Elmer and Rose by David McKee

Elmer and Rose by David McKee

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book will always make me think of Julia.  Julia is my friend's blue-eyed daughter who seems to be constantly smiling or laughing.  She's about two years older than Lorelei, so whenever I'm lucky enough to cross paths with Julia I feel like I get a sneak peek at what sort of girl Lorelei will be in two years, if I'm lucky.

Julia (and her mom and older brother) came over to our house for a playdate a few weeks ago.  In between some serious splashing in the hot summer sun and getting crumbs everywhere while eating blueberry bar, we managed to squeeze in some reading.  (What a good sign of a child's attention span when they can stop and concentrate on a book while there are seven children running around!)  I was reading a few books to my twin nieces and Lorelei when Julia shyly asked her mother something, who then encouraged Julia to come to me and ask.

"May I read you a book?" asked the sweet Julia.

WOAH!  I forgot that, at some point, kids can actually read themselves!  I know that this is the end result, but since our oldest is three, I'm still a very necessary part of the book reading activity.  But of course, I said yes and sat and listened to 4 1/2 year old Julia read Elmer and Rose.  I admit that I am pretty easily amused and impressed and satisfied in this world, but...I was deeply impressed when the tables turned and I was fortunate to listen to Julia read this book, an extension of the original Elmer, in her wonderful young voice.  As the other six kids ran around, mostly loudly, Julia and I sat.  And read.  I got to be the listener.  What a treat!

I do have to write a few sentences about the book.  It's good!  It is as if David McKee realized that all his books had lots of boys--good boy characters, ones we love like Wilbur and Kangaroo--and needed to gain the little girl's vote out there.  So what did he do?  Create a pink girl elephant!  Rose the pink elephant gets lost and Elmer and Wilbur help her find her way back to her all-pink herd.  The morale of this book is that everyone is unique, something that is a nicely illustrated with a funny patchwork elephant and now a pink one.

Definitely one to check out, even if you're not lucky enough to have Julia read it to you!

Elmer by David McKee

Elmer by David McKee

Lorelei's rating: 5 stars!

What a gem, what a gem! My neighbor happened to be at the library with us and happened to be standing next to the "M" section. She knows of my crazy quest for great books and pulled out this one. It is one of her go-to gift books for a newborn, and I know why. (In the picture, Lorelei follows the words with her fingers as she reads it in her pajamas while we're at the beach.)

Elmer is a patchwork elephant in a herd of regular, plain-old "elephant-color" elephants. The other elephants love him for his uniqueness, but he sees himself as odd and different. Which of course he is. So he tries to make himself just like everyone else, and therefore takes away all his uniquness and coolness. And as soon as he realizes what he's done, he plays the best joke of his life on the rest of the herd.

Ben's favorite animal is definitely an elephant right now; he practices how to trumpet like an elephant all day long, and often calms himself before going to sleep by blowing through his lips in his one elephant way again and again and again and again until he's asleep. So he especially appreciates all the elephants in the book; several pages are just big pictures of a herd of elephants, to show how different Elmer the patchwork elephant is.

As of today (late March 2010) I think this is my favorite book of all!