From School Library Journal
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PreS-Gr 1—In a follow-up to Ellie, Pixar illustrator
Wu delivers another tale about the lovable elephant and her
adorable zoo animal friends. In this installment, Lucy the
giraffe suffers from insomnia because of the cacophony of
nocturnal noises. Ellie solves her friend's problem by organizing
the beasts into an orchestra and singing Lucy a lullaby. While
the premise is not especially original, the musical spin adds a
unique element, particularly in Ellie's artistic representation
of the parts of the orchestra rendered in different colors, a nod
to her talent as a painter in the original book. Where the text
is unembellished, the watercolor illustrations are lush and
emotive. Wu's animals are doe-eyed, with humanlike expressions,
and their zoo habitat has depth and a rich palette. The musical
notation for "Betty's Tune," named for the bird who inspired
Ellie's composition, is depicted on the end pages. VERDICT A
sweet animal story for medium and large picture book collections
and fans of the first title.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public
Library, MA
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Review
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KIRKUS REVIEW
First met in Ellie (2015), the eponymous, doe-eyed elephant
becomes a champion of the arts as she adds music to her painting
skills.
Poor Lucy the giraffe cannot with the cacophony of noise in
the zoo. "All Ellie wanted to do was help her friend." Ellie
shows readers true acts of compassion and problem-solving. The
problem is clear: Lucy needs . Ellie calmly stands by her
friend's side as each aid is explored without success. When
Ellie hears Betty Bluebird sing a lullaby to her babies, she has
a new idea. She enlists the aid of Gerard, the wise gorilla, and
organizes the animals into musical sections, just like an
orchestra. She helps each animal find his or her tune. With
patience and practice, Ellie changes the nightly noise in the zoo
into a beautiful song that helps Lucy finally go to . Wu's
expressive watercolor illustrations are imbued with kindness and
comfort even through the inharmonious screaming and squinting of
the noisy animals. The secondary characters have distinct
personalities that clearly show what caring friends look like.
Betty's "theme" is reproduced in the backmatter; Ellie's full
score is printed on the inside of the jacket.
Readers will find a simple plot and compassionate characters
balanced with glowing pictures for a satisfying story. (Picture
book. 3-7)
LAUGHING PLACE REVIEW
In 2015, Disney Press published an adorable children's book
called Ellie about a young elephant in a struggling zoo who uses
her artistic talents to save her home. Since then, Ellie became a
big success and was even selected as one of NPR's best books of
2015. Two years later, Ellie returns in another story, Ellie in
Concert.
Ellie's zoo is doing just fine, but her giraffe friend Lucy is
finding their home too noisy to in. Poor Lucy is constantly
disturbed by the roars, snorts and grumps that the other animals
make, but when Ellie hears bluebird Betty singing her chicks to
, she gets an inspired idea. Now she has to figure out a way
to turn all of the animal noises into a beautiful symphony so
that Lucy can finally get some rest.
Mike Wu returns to this adorable world in this charming sequel.
As a Cal Arts graduate and a Pixar animator, Ellie's world feels
directly influenced by the watercolor designs that influenced the
earliest Disney animated shorts and features,
like Dumbo and Elmer the Elephant. He's equally skilled at
writing and illustrating and Ellie in Concert is another solid
release. Fans can keep up with Mike Wu's personal projects
through his website, which even includes some Ellie merchandise.
I found Ellie in Concert to be another charming and inspiring
children's book and both titles make perfect bedtime stories. If
you play music, there's a surprise bonus as well. The dust jacked
can be removed to reveal an actual song inspired by Ellie, and
the back of the book features an additional melody from
Betty. The score was composed by Andrew Jiminez and while I can't
read music, I imagine this arrangement is just as beautiful as
this book.
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About the Author
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Mike Wu is the author and illustrator of Ellie, which was
selected as NPR's best of 2015. He is also the illustrator of The
Oodlethunks series. When he's not making books, he animates at
Pixar, where he has worked on The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up,
and Toy Story 3, among other movies. He attended the California
Institute of the Arts, and he is the creator of children's
clothing and gift line Tiny Teru. Mike lives in the Bay Area with
his family. Visit him online at theartofmikewu.com.
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