Ollie the Purple Elephant

Gr 1—2—Mr. McLaughlin must make good on his promise to his children that if they ever come across a purple elephant they can take him home. When they stumble upon Ollie, the elephant is welcomed to the household by everyone but Ginger the cat and the downstairs neighbor, Mr. Puddlebottom, who is not appreciative of the raucous dance parties. The two malcontents hatch a plan: Ginger convinces Ollie that the McLaughlins regret taking him in while Mr. Puddlebottom arranges for his cousin to hire the pachyderm for his traveling circus. Soon Ollie is unhappily performing tricks and the McLaughlins are putting up missing elephant posters. When the circus comes to Ollie's old town, he takes his animal friends to see his old home and they stop a robbery. The ecstatic McLaughlins uncover Mr. Puddlebottom's hand in Ollie's disappearance and the happy ending comes in the form of many boisterous dance parties. Krosoczka's text is on the long side, but the illustrations bring the story to life. Using acrylic paints and wonderful color, he captures all the expressions, actions, and emotions that animate the narrative.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH