"Oh, No," Said Elephant

PreS-Gr 2—Elephant, Leopard, Zebra, and Monkey are playing. Though Elephant always wants to join in and tries his best, he has trouble with the proposed games. His size makes concealing himself a challenge during hide-and-seek. He is too tall and heavy for leapfrog and too clumsy for jump rope. His friends let their frustrations show: "'You're useless!' said Monkey. 'You're foolish!' said Leopard. 'You're terrible!' said Zebra." A few other suggested games fare no better until finally Elephant suggests a game—tug-of-war. Here the large, strong elephant is in his element and has an opportunity to reverse the roles and shine among his playmates, defeating them all single-handedly. The engaging art's rich colors, bold shapes, and interesting layouts bring humor to the text and visually exaggerate the physical contrasts among the animals to heighten their difficulties. While the four still have differences to work out before they can truly play well together, they have developed new respect for a wider range of abilities.