Elmer, Rose and Super El by David McKee
| Elmer, Rose and Super El by David McKee | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A fun picture book featuring Elmer the patchwork elephant. There's no moral and nothing to learn. It's just fun. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: October 2012 |
| Publisher: Andersen | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1849394505 | |
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Elmer, the patchwork elephant, his cousin Wilbur and some of their friends were listening to a distant noise. Elmer agreed that it sounded like a herd of elephants but it wasn't his herd. He and Wilbur set off to find out what was happening. It was the herd of pink elephants, which included Elmer's friend, Rose and Old who was celebrating his hundredth birthday. As Old stood at the top of the cliff all the other elephants began stamping their feet - and the cliff gave way. Old was left stranded on a column of rock which was crumbling ominously. This was a job for Super El.
I'm sure that we're all used to picture books which teach a behaviour, from not picking your nose, through to going off the school on the first day. Being nice to other children and sharing your toys comes up quite regularly. What's less common is a book that's just good fun and Elmer, Rose and super El falls firmly in that category. There's nothing being taught here - unless it's that you should be careful about where you're standing if the elephants start stamping their feet - but there is that little frisson of tension as we wonder if Super El will get to Old in time and how he'll get him back to firm ground. Yes - it's fun for the sake of having fun.
It's aimed at the two to five age group and will work well either as a story to share or for the emerging reader. There's enough text on each page to be rewarding but not enough to be daunting. There's a lot to discuss on each page too, with in-yer-face illustrations (well, how else do you describe a herd of pink elephants? Colourful doesn't quite get there...) and birds and animals in some very unusual places. It's great fun.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For more great fun in a picture book, we can recommend Mister Whistler by Margaret Mahy and Gavin Bishop. Would you like to see more of Elmer?
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You can read more book reviews or buy Elmer, Rose and Super El by David McKee at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Elmer, Rose and Super El by David McKee at Amazon.com.
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