Elephants Do Not Belong in Trees

by Russ Willms

Overview

"Elephants do not belong in trees. It’s not natural. It makes other animals uncomfortable."

This is the story of Larry, an elephant who wanted to live in a tree. This is a story about being the new kid and being a little bit different (okay, A LOT different). A story about acceptance and making friends. When Larry decides he wants to live in the big bushy tree in the middle of the wide-open field, the current residents, Bird, Squirrel and Monkey, are not very welcoming. They throw nuts at him and peck at his head; they tell him to leave and are downright rude. But Larry persists—why can’t he live in the tree? When his new home is threatened by something much bigger than all the animals combined, Larry shows everyone that he cares just as much about the tree as they do.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459826014
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	02/16/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Russ Willms has always had a passion for art and fun. His work as an illustrator has been featured in hundreds of magazines, books and ad campaigns throughout the world. He is the author and illustrator of Quiet, Please!, Elephants Do Not Belong in Trees and Who Will Pull Santa's Sleight?. He is also the illustrator of the Mr. Christie Book Award Gold–winning and Governor General's Award finalist Brewster Rooster. Russ lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

Young children will enjoy the author’s use of onomatopoeia throughout the book and the text which uses a variety of bolded and highlighted words for emphasis…A delightful book to read to children or for some young readers to read alone.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

This quirky, humorous story will delight young children and invite discussion on acceptance.

School Library Journal (SLJ)

A giggle-inducing story about acceptance and turning the tables on expectations...Wry humor with a bouncy beat: a treat for storytimes.

Kirkus Reviews

Step into the theater of the absurd!…The illustrations are bright and engaging — who can not laugh at a purple elephant sitting in a tree?

Kiss the Book

This book highlights the importance of having values and purpose, and of never underestimating what someone can do. Environmental connections are also a theme in the story, which connects well to Earth Day and the importance of saving trees.”

BC Books for Schools

Step into the theater of the absurd!…The illustrations are bright and engaging — who can not laugh at a purple elephant sitting in a tree?

Kiss the Book blog

2020-11-18
An elephant lives in a tree. Wait…what?

Bird, Squirrel, and Monkey raise objections. Bird wants to nest there, Squirrel wants to store nuts in it, and Monkey wants to swing in its branches. They know elephants don’t belong in trees. But Larry the pachyderm remains unperturbed. In fact, Larry enjoys the neighbors’ attempts at eviction. Bird’s head-pecking is soothing; Squirrel’s throwing nuts is treated as sport; and Monkey’s tail-swinging is encouraged. Then, a shattering noise pierces the landscape: A giant bulldozer rumbles up, threatening to topple the tree. Individually and collectively, Bird, Squirrel, and Monkey work mightily to thwart the machine, to no avail. Meanwhile, Larry slurps up a prodigious amount of water and squirts it out with such force that it pushes the bulldozer. In saving the tree, Larry wins the others’ respect and appreciation and proves that elephants definitely belong in trees. A cute surprise twist at the end raises the specter of a new, unexpected neighbor moving in. This is a giggle-inducing story about acceptance and turning the tables on expectations, and it works equally well as a laptime or group-session read-aloud. Enhancing the aural fun is the liberal use throughout of emphatic display type that cues readers to emphasize some words for comic dramatic effect, as well as abundant onomatopoeia. Illustrations are quirky and energetic; the expressive animal characters have lively personalities.

Wry humor with a bouncy beat: a treat for storytimes. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews