A proverbial bull in the china shop, Elephant charges enthusiastically into Playschool—only to create a series of mishaps, from knocking over Lion’s carefully stacked blocks and squashing Hyena’s book to breaking the swing. “You’re too big!” his classmates repeatedly chorus, which makes him feel “very small inside and sad inside.” In Bolam’s simple pictures, light blue Elephant looms past the edges of the page, and though his multi-hued playmates sometimes giggle at his clumsiness, they never show anger or scorn. Nor is the day a total wash for Elephant: not only does he turn out to have a good (if very large) singing voice, but when his Mummy arrives to take him away, everyone agrees that, seeing her, Elephant is “just the right size after all.” Baby Hueys everywhere will appreciate the comfort and recognition. (Picture book. 3-5)
