Elmer and the Flood by David McKee

Elmer and the Flood by David McKee
Buy Elmer and the Flood by David McKee at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: It might be the 23rd picture book in the series, but there's no sign of tiredness setting in. A subtle story about making the best of things whatever the weather.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: September 2015
Publisher: Andersen Press
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1783442041
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It's been raining heavily and the elephants are sheltering in a cave. It's a very large cave but Elmer had heard enough bad jokes and complaints about the weather to last him a very long time. So - rain or no rain - he's going for a walk. Other caves were full of animals too - and they all wanted Elmer to come inside and shelter, but Elmor just kept on walking. Predictably the ducks were loving it, but they were the only ones. Then Elmer came across two more elephants who were looking very serious. Young Elephant hadn't been seen since the rain began and they were worried about him.

It turned out that Young was stranded on an island. Well, it hadn't been an island before all the rain started. It had been a hill and whatever it was, Young wanted to be off it and back with the other elephants. Everyone came to the rescue and a cunning plan was devised, which involved lots of creepers and Elmer being pulled over to Young on a log. Once Young was back on dry(ish) land the elephants thought that they would play a trick on Elmer and they untied the rope. Little did they know that this was exactly what Elmer wanted: a bit of peace and quiet!

It's a lovely story with some mild peril which is quickly resolved and plenty of points for discussion: why land floods, what happens to animals when that occurs and how the raft which rescued Young worked. The colours are bright and cheerful - they can be little else when they include a patchwork elephant - even when we're in the midst of a torrential downpour. As there's quite a bit to chat about and some excitement the book will have reasonable longevity and has the advantage that it will appeal to both boys and girls.

There's a subtle message about making the best of things, whatever the weather (or other outside problems) and the book's non-preachy and positive. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

We've lots of other books by David McKee including lots of the Elmer books.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Elmer and the Flood 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 and the Flood by David McKee at Amazon.com.

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