this book will help show your little one that differences can be welcomed,
embraced, and sometimes overcome. Ellison is a young elephant with low self-esteem
because he cannot make his trunk trumpet like the other elephants; "He tried
and he tried, but all he got was a little toot." Ellison's mother demonstrates
the unconditional love of a mother by insisting she loves the tooting sound he
makes because "It sounds like you!" Ellison's journey to discovering himself is
shown through pages of painted illustrations with gently shaded yellow
backgrounds mimicking the African landscape, broken up by the occasional clumps
of light green grass, or the soft grey of an elephant. The elephants - particularly Ellison - are adorable cartoon elephants, sure to make readers
smile and root for him to succeed.
Ellison goes to his mother for comfort after the other
elephants tease him and call him names like "Smellison" and "Tootie." Teasing
is an inevitable part of going up, and an important topic for adults to cover. Discussing
how teasing makes people feel bad, no matter which end of it you're on, is an
important point to make. Although Ellison receives comfort and assurance from
his mother, he receives advice and strength from a new friend - an imaginary
friend, the weasel. It is the weasel who tells Ellison, "Close your eyes and
look inside. When you find your voice, let it out . . . " When Ellison does this and finally finds his own voice, it
comes out in the sound of music! He is the first elephant to invent music, and
all tbe others want to learn from him. Does your little one have a pretend
friend? Who do they go to for advice and comfort?
My three-year-old friend Sam was excited to read this story when
I first brought it home. "Cool! Effalents!" he yelled excitedly when I showed
him the cover. When I read the story aloud and got to the part where all
Ellison could do was toot, Sam cracked up. He loves that word and apparently
loved imagining an elephant doing it. At the end of the story, Sam looked up at
me and asked two adorable questions. First, "So, the weasel wasn't real?" and "Elephants know how to make music?" I love this kid!
--Audra