Somewhere in the great, wide Indian Ocean lie the Elephant Islands, hidden by a fog so thick that no human being has ever found them. A young elephant girl named Ella begins grade school in this exotic locale. Like the other students, Ella walks on her hind legs and wears a blue uniform to class, but stands out from the rest because she elects to wear her grandmother's flamboyant red hat. The teacher asked if she wouldn't mind sitting in the back row, so she wouldn't block the other students' view of the chalkboard. Soon the school's mean bully Belinda is picking on her because of the hat, scornfully nicknaming her Ella the elegant elephant. Ella keeps her hat on, however, and it eventually comes in very handy when it doubles as a parachute. Full-color illustrations accompany the text. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.