"DADDY, COULD I HAVE AN ELEPHANT?"

by Jake Wolf ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1996

From the collaborators behind And Then What? (1993, not reviewed), the I-wanna-pet story of a different color. Tony starts the morning by demanding from his father a pet elephant, or better yet two elephants. Once they conclude that elephants might be too big, Tony asks for a pony, or a python, or a flock of woolly sheep. As they wash and make breakfast, Tony goes over the options, envisioning more and more outrageous scenarios (elephants playing bridge, a baby whale swimming in the living room), while his father skeptically points out potential difficulties. The matter-of-fact discussion is made doubly funny by Tony's penchant for pairs: not one gorilla, but two; not just a dolphin, but a whale, too. In a splendidly fulfilling ending, they settle on a puppy. Wolf has perfect pitch: The dialogue between Tony and his father has the punctuated rhythm of a two-man comedy routine. In the watercolor, colored pencil, and pen illustrations, these two look exactly the way they sound: two disheveled, absent-minded free spirits, who are also incessant readers, talented bridge players, and lovers of Chinese food. A riot.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S