Changes

Elmer the patchwork elephant was reminded by his cousin Wilbur that they had promised to visit Aunt Zelda, who is getting old and a little bit deaf. Their visit is peppered with misheard words and misunderstandings but there’s an obvious affection between the two generations. Aunt Zelda is very proud of the two youngsters, and Elmer and Wilbur just love Zelda for what she is. There’s never hint of impatience or frustration, no matter how wrong Zelda hears what the two young elephants have to say. But - just in case Elmer was feeling at all superior - he finds when he gets home that he’s been rather forgetful too. It’s a lovely story of a friendship which stretches across the generations. Now that might sound rather worthy and politically correct but this book is certainly not that. There’s a splendid sense of fun and it’s a lovely introduction to the young reader that words can be played with to great effect. It’s a lively story for the adult and child to share but a good book for the emerging reader too. There’s a limited amount of text on each page and not too many ‘’difficult’’ ''difficult'' words in each block. One or two - such as ‘’embarrassed’’ might need a little help and explanation.

There must be about a couple of dozen Elmer books available and as well as being fresh and individual they’re all ‘’reliable’’ ''reliable'' - they’re going to appeal to boys and girls from about the age of three and as they’re books which are going to be read several times and which won’t date they’re a worthwhile investment.

For something completely different by David McKee , we can recommend [[Not Now, Bernard by David McKee|Not Now, Bernard]]. You might also enjoy [[You Are Very Special by Su Box and Susie Poole]].