Wellington’s Big Day Out

“I’m definitely more grown up,” thinks Wellington, a particularly diminutive elephant, as he regards himself in the mirror on his birthday. His parents are clearly in agreement: “Who is this gentleman?” asks his mother; “What have you done with Wellington and why are you wearing his bathrobe?” asks his father. But the rest of the world, not so much. A new blue jacket (“exactly like Dad’s”) swamps him, and when he and his father go to the city to get it tailored, everything feels “HUGE”—even a strawberry sundae is “just too big.” On a side trip to visit his grandfather, Wellington is measured on the wall alongside marks showing that Dad, who now towers over his son, was once the same height as Wellington is today. And equally enormous Grandad has boyhood skates that fit Wellington perfectly. “Maybe the jacket will fit me better next year,” a much comforted Wellington decides, and the three elephants skip the tailor, instead heading to the rink. Small (I’m Sticking with You) enfolds the reader with a calm, gently humorous voice and watercolor-like vignettes that emphasize just how big the world can seem, offering a winning reminder that everyone starts out small. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)