Red Cygnet Press, Inc., 11858 Stoney Peak Dr. #525, San Diego, CA 92128
©2005 Red Cygnet Press
All Rights Reserved • San Diego • California
info@redcygnet.com
Sample Pages
amazon.com reviews and more sample interior pages!
Google book preview!

"Lani has a problem. There’s an elephant on his roof. Deciding that catching the elephant
is not the perfect solution to the problem of getting the elephant down, Lani seeks the
help of his fellow villagers. Reluctant to help and opposed to having an elephant messing
up the village, the villagers finally acquiesce and agree to help. Using a boat and some
rope the elephant is hauled down to safety and then proves that it really is a good thing
to help an elephant. Lani and the elephant devise clever ways, which only an elephant can
manage to help each of the skeptical villagers in turn. The villager’s respond by throwing
a surprise party to celebrate their newfound friend, the elephant. Erin Harris’s
watercolor illustrations are the heart of this picture book. You can tell the story, as I’ve
just briefly done, but you haven’t really read the story until you’ve “read” the
illustrations. Harris has created a folk tale quality to this larger twist on Aesop’s The Lion
and the Mouse."
                                           -ChildrensPictureBook.info, Feb. 2007

"Imagine finding an elephant on the roof of your home. Lani did! He tries to devise a
plan to get the elephant down by enlisting the help of the villagers. The people refuse to
give assistance because of the possible problems they foresee involving an elephant in
their community. Through Lani’s persistence, the people of the village grudgingly agree
to assist and collect the supplies that are needed to bring the elephant down to the
ground from the roof. With some muscle and ingenuity, as seen in Erin Harris’
illustration, the elephant is brought down safely. The following day, Lani and his elephant
go to thank the villagers for their help. The people now have their own set of problems.
In a twist of fate, Lani and the elephant are able to assist the villagers in resolving their
difficulties. At the end of the story, even Lani explores seeing things from a different
perspective. The illustrations have a gentle tone of colors with softly drawn lines that
reflect the heartfelt kindness revealed in the story."
                                            -Children's Literature


"Lani turns to the people in his village to help get an elephant off his roof after he
realizes that he cannot do it alone. At first everyone refuses, but the youngster
convinces them to lend a hand. Once down, he and the elephant reciprocate by assisting
the fisherman, some children, and an old woman with their problems. The villagers then
throw a surprise party for their new friend to say thanks. Coming full circle, the
narrative ends with Lani and the elephant back on the roof. The story has the look and
feel of a folktale, and the softly colored watercolors suggest an Asian setting. Harris
offers a positive message concerning helping one another...An additional purchase for
larger collections."
                                          -School Library Journal