Elmer and Rose (Elmer Books)
PreSchool-Grade 1—Elmer the patchwork elephant and his black-and-white-checkered cousin Wilbur are out strolling together when they come across a herd of gray elephants. To Wilbur's mind, they are not unique, although Elmer claims that they are "all unique….Just not as different as us." Not long afterward, Grandpa Eldo, a gold elephant, introduces them to Rose, a pink youngster who has wandered away from her herd. Rose and the two cousins play together as they set off in search of her herd. They encounter a lone gray pachyderm that she finds peculiar. When they locate her pink herd, the cousins understand Rose's reaction to the gray elephant. Fans will welcome this addition to the series. The message that everyone is unique is hardly subtle, and there's not a lot of action, but youngsters will enjoy looking at the bright jungle scenes and the cartoonlike animals that form Elmer's world.—Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.