Elephant is so heavy, and all the other animals are so light. How will the seesaw ever go up and down?Toddlers will be drawn in by repetition, opposites, humor, and an unexpected twist in this board book story about Elephant's quest to get the seesaw to teeter. A cast of friendly animals--who are all
so light--try to help move the seesaw, but Elephant's side won't budge. He's
so heavy. Then what happens when a child swoops in with other plans? Short, simple, and memorable, this board book offers a satisfying story arc.
"Such a heavyweight for such a light little book—delightful" — Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
"An amusing introduction to the concepts of weight, balance, and opposites" — Publisher's Weekly
With an elephant on one end of a teeter-totter, it takes a lot of animals on the other side--and one child--before the teeter-totter will start to move up and down. Full color.or.
The teeter-totter won't tip no matter how many animals are on it. What will it take to make the teeter-totter tip? An elephant stands on one end of a teeter-totter, hoping to play, but the other end is empty, so it doesn't tip. One by one, a number of animals climb on: a penguin, a monkey, an ostrich, and a giraffe. And still the teeter-totter won't tip. "Elephant is so heavy," and the other animals "are so light." Even when a hippopotamus climbs on it doesn't tip—now both sides are equally weighted. A humorous and unexpected solution comes along in the shape of a trumpet-blowing blond, white child pulling along a sauropod on a leash. Standing against an azure blue background, the vivid red teeter-totter takes center stage, its fulcrum aligned with the gutter. The animals are simply drawn yet wonderfully expressive, and their antics on the teeter-totter are downright comical. This English translation from the original German is full of alliteration and onomatopoeic sounds—"ZOOP!"; "ZIPPITY ZAP!"; "TIPPY TOPPY TIP TAP!"—making it a read-aloud delight. Adult readers can encourage animal recognition and naming, prediction, or even a discussion on teamwork and physics. Such a heavyweight for such a light little book—delightful.
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Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
German-author-illustrator Strasser pictures a stocky gray elephant standing expectantly on a teeter-totter. Lively exclamations ramp up expectations: "Zippity zap! Monkey climbs onto the teeter totter. But the teeter-totter still won't tip. Penguin and Monkey are so light. An Elephant is so heavy.” After several other animals hop on, “finally the teeter-totter teeters!” But now it’s evenly balanced — until two final visitors (a child and a dinosaur) get the job done. Strasser contrasts the vivid red teeter-totter with a turquoise background, and her eclectic animal cast provides an amusing introduction to the concepts of weight, balance, and opposites.
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Publisher's Weekly