Elmer by David McKee Ages 3-5 32 pages HarperFestival August 2014 Board book     Elmer is appearing in board book format to celebrate 25 years. Elmer the elephant is known for his patchwork of ten colors and his silly personality. His jungle friends like his jokes and his playful personality, but Elmer doesn’t know that. He believes he’s being laughed at because he looks so different from the other elephants. He decides to smear gray berry juice all over this body to look like a gray elephant, but that doesn’t make anyone--including himself--feel good. No one laughs! Elmer cannot hide his true appearance or personality for long, though. The rain washes away the berry juice, and boredom causes him to perform his “best joke.” The elephants have their biggest laugh, and to celebrate Elmer’s uniqueness, they decorate themselves in colors one day of ever year. This book is about being extraordinary and proud. And because Elmer looks and acts the opposite of the other elephants (he moves his body as if he’s nimble and graceful), it’s an easy message for children to get.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2015 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)