Elephants on Ice

A plucky young elephant is the hero of this first solo effort by DiVito, illustrator of The Kids' No-Cook Cookbook . The story gets off to a spirited start, as Dozer's sled races out of control one icy winter morning, creating a string of comic disasters. In quick sequence he knocks over the postman, whose letters fly into the air; crashes into a delivery man carrying ``three huge wheels of smelly Swiss cheese;'' and slides onto the frozen pond where Otto, the biggest kid in the class, is playing hockey with his pals. Otto challenges Dozer to a match to decide which of them is the better skater. The pace lags somewhat as Otto's friend Viola tries to boost his self-confidence and prepare him for the competition. But the tale's imaginative resolution sees Dozer triumph in an unorthodox manner. DiVito's merry menagerie contains numerous droll details: Viola has a stuffed pet pig and Dozer a stuffed penguin; a school lunchbox sports a whale's likeness. Kids will find lots to look--and smile--at in her consistently lively ink and watercolor pictures, reminiscent of the work of Tracey Campbell Pearson. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)