Lavender

Lavender the elephant drops into a child’s bedroom to play. When he learns that they need to stay tidy for Mommy’s afternoon tea party, Lavender suggests a leisurely stroll in the garden. But quiet activities soon escalate into a joyful mud-pie mess! Uh-oh, here comes Mommy! Clean from their baths–the child in the tub and the elephant in the washing machine–the two friends enjoy cookies at tea time. Their pachyderm play-date ends perfectly, the child dreaming about more adventures with Lavender, who was a stuffed-animal all along. Adorably narrated by the child, Peugh’s playful story begs to be read aloud. Its lovely lilt evokes the poems of A.A. Milne, while Ull’s expressive watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings are reminiscent of Ernest Shephard’s classic Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations.