In an age where so much is available to celebrate the birth of a baby, it is wonderful for
those of us who love books to learn that people often throw "book showers" for new parents so that they can get a good start on their child's library. As a book seller, this was another request I loved getting. Customers shopping for this kind of shower were usually looking for a book baby would grow into and love forever, so it had to be timeless, have a good story, and be beautifully illustrated. In a word, it had to be a classic. Often, however, I was asked to stay away from the well-known classics like Ferdinand the Bull and Peter Rabbit as the parents may already have those books or because other guests may bring them.
My response was often to show them Elmer, a picture book about a patchwork elephant, by David McKee. Though Elmer has been around since 1989, it isn't as well known as one might think. It is, however, by those who do know it, beloved.
Elmer is who he is because he has a great sense of humor and because his hide is made of patchwork. Take one of these things away, and he is no longer Elmer. The other elephants in his herd love him because he is so good at telling jokes and making them laugh. Believing the others laugh at him because he is different, Elmer leaves the herd to disguise his patchwork body by covering it in grey berries. He thinks this will make him fit in. Upon his return, however, the elephants no longer recognize him and become melancholy because he isn't there to cheer them up with one of his jokes. Elmer pulls off his greatest joke at the end of the story and learns that there is nothing wrong with being different.
Told with humor and illustrated with pictures as bold and beautiful as Elmer's personality, this gentle fable is a perfect addition to any beginning library.
My response to this request was often Elmer by David McKee.
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