266. Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel

Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel. (Canada) - (US)
An I Can Read Book, Level 2

Pages: 64
Ages: 6+
Finished: Dec. 6, 2011
First Published: 1981
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: children, easy reader
Rating: 3/5



First sentence:

Mother and Father went for a sail in their boat.

Acquired: Purchased a used copy at a thrift shop.

Reason for Reading:  Ds read aloud to me as his reader.

A nameless little elephant is left alone as his parents go for a sail and end up lost at sea in a storm.  Out of the blue Uncle Elephant arrives, takes him to his house where they have a wonderful series of getting-to-know-you adventures, until everything works out in the end.

This book is more like a collection of short stories, like the Frog and Toad books, than a comprehensive story but it is held together by the first and last chapters which deal with the boy's missing parents.  Some of the chapters are hilarious and had ds laughing out loud, like when Uncle put all his clothes on, on top of one another, and others were just so-so.  The book was a little on the young side for him but he enjoys humorous stories and the reading level is spot on now.  He is very confidant with Level 2s in this series now and I'm using the few we have left unread as an "easy" read for him.  In conclusion, not our favourite Lobel, the story is a bit strange when you really think about it, but still an okay read.  I love Lobel's illustrations and animal stories but prefer his earlier work.