📚 Recommended Ages: 7–9 (but suitable as a read-aloud for ages 5+)

How to Make an Elephant Dance is a sweet and empowering tale about a small mouse who feels helpless when a squirrel snatches his cheese. As he crosses paths with larger animals in the forest, the mouse slowly begins to understand that size doesn’t always equal strength—and even the tiniest creature can make a big impact.

This is a great little fable for encouraging kids to stand tall, use their voice, and recognize the strengths they do have, even when they feel overlooked or underestimated. It’s a lovely reminder that bravery and influence aren’t about being the biggest in the room.

The illustrations are truly beautiful—vibrant, expressive, and full of personality. They really bring the forest world to life and will definitely hold a young reader’s attention.

While it’s listed for ages 7–9, I think it works well as a read-aloud for younger children too—probably as young as 5. That said, the central analogy might be a little abstract for some kids (and let’s be honest, even I had to pause and think it through). It’s one of those books that might benefit from a bit of guided discussion to help kids connect the metaphor to their own experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group | Windmill Books, Angelos Angelou (Author), Emi Sini (Author), Sophia Touliatou (Illustrator) for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about the power of being bigger than someone else… and finding that size is not the only way to hold power. Size isn’t everything!

Mouse has his sights on some cheese, but squirrel snatches is up before mouse even has a chance. He is wallowing in self-pity for his small stature when he comes across a series of animals who are bigger and bigger. Then he meets Elephant, and elephant introduces him to giant flea. A tiny flea who lives in elephants ear and tells him what to do with a booming voice. This gives mouse an idea. Mouse feels empowered and steals his cheese from squirrel.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The storyline is silly and cute, but the narrative is a little off. This is kind of a story of a misunderstanding leading to a bully teaching another to be a bully and then a thief. It is a cute and silly story, but the underlying messaging is off. The cheese wasn’t mouse’s… it says he sees some cheese but squirrel gets it first. Then mouse goes on a quest to find the biggest animal to bully squirrel and get his cheese, but is empowered by flea to become the bully and steal it then hide in his home that is too small for squirrel to get to. I’m not sure this is it! Why not ask to share? Or give squirrel a chance to actually be mean or rude and have mouse standup for himself. It’s missing a critical piece of story development to make this a valuable story for our young readers.

The illustrations are interesting and eye catching but my preschooler didn’t get them. It was a little too abstract for us!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun and unique.

A worthy lesson in how things we perceive as our weaknesses can also be our greatest strengths. Every page of this book is bursting with character and the illustrations jump off the page with colour and humour. The details got squeals of delight from my little audience… especially the flea!

There is quite a lot of text for a picture book, but it’s so lyrical and satisfying to read that my children (5 & 6) both remained engaged throughout. Would definitely recommend!

This book was so adorable! my kids were surprised when they found out that a little tiny flea can make a huge elephant dance!

I thought It was a really good lesson to the story. The ilustrations are really cute and the repetition in the text is great . However to me, there is way too much text for the illustrations , but can say that that is the only thin I didnt love.

Really gorgeous illustrations. I loved the fluid look of them mixed with geometrical patterns.

The text wasn't my favorite. It isn't presented in a very attractive way, and the story itself doesn't make too much sense. I also think the title doesn't quite represent the story.

Thank you for the ARC.

This was a cute story about a little mouse as he sees the difference he can make in his world. The story might be a bit long for younger audiences, but kept my 5 year olds attention. Personally I enjoyed the illustrations but did find the story to be a bit redundant. Overall it was a cute book and we enjoyed it.

What's the best thing about this book?
Absolutely unique illustrations! The drawings here are full of life and have lots of fun details. It makes Little Mouse's world and all his animal friends feel so real and exciting. Every page looks great! It's fun to turn the pages and see all the little things in the pictures. I can just imagine how excited kids in school will be when their teacher reads this book out loud. The bright pictures included in this book will keep everyone looking and listening!

Reading aloud is fun! Some sentences here are even a little bit like tongue twisters. BUT. Of course...in a good way. These clever words make the story sound like a song. And that makes it fun and interesting for children.

LESSON FROM THIS BOOK:
Well.. while this book is fun and has great characters, it also teaches a helpful lesson. This book tells children that they have their own special powers and should believe in themselves. It shows that even little ones can have amazing strength.

Just like Little Mouse learns on his adventure. Even though he's tiny, he can still be very powerful. This nice story will teach young readers to know what makes them special. It also says to never give up, even if problems seem big. It will help them to see what they are good at and to keep trying even when things look hard.

And oh...another thing! This book isn't just for children. Even for me as an adult, the lesson about believing in yourself is important in my daily life. This one is definitely a winner!

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Disclaimer: Thanks to the author who wrote this book and Netgalley for letting me read it. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

How to Make an Elephant Dance is a charming story about a mouse finding out just how big of a difference he can make in the world. I felt the story to be a bit repetitive towards the middle, but the illustrations were beautiful to look at. I do think that the younger target audience will not appreciate the abstract illustrations, but the parents will love them. I think the moral of the story was lost a bit at the end with the elephant and flea, but still an education point for children that parents will be able to discuss with them.

Elephant dance

This is a cute and funny book about a little mouse and several other larger animals that he meets. After a squirrel steals his food, little mouse wishes he could be bigger and stronger like the other animals. He meets one after another that happens to be bigger than the last until he finally meets an elephant. The elephant assures him that he is not actually the biggest animal, rather a flea is. The mouse meets the flea and while he discovers that the flea is not actually the biggest animal, the flea has a special power, he can make an elephant dance. In the end Little mouse decides that he is happy being small because he fits through the small door in his small house just fine.

I liked the story and think young readers would too. The story is easy to follow and repetitive in that the same events happen again and again. There is a fair amount of text on a page, but there are very large illustrations and the repetitive nature of the text would likely make it accessible even for beginning readers. I had two pet peeves, the first is that his name is little mouse and the first sentence playfully introduces him as a little mouse named little mouse. I’m not sure why it bothered me lol, but it did. And my other pet peeve was that on the last page he is drinking wine. I think it is meant to show he is relaxing at home, but for little kids a glass of wine doesn’t mean the same thing. I think he could have been relaxing with some cheese or something else that didn’t need to include alcohol but again, just a silly little thing. Overall the book is really well done and I would recommend it to teachers and families of kids ages 3-7.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

The illustrations are beautiful! The plot/moral of the story compared to the title of the book is a bit misleading. This is a great book that could be read during bedtime or if a child would like some amazing illustrations to look at.

This book did not turn out how I expected, but it was cute with a nice message to teach kids to be brave and not compare themselves to others - in size in the book, but you could interpret the message further and it could lead to a more meaningful discussion with kids. It felt pretty repetitive to me, but would be fun for kids to be able to follow along with. The illustrations were a different style than I’ve seen before and it was cool to see.

How to Make an Elephant Dance by Angelos Angelou is a charming book about believing in yourself, no matter your size or ability. The beautiful illustrations carry you though this story as you discover if it is possible to actually make an elephant dance. If you are looking for a book on how to turn your shortcomings into strengths, then this book is for you. Teachers will love to use this book for sequence, too. You may feel small, but this story will help you find your powers. Grateful to read an electronic copy on NetGalley. This is a perfect book for all young scholars.

What a wonderful way to teach that size really doesn't matter and that no matter how big or.small.we are, we can all of us do great things. So cute!

I had a lot of fun reading this book and I think that it's written really well, but I also think that the title is a bit misleading. The elephant only dances once and, while it helps to deliver the moral of the story, it doesn't play a central role in the book as a whole. I think a title that relates to the main character(s) or the main idea of the book would be a better fit. As for the actual book itself, it was great! There was quite a bit of writing on each page, but the authors made each bit interesting and engaging for the reader, which is seriously a talent! Additionally, the plot made a lot of sense and there was no confusion in understanding what the story was getting at. I especially liked the slight twist at the end because it gives a dash of spice right before the story ends, allowing the book to finish off on a good note. Lastly, I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations. I understand that the illustrator wanted to add a bit of kid-like flair to them, but it ended up being a bit too messy for my taste. I think polishing the drawings up a bit would benefit this book.

One day, Little Mouse attempts to eat a block of cheese, but it is stolen away by a bigger Squirrel! Little Mouse is distraught, wishing he was bigger and stronger. But as he meets more creatures with animals bigger than themselves, and one with a small but powerful flea, Little Mouse learns that size does not determine courage.
I thought this book was really cute - though the text was a little long for the audience level and looked a bit fuzzy on my screen. The idea of comparison is something that kids are constantly learning, both in a practical way for things like science and math, and in a more emotional way when we think about being like someone whom we think is better in some way. I think the message of the story was done nicely by the author's, and the illustration style was really fun.

This is such a fun picture book, introducing so many animals, sequences and colours and textures! I really enjoyed the story and how beautiful the art is. I also like the message of the book and it's conclusion!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a mother of two, I really appreciate how Angelos Angelou beautifully encourages young children to embrace their uniqueness, teaching them that no matter our size, we are capable of achieving anything. While I understood the main message, I felt my 8-year-old didn’t fully grasp why the Elephant was reacting to the Flea. That said, the repetition of animals was so fun, and such a fun game for kids to try and remember the animals throughout. It reminded us of classics like A Fly Went By or There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
Sophia Touliatou’s illustrations are fantastic, capturing the creativity of each animal as Little Mouse encounters them. My kids were captivated by the artwork! It’s truly a beautiful book, and as a mother, I appreciate the gentle reminders it offers. Overall, we really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for elementary-age children!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, and Windmill Books for this eARC!

With charming illustrations by Sophia Touliatou, How to Make an Elephant Dance is a cute story of how the tiniest creatures can influence others.
Authors Angelos Angelou and Emi Sini captured the attention of my 2 1/2 year old grandson with the adventures of "Little Mouse". The polite little mouse meets several animals along the way, each one bigger than the last, until he gets to the elephant, where a surprise awaits.

Cute picture book with the wonderful lesson that size doesn't matter. I especially love the perspective in the illustrations, where the mouse looks big. I found out that the title is from a real saying that means to overcome a difficult challenge. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this