Synopsis
Until he makes a new friend, Bernard the elephant doesn't want to stay on his first day of preschool, but his parents and grandmother don't want to leave when they discover ...
Children's Literature
Although his mother, father, grandmother and grandfather try to show him all the fun he can have in preschool, Bernard just wants to go home. It is only when Miss Brody has him feed the fish, and he makes a friend, that he is ready to stay and send the rest of the family home. Catalano's double-page scenes are equally positive as they describe Bernard's emotional evolution from apprehension to authoritative pleasure. The characters are lifted out of the ordinary by being anthropomorphic, differently colored, rounded, textured pachyderms who almost crowd out the appropriately detailed settings. They add a smile to this brief, simply told tale to encourage the nervous school beginner. 2001, Boyds Mills Press, $15.95. Ages 2 to 5. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz