Review by Booklist Review
When his best pal Mouse goes off to his big family reunion, Little Elliot, the tiny polka-dotted elephant, once again finds himself feeling quite alone in the big city. He entertains himself by getting ice cream and going ice-skating, but being surrounded by families of all types only emphasizes Little Elliot's lack of a family of his own. When the winter day gets a little too cold, Little Elliot heads into a movie theater, where a scene with an elephant family exacerbates his lonely feelings. Just when Little Elliot's emotions are reaching a crescendo, Mouse reappears and invites his friend to join in his mouse family's gathering. There Little Elliot is welcomed by all, proving the maxim that friends are the family you choose. Digitally enhanced pencil drawings evoke a 1940s New York City with sleek lines and muted colors. Readers will appreciate amusing visual details such as mouse-size bottle-cap plates and end pages filled with mouse family photos. A splendid follow-up to Little Elliot, Big City (2014).--Mazza, April Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Little Elliot, the polka-dotted elephant who debuted last year (along with his creator) in Little Elliot, Big City, is now living with his pal Mouse. He seems to have licked his loneliness problem, but when Mouse leaves for a family reunion (Mouse estimates he has "15 brothers, 19 sisters, 25 aunts, 27 uncles, and 147 cousins"), Elliot wanders the city and realizes that he has a new reason to be sad: everyone has a family but him. Curato pulls out all the stops as his sensitive hero's funk deepens, first taking Elliot to the docks for some disconsolate gazing, then to an empty movie palace where Elliot cries his way through a film about a happy elephant family. Luckily, Mouse reappears in the nick of time, and Elliot finds himself adopted by a family that's the definition of extended. Curato fleshes out Little Elliot's personality in this installment-there are glimmers of a character with real depth beneath his cutie-pie visage-while continuing to come up with wonderful, Hopperesque images of a bygone New York. Ages 4-8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-It is a cold winter day and Little Elliot decides to spend it exploring the big city while his best friend, Mouse, attends his very large family reunion. As Elliot walks through the streets, rides the subway, and strolls through the park, he observes the wonderful diversity of the many families he passes. Elliot wonders what it would be like to have a family of his own. Taking in a movie to escape the cold, Elliot becomes sad and lonely in the big, empty theater. When the movie ends and he leaves the theater, he is pleased to discover that Mouse has come looking for him. Together, they return to the family reunion where they enjoy a wonderful evening filled with dancing, laughter, and Mouse's grandmother's warm cheese chowder. Elliot realizes that he does have a great big family after all. Set in 1940s New York City, this picture book is warm and inviting. The illustrations are rich and interesting, introducing young children to life in another era. Children may recognize many of the landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park. The art creates an inviting atmosphere that draws readers in and keeps them lingering on each page, while the text tells an appealing story of family and friendship. VERDICT Let's hope for more stories about this adorable polka-dotted elephant and his loving pal.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When his mouse friend goes off to a family reunion (including parents, grandparents, 15 brothers, 19 sisters, 25 aunts, 27 uncles, and 147 cousins), little pastel-polka-dotted elephant Elliot (Little Elliot, Big City, rev. 11/14) begins to feel lonely: The house was quiet. And empty. He goes for a walk but everywhere sees families togetherbrothers playing stickball in the street, grandmothers singing to babies, sisters sitting at a soda fountain counter. Elliots melancholy walk highlights the mid-twentieth-century New York setting, taking him through a variety of neighborhoods (Chinatown, Little Italy) and different landmarks: cousins ice-skate at Rockefeller Center; a family plays in Central Park; Elliot rides the subway and gazes at the Statue of Liberty off in the distance. Elliots palpable loneliness makes the warm conclusion, as he is invited into Mouses family party and even included in the family portrait, very touching. Curatos detail-filled, digitally colored pencil drawings give each of the characters, from Elliot to the many mice in the story, his or her own distinct appearance. Its a good book for talking with children about feelings, and also about what makes a family. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The pachyderm who searched for friendship in Little Elliot, Big City (2014) returns to seek a family in this follow-up. Elliot's buddy, Mouse, is departing for a family reunion. With a huge clanthe cousins alone total 147the group size in Mouse's photograph contrasts with the two figures (Elliot and Mouse) in Elliot's frame. Curato's palette and style are reminiscent of Edward Hopper. The lone elephant appears in an open window, the sole figure in a double-page spread depicting rows of closed, opaque panes in a brown facade near a barren tree: "The house was quiet. And empty." Subdued greens and reds predominate, and while some of the figures in the multiethnic neighborhood scenes are in groups, others are hidden behind newspapers or shadows, adding to the sense of isolation. Employing a restrained text, Curato mines the visuals for emotional impact, as when he portrays Elliot among a sea of empty chairs inside the cinema, tearfully watching a family film. The black-and-white movie connects to reality when the protagonist exits into a nocturnal snowfall. All is well when Mouse, having missed Elliot, invites him back to the candlelit attic feast. Playful endpapers mimic fine art and family portraits, with one very large addition. Young children will easily relate to Elliot's experience of loneliness and his relief at inclusion, both convincingly captured in this elegant tale. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
