ELLA, OF COURSE!
by Sarah Weeks & illustrated by Doug Cushman
Clever problem-solver Ella, the piglet, “love-love-loved” the new umbrella given by grammy for her fourth birthday. Ella takes it everywhere and opens it everywhere so she can hear the “whoosh . . . click!” sound it makes. But Ella neglects to see the havoc she causes behind her opened umbrella—upsetting tables and lamps, banging into classmates and friends, knocking over grocery items and more. In ballet class, Mrs. LaTouche, the ostrich dancing teacher, is not amused and announces that umbrellas are unwelcome at the recital. Who will solve this situation? Ella, of course, in a most creative and appropriate way. Cushman’s comical, colorfully bright acrylic paintings of a diverse menagerie of supporting characters make this very human theme of a child’s need to carry a much loved item come alive in a mellifluous mélange of text and illustrations. Weeks has created a delightful role model that will inspire youngsters to confidently and resourcefully find solutions to their own circumstances. A talented new porcine character from a practiced author and artist must take a bow. (Picture book. 3-5)