Ella Sets the Stage

October 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2-Another lovely entry about an endearing elephant. Ella is desperately worried about her schools upcoming talent show. Her shyness and lack of a special natural ability seem to preclude her participation. From juggling to singing, she tries various activities with disastrous results. Still, she helps to organize the event and assists her classmates, and, on the big night, her true giftbeing a good friendshines forth. The books charming, old-fashioned quality is emphasized by fluid illustrations reminiscent of those in the Babar and Curious George series. However, while the simplicity of the character depictions will make readers smile, it sometimes results in a lack of expression on the elephants faces. Regardless, color and shadow are masterfully used to emphasize the main action in each scene while providing a richly detailed background. The story is driven by short bursts of dialogue, and key points are highlighted by moments of introspection. While primary-grade children will best sympathize with Ellas frustration and her conflicted feelings about being in the spotlight, younger children who have ever felt left out, inept, or just a little bit different will also find the story appealing."Tamara E. Richman, Somerset County Library System, Bridgewater, NJ"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2006
Ella, the adorable little elephant last seen in " Ella Takes the Cake" (2005), gets bad news--there's going to be a talent show at her school. Shy, and sure she has no talent, Ella brushes off suggestions that she recite a poem, and her attempts at juggling fail. Ella isn't shy about helping the talent show committee, however, painting signs, making medals, and planning the program. On the day of the show, she still doesn't know what she's going to do, but she's soon busy sewing a hole in a dancer's tights and helping a performer's monkey jump from the rafters. Prizes are handed out, but the applause goes to Ella for being "a very special friend." The question of Ella's performance is dropped midway, only to appear again the day of the show, but children will be probably be too entranced to worry about particulars. With artwork that evokes the best of picture-book art of the mid-twentieth century (Bemelmans, Rey, de Brunhoff) and takes a cozy look at childhood concerns, this is a book that both kids and parents will enjoy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)