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Armed with his blanket (Mooey), his toy rabbit (Mop), a stool, and various odds and ends he picks up along the way, elephant toddler Humphrey sets out to find a perfect place in his house to play. He tries the bathroom, his mother's room, and a closet, but nothing is quite right. Finally, stranded in his mother's high heels on the stairs with his box precariously perched on the step abov... More

Armed with his blanket (Mooey), his toy rabbit (Mop), a stool, and various odds and ends he picks up along the way, elephant toddler Humphrey sets out to find a perfect place in his house to play. He tries the bathroom, his mother's room, and a closet, but nothing is quite right. Finally, stranded in his mother's high heels on the stairs with his box precariously perched on the step above him, and Mop toppled down below, tired little Humphrey has worn himself out. Just in time, Mummy, who has been seen as a quiet background presence throughout, folding laundry and puttering in the bathroom, shows up to save the day. Comfortably and comfortingly, she scoops up her boy under one arm and his toys under the other, and finds him the best spot of all: a cozy hideout in the kitchen behind the drying rack, close to jelly sandwiches, and, most importantly, to Mummy.

Sally Hunter's endearing elephant is guaranteed to win the hearts of every reader. There's nothing like the tottering yet purposeful play of a toddler; Hunter's sketchy watercolor and pencil drawings capture the scene perfectly. Many of the details are told in pictures only, as when Humphrey decides that the problem with the bathroom for a play area is that the floor is too sticky--we see that Humphrey himself has pulled down the jars with "pretty colors" from the ledge, as well as made "sploshy sounds" in the toilet by tossing in bath oils. (Ages 2 to 5) --Emilie Coulter

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