ELEPHANTS SPRAY

This brief photographic nonfiction offering introduces little ones to the many uses of an elephant’s trunk.

An elephant’s strong trunk can do many amazing things, including smelling, carrying food to its mouth, drinking, spraying water, and hugging friends. The stock photos used to illustrate these actions, while they vary in quality from the ordinary to the striking, will in all likelihood succeed in catching the attention of curious toddlers and preschoolers. A light pink column occupies the right- or left-hand border of each double-page spread, displaying the text in white print, a color choice that doesn’t provide enough contrast with the background for easy reading. The syntax and vocabulary, though, are kept simple and appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers: “Sniff, sniff! He smells food,” for example, and “Munch, munch! Here’s a tasty lunch.” Other, very similar titles in the series include Monkeys Swing, Giraffes Stretch, Penguins Waddle, Lions Roar, and Dolphins Play. All of them feature photographic images and simple text that showcase the animals in action.

Little animal lovers will enjoy gazing at the photographs while learning a little bit about these creatures' real lives and behaviors.