Elegant Ella

Last weekend, Ella and I were lucky to have Auntie Ashlyn visit us in Williamsburg. Ella loves having guests and meeting new people, so she was in heaven. She even got to go to the beach again, which resulted in sand in her ears, sand in her nose, and sand all over my car. Needless to say, our beach day ended in Ella getting a bath, which she did not enjoy. In addition to visiting the beach, Ella also got a present from her Auntie- a new book! My sister Ashlyn is officially going to be a first grade teacher next year, so she knows her children's books! She gave us a book called Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela and Steve D'amico. Ella the elephant is new in town, so she decides to wear her grandmother's elegant hat to gain some good luck and confidence at school. Unfortunately, the large hat draws some unwelcome attention from the school bully, Belinda. When Belinda slips while climbing the tall safety wall surrounding the school, however, she is happy that Ella's lucky hat transforms into a parachute and saves the day! The next day, the entire class, including Belinda the bully, sports large, fancy hats to say thank you to Ella the Elegant Elephant. This whimsical story teaches important lessons about kindness and friendship. The elephant illustrations are simple, yet colorful and cheerful. I loved the story, although I did find it a bit long for younger children. It is definitely a great choice for bedtime! I think Ella the dog enjoyed reading about Ella the elephant, since they both share big, floppy ears and a love of all things elegant and fancy!