She's younger than Babar, shyer than Lily, and every bit as cute as Olivia. Look out! Here's ELLA! Read along to this heart-warming tale of acceptance and help kids build important reading skills!

Ella's counting the days until the first day of school ... but not because she's eager to start! On the contrary, as the littlest elephant on Elephant Island, she's terribly nervous about the other kids she'll meet. Then she receives a beautiful red hat that belonged to her grandmother -- her new lucky charm. Big mean Belinda at school teases her for it, calling her "Ella the Elegant Elephant." But Ella's brave enough to hold on to her hat, and in the end, the hat (and her heart) save the day.

Contributor Bio:  D'Amico, Carmela
D'Amico is a freelance writer who has been writing since the age of five.

Contributor Bio:  D'Amico, Steven
Steve D'Amico is a Senior Art Director at Smashing Ideas, Inc. He and his wife co created the Ella the Elephant picture book series. He has produced illustrations that have appeared on PBS Kids, Nick Jr. and the Disney Channel. He lives in Seattle, Washington.