The big elephant in the room

In this droll parade of embarrassments, a nerdy donkey in glasses and a bow tie asks his pal to discuss "the big elephant" in the room. "I was expecting this!" his buddy screeches defensively. But he isn't quite sure which humiliation to address, going into a litany of grade-school goofs that Smith (Madam President) pictures in blush-inducing detail. "Is the big elephant your video game? I was going to return that! Eventually," he says. "Is the big elephant that you laughed so hard you peed your pants? Is [it] that I told Haley you laughed so hard you peed your pants?" Smith times the gags to perfection, slowly at first and then several to a page: "the super glue 'accident' " shows the unfortunate donkey stuck to a chair, and "the talent show mishap" pictures his clothes flying off his body during his friend's magic trick. Smith concludes with a smirk-a literal pachyderm is watching TV around the corner ("Oh, that big elephant! That's Stanley"). With these two donkeys, if the big elephant is in doubt, the identity of the big jackass is crystal clear. Ages 3-7. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

K-Gr 4-Two delightfully childlike donkeys star in this laugh-out-loud opus from the master of kid-companionable humor. When one friend says, "Can we talk about the big elephant in the room?" his buddy assumes that he's using a figure of speech to refer to an embarrassing incident ("'The Big Elephant? As in 'the BIG problem?'"). What follows is a stream of uproariously funny confessions and overwrought explanations, as the guilty friend tries to deduce just which indignity he should apologize for. Was it because he ate all the dessert? ("But what if you had a nut allergy, what then?...Yes! I forced down that creamy, nutty, crunch ice cream.to save your life!") Because he picked his pal last for soccer? (".and baseball? and volleyball? and tiddlywinks?") Because he told Haley about the time ".you laughed so hard you peed your pants?" The list continues until the anticipated punch line: there really is a big elephant in the room (and he's eating crunchy-nut ice cream). Done in muted tones, the droll artwork tells much of the story through lively layouts and funny details. With the roll of an eye or the flick of an ear, the animals convey a range of emotions. In keeping with their characters, the questioner is identifiable by his large glasses and mustard-colored polka-dotted bowtie, while his smooth-talking chum sports a trendier look. A variety of text fonts and sizes adds to the fun. Kids will get a kick out of this book (while also learning about idioms).-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.