A young girl has an abundance of reasons why she shouldn’t go visit the new girl, Zola, who moved in next door, even though their mothers have met and “decided we should be friends.” All of the reasons revolve around Zola’s elephant. The young narrator knows she has one, because she saw the big box. And she’s certain Zola and the elephant are far too busy together to want her company, because she’s heard them. Every scene the young girl imagines taking place with Zola and the elephant next door is followed by a wordless page spread showing a very different explanation for the sound, and a very lonely Zola. Finally, the narrator talks herself into, rather than out of, knocking on Zola’s door. “Okay, so maybe Zola doesn’t have an elephant. But do you know what she does have? A new friend.” Whimsical illustrations accompany a story grounded in very real social anxiety. (Ages 4–8)

Illustrated by two-time Caldecott-honor winning artist Pamela Zagarenski, this tender, witty friendship story of imagination gone wild, by New York Times bestselling author Randall de S ve, shows how assumptions often cause us to misjudge--and miss out. But with a little courage, new opportunities and new friendships can be made.

When Zola moves into the neighborhood, her new next-door neighbor is too shy to go over and introduce herself. Plus, Zola already has a friend to play with--an elephant
What we imagine is not always true, as the little girl discovers. Luckily, she also discovers that being brave can lead to new friendships--and even richer imaginary worlds--in this heartwarming book about friendship, moving, and the power of imagination by New York Times best-selling author Randall de S ve and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Pamela Zagarenski.