MY ELEPHANT

This boy’s grandparents are both busy, so, naturally, he decides to play with his elephant. Unfortunately, the elephant—rendered in sketchy lines on cut paper, as opposed to the simple colorful depictions of the boy and his grandparents—tends to be messy: Throughout the day he knocks things over, spills and even eats cupcakes meant for later. Grandma and Grandpa don’t seem to believe that the elephant is to blame, so the boy, upset, goes off alone, though he is soon joined by his pachyderm friend, and the two have fun fishing in a deep blue sea. Suddenly the boy is waking up; it’s morning, and Grandpa is ready to play ball. How did this happen? “Your elephant carried you to bed!” Grandpa says. The multimedia illustrations work well; everyday life has a simple white background, while the main, imagined sequence is full of splashy watercolor. Overall, this creative and appealing portrayal of a boy and his imaginary friend incorporates an alternative family with subtlety and is all the more satisfying and child-centered because Grandpa decides to play along. (Picture book. 3-6)