Author Lauren Micchelli dedicates this children’s book to
her brother Pete, whom she considers one of her best friends, and sports
illustrations by Thomas Barnett. Like many children’s stories, the narrative is
in rhyme, with an ABCB pattern retained throughout the book. The narration is
first-person, with the female protagonist never given a name, although that the
author names the titular pet elephant Pete like her brother hints that she
herself might be the narrator. Following every stanza is an illustration
depicting the story’s action, the first featuring the protagonist upon Pete’s
trunk in her likely backyard.
Pete can fly, as well, by flapping his ears, and has a diet
similar to humans aside from the typical pachyderm courses of leaves and
peanuts. Whenever she bathes the elephant, moreover, he does the same in
return, the respective visual indicating that she’s not annoyed at all by a
shower from Pete’s trunk. The narrator, after school, which is not depicted in
the story, simultaneously snacks and rides Pete upon returning home. The girl
likes to ride bikes as well, and attempts to get Pete to do so, although he
proves too massive for a bicycle. The narrator additionally enjoys tire
swinging and swimming, claiming that Pete looks cool when wearing sunglasses in
the pool.
The narrative concludes with the narrator’s claim that she
and Pete love sledding after a snowfall, loves sleeping upon his head while he
slumbers in her bed, and that, being her best friend, she loves to see him
whenever she wakes, the final illustration depicting her giving the pachyderm a
kiss. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable, lighthearted story that children will
be certain to enjoy, although it does somewhat derive from the Disney film
Dumbo, and brings to mind the episode of The Simpsons where Bart temporarily
receives a pachyderm companion. Even so, this children’s book is more or less
ideal to those used to rhythmic juvenile tales.
Author's Bio:
Lauren Micchelli is a newly published author, having penned her first book in 2014. She has since continued the Snootzytime Adventures of Maddie and Murphy series, and went on to publish A Day Of What Ifs and I Love My Pet Elephant.
Impressively, she was the recipient of New Book Award 2015 for I Love My Pet Elephant.
Lauren Micchelli grew up in West Caldwell, New Jersey and currently resides in northern New Jersey.
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