The Big Elephant in the Room by Lane Smith
One donkey says to the other, “Can we talk about the big elephant in the room?” The other donkey responds by trying to think of all of the things he may have done that are big problems. Could it be the fact he ate all of the ice cream? Could it be when he took the cool bike? Could it be when he “fixed” the computer? One after another these confessions of wrong-doing are mentioned without pause for breath. Until finally, the other donkey says that it is none of those things. He wants to talk about the blue elephant sitting in the room.
This vaudeville-style book is laugh-out-loud funny. It captures the comedic timing perfectly and is great fun to read aloud at breakneck speed (with pauses for laughter of course.) Smith’s donkeys are permanently frazzled and crumpled. They are wildly silly and a great pair of opposite personalities. Smith’s art is appropriately wild as well, lending just the right feel to the book.
Highly recommended for the slightly more sophisticated child who will enjoy the rather sly humor. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books, 4IQREAD, Where the Best Books Are, The Hungry Readers, Pink Me, and Best Book I Have Not Read.