Half of an Elephant

An elephant loses his back half as the result of an unexpected catastrophe ("One night, all of a sudden, the world split in two") in this inventive tale. The fact that the fellow is made of corrugated cardboard, old screws, googly eyes and other assorted found objects makes the premise easier to take. Argentinian-born Gusti possesses a knack for storytelling and a sense of humor that will appeal to young and old alike. The elephant, it turns out, is not the only one missing a half. "Have you seen the other half of an elephant?" the hero's front half calls to the front half of a leopard constructed of a candy roll. "No," replies the leopard. "Have you seen the other half of a leopard?" After several unsuccessful efforts to join with the front halves of other creatures, the partial pachyderm decides that life as a half might not be so bad: "I can hide behind a tree. I can drive a sports car. And, best of all, my tail doesn't itch, because I don't have a tail!" (The illustrations of the back half's attempts to partner with others will elicit the most laughs: "The monkey couldn't jump from tree to tree with him attached.") When the elephant's two halves finally reunite (the world magically "became one again"), they discover that they need not be attached in the customary way in order to be happy—a moral that comes as a kind of boxtop prize to this most satisfying book. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)