Too many elephants in this house by Ursula Dubosarsky

Ill. by Andrew Joyner. Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780670075461
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Humour. Problem solving. Eric has simply too many elephants in his house. There are some in the kitchen, some in the hallway, the bathroom and his bedroom. He plays hide and seek with them, the one in the bathroom helps him brush his teeth at night, and the one in the kitchen is an excellent toast maker. One night Mum tells him that there are too many elephants in this house and that they must go. So Eric has the problem of moving his friends out of the house, and he tries a few different methods to do just that.
The joyous illustrations will make readers smile as they recognise the friendship between Eric and his playmates. The elephants peering out of the windows on the cover are enough to entice any reader to open the book and look inside, and then the parade of elephants will keep their interest as Eric's problem is finally solved.
The idea of imaginary friends will take hold of the readers as they recognise the ideas behind the story and puzzle with Eric on just how to consolidate the elephants in the house. His neat solution will appeal to the readers. A great book to read aloud, I would imagine that some teachers and parents will be able to use the idea to begin discussions with their charges about imaginary friends.
Fran Knight