Heide's unmistakable dry wit rings through this clever tale of a long-suffering elephant, his well-meaning friends, and a straight-shooting opossum who reminds them all what being a real friend means. Full color.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 1-First published in 1968 (Four Winds; o.p.) and illustrated by Brinton Turkle, this selection is a bit more didactic than most friendship stories, but the topic is always in demand, and the language patterns and repetition may make it useful for beginning readers. "Theodore the elephant is sitting in the middle of the forest. He has hurt his leg. What a pity!" So begins this cumulative tale of how he enlists his many friends to help him visit his cousin. He gets lots of advice; for instance, the bird tells him to fly, the spider tells him to use his other legs, the monkey suggests that he just swing by his tail. It's not until he meets the opossum that he gets what he really needs, and everyone learns that, "Friends are to help." Told in the present tense with an old-fashioned flavor, this story offers a simple variation on a very old theme. Meade's cut-paper and watercolor pictures are fresh and lively, with soft clear colors.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.