Fred Koehler

Features the same characters as How to Cheer Up Dad, but not as good. Little Jumbo is now Super Jumbo, complete with cape and mask (cut out of a curtain at the end of How to Cheer Up Dad), and is getting into trouble again, even though this time he's trying to help. His help is mostly bumbling and unhelpful, but he does make a new friend when he fixes someone's broken wagon wheel with his wrench. Then they careen down the hill...heading for Jumbo's dad, fishing at the end of a dock.

Sweet and funny, reminds me a little of Calvin & Hobbes, especially the ending ("I wonder how much cheering up Dad will need tomorrow..."). An amusing take on parenting from the kid's perspective.

*

Re-read June 2019

I love the artwork in this book. Little Elephant has been a bit of a pill and now Dad is sad, so Little Elephant is going to do everything he can to cheer up dad. I like the idea behind this book, but find the execution lacking. The things to cheer up dad, are actually things that make Little Elephant happy. Then there is what brought on the sadness to begin with. There was no apology, or trying to act better. Just not a lasting book.

I love this book! I like how it is simple yet addresses a complex idea of how to cheer someone up. I could also see it being good for kids who struggle with guessing what will happen next. As I was reading it, several questioning prompts came into my head, so I think this would be exceptionally easy and will placed during days that the students finish lessons early.