I LOVED this book. I got it as a gift and didn't read it for a year because I thought it looked boring. I do love elephants though, so I decided to give it a try. I admit that for the first half of the book, I was like, where's the elephant? By then I was very involved with all of the wacky but endearing characters. I learned quite a bit about the circus. Didn't think I'd care but it really was very interesting. When the Elephant was introduced, I was in love! She was smart and funny and I wanted a real one. I hated the guy who was mean to her. HATE!! You'll see. Read it, you won't be sorry!