Blue Elephant - Zoo Stories Author:Kate Noble Sassi is a young African elephant who loves the zoo: the children who come to play, the good food, and Lina, the Indian elephant who tells her stories. There's just one thing she longs for, a muddy wallow to play in like the one she had in Africa. Lina helps Sassi with a plan to let the zoo keepers know what she wants, but Sassi's efforts produc... more »e startling results. Witty, full-color pictures show the big city zoo. Besides all the fun, there's accurate information on animal behavior. There's also a lesson in the difficulty of communicating and the value of persistence. Kate Noble is the author of BUBBLE GUM and OH LOOK, IT'S A NOSSERUS in the Africa Stories series and THE DRAGON OF NAVY PIER. She's a former teacher and a zoo volunteer. Rachel Bass is an artist and an art therapist who works with children. Both the artist and the author know a good deal about early childhood development. Noble says, "We begin giving children information about the world they live in on day one. It's important for them to develop imagination, to enjoy laughter, and to recognize that the world is full of all kinds of interesting people. There isn't much doubt that children whose parents read to them learn to read for themselves at an early age." Once again she brings endearing characters to a tale children will love.« less