LOST LITTLE ELEPHANT

In the opening spread of this supersized volume, Little Elephant (an African elephant) receives a polite invitation from his cousin, Aziz (an Indian elephant), to attend a carnival in Delhi. Little Elephant, who is actually huge in size, sets off on a solo worldwide trek, providing the framework for this geographically inspired story. He travels from South Africa onward across six continents in his search for Delhi, learning about famous cities and monuments along the way. The same format is followed for Little Elephant’s visit to each city, with three panels showing method of transportation, the major city sights, and then food and drink for the elephant and an exit with a different kind of transportation. Rayner provides brilliantly colored, cheerfully busy illustrations, helping to pack lots of detailed information into the clever design format. World maps on the endpapers trace the path of Little Elephant’s journey, and the final three pages offer discussion ideas and questions. There are a couple of drawbacks: Little Elephant’s magenta coloring is not consistent throughout the volume (a flaw that is sure to be pointed out by at least one observant child in every group) and the country names are not always included with the city discussions. The geographical focus of the story is a strong attraction, however, and teachers will find Little Elephant’s journey an entertaining addition to lessons on geography or transportation. (Picture book. 4-8)