She's younger than Babar, shyer than Lily, and every bit as cute as Olivia. Hang on to your hats, here comes Ella! Read along to this heart-warming tale of acceptance and help kids build important reading skills!

Ella's counting the days until the first day of school, but not because she's eager to start! On the contrary, as the littlest elephant on Elephant Island, she's terribly nervous about the other kids she'll meet. Then she receives a beautiful red hat that belonged to her grandmother — her new lucky charm. Big mean Belinda at school teases her for it, calling her "Ella the Elegant Elephant." But Ella's brave enough to hold on to her hat, and in the end, the hat (and her heart) save the day.

"The D'Amicos' tale offers a gentle reassurance to readers that despite the trials of grade-school dilemmas, it will all turn out well in the end. Ella is a stand-out." — Kirkus Reviews, August 15th, 2004