Strictly No Elephants

I love the friendship between the boy and his elephant. They watch out for each other cause that's what friends do.

After they weren't allowed into the pet club, he meets a girl and her skunk and they create their own club. We learn that we don't want to be a part of something that is exclusionary. And for us to create a space where everyone is welcome.

Many books focused on inclusion are about including everyone, but since I’m a pet lover, I loved this story about a boy’s pet being excluded from Pet Club Day just because being an elephant didn’t fit the accepted, traditional definition of a pet. Not about to back down, the boy  meets others with nontraditional pets and they form their own club which is inclusive. The illustrated spread showing the members is hilarious and the sign on their new clubhouse sums up the message of the book perfectly—All Are Welcome!

I must confess I have a fondness for elephants since my children are graduates of The University of Alabama and their mascot is an elephant. And it reminded me of Jerry Smath’s But No Elephants that was much loved in our home. A boy laments that when you have a tiny elephant for a pet you never quite fit in. But that’s ok because they are friends and they help each other. When they are not allowed in the Pet Club, they’re sad, but they find a girl with a skunk and before you know it, they’ve made new friends… show more.