Don't Go!
The title refers to the cry of Daniel the elephant, facing his  first day at preschool. He sobs and hides behind his mother. But  she knows precisely what to do: rather than be a cheerleader for  the experience, she calmly and patiently lets Daniel work  through his feelings, reassures him that she will always come  back and they share their special goodbye. Mollified and  fortified, Daniel joins the group. He gleefully spouts water  through his trunk at the water table, and "When he looked up,  his mother was gone." In both her words and meticulous  watercolor illustrations, Zalben painstakingly lays out the arc  of the day. Like Daniel's mother, she does not beat the drum for  preschool, yet clearly communicates that it's filled with nice  new friends and seemingly endless options for fun. She also  honestly conveys how Daniel begins to fall apart when he isn't  the first to be picked up at day's end. The book concludes with  some common-sense preschool adjustment tips from Zalben's  editor. Children on the verge of experiencing this milestone  should find plenty of reassurance in the steady rhythm of the  prose and the tableaux-styled pictures. Ages 2-4. (Aug.)Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.