Review Detail

A delightful, exuberant comic about friends, school, and living with an over-eager elephant. None of Mabel's friends are in her class this year, so she imagines one up. Enter Mr. Elephant, a smiley, perfectly Mabel-sized companion who is very excited to do all the things Mabel wants to do. Maybe an imaginary friend won't fix everything, but Mabel and Mr. Elephant give it their best shot, having fun together in the midst of a chaotic family, doing homework (and playing video games), and maybe learning something along the way.

This is so sweet and fun. Mabel is an energetic kid who often gets the fidgets and tries hard to please, and Mr. Elephant is the perfect expression of her eager imagination. Elephant is also hilariously self-aware of his identity (aka imaginary friend…but why didn't Mabel imagine a more magical creature like a dragon or a two headed shark?) and excited about getting a name, proper manners, going to school, and all things peanut and peanut butter. Most of this first volume is about the duo getting to know one another (Mr. Elephant is an African elephant, for example) and introducing the other people in Mabel's life, including her hard-working parents, her goth and Poe-obsessed older sister, and the chaotic little twins.

While Mabel often has a big smile, she's also dealing with some serious emotions, like feeling overlooked in her home, worrying whether she's drifting apart from her (non-elephant) friends, or focusing in school (spelling tests are hard!). Mr. Elephant may not have all the answers, but he is always by her side to cheer her on.

Pick this up for a back-to-school read bursting with the joy of companionship and the little things in life that will leave you waiting for Mabel and Elephant's next adventure.