But No Elephants

Smath, J. (2007). But no elephants. Waverly, IA: CQ Products.4

Summary: Grandma Tildy lived all alone, until a salesman stopped by to sell her a pet. She welcomed a canary bird into her home but made it very clear that she wanted NO ELEPHANTS! This heart-warming children's book, written and illustrated by Jerry Smath, will delight parents and children from beginning to finish.

Retrieved from: Amazon.com on November 18, 2019: https://www.amazon.com/But-Elephants-Once-upon-Time/dp/1563832747/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1JZKQA0LSQ6XL&keywords=but+no+elephants&qid=1574133544&sprefix=but+no+el%2Caps%2C-1&sr=8-2

Age level appropriate for this book: Kindergarten -3rd Grade

Justification: But No Elephants is a classic book that students will love. It would be an easy book to use with the standard RL.3.3 (Describe characters in a story, including but not limited to their traits, motivations, actions or feelings, and how they affect the plot.) The teacher could have the students discuss the character traits of Grandma Tildy and the pet man. Grandma Tildy was a kind lady who wanted to help all animals, except elephants. Before completing the book, the students could predict why Grandma didn’t like elephants. This would be fun book to do an interactive read aloud with because there is a lot of predicting that could happen. The students could also predict what animal Grandma Tildy might get next. The cute illustrations in the book will keep students engaged.

Review: But No Elephants is a story about Grandma Tildy who lived alone in a little house. One day, a man came to her house and he was selling pets. He offered her a canary bird and Grandma Tildy said yes but she did not want an elephant. Over the next few days, the man kept coming back and offering her animals, until there was only an elephant left. She refused the elephant, still, so it stayed outside during the winter in the snow. Grandma Tildy and the other animals felt bad for the cold elephant, so they let him in. Eventually, the floor broke that the elephant was on because of his large size. The elephant also ate all the foot because he was so hungry. Feeling bad because the animals and Grandma Tildy would starve with no food, the elephant stood up and walked the house to a sunny and warm place. It was here where Grandma Tildy welcomed all elephants into her home.

The overall theme of But No Elephants is to not judge a book by its cover and the importance of accepetance. Also, those who you think may harm you, could be better for you in the end.

Retrieved from Goodreads.com on November 25, 2019: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1243806.But_No_Elephants