Ernest and Elston

Elston is a rooster who cannot contain his powerful urge to do what roosters are born to do, "They Crow!" The other barn animals complain when he wakes them at the crack of dawn. "Why do you have to make that racket every morning?" "I'm not sure," answered Elston. "I just do, do, do...." And with that he utters another extra loud, "Cockle doodle doooooooo." The animals all agree that just one morning; they would like to sleep in. The next morning Elston stuffs his beak in the hay bale to prevent himself from crowing. He holds his breath. He feels like he is going to burst. His whole body puffs up trying to stifle his crow. It takes all of his effort to not do what comes naturally to him. Exhausted from holding back his crow, he falls back to sleep. "Elston! Elston! "Wake up," shouts his donkey friend, Ernest. Ernest tells him that he is needed to be who he is. He is needed to crow and wake everyone up in the morning. Elston discovers what can go wrong when you try to be something you're not. Celebrate who you are! Elston and Ernest is the fifth in this award-winning Ernest Series. Awards include: Teacher's choice Award, Mom's Choice Award, and the Silver Ben Franklin Award. All stories include tales about real-life animals as well as valuable life-lessons. Look for the cute little critter hiding on every page.

Elston is a barnyard rooster who thinks the other animals don't like him because it's his job to wake them up so early every morning. Ernest the donkey tries to persuade Ernest that he's got it all wrong. But Elston decides to quite being a rooster and become something else instead. An humorous adventure ensues as all Elston and the rest of the barnyard animals find out that it is their differences that make them each both special and useful to all the others. Ideal reading for children ages 4 through 8 (there's even a cute little critter hiding on every page just waiting to be found!) and a popular addition to school and community library picturebook collections, Ernest And Elston is charmingly written "life lesson" by Laura T. Barnes and wonderfully illustrated with 32 watercolor works of art by Carol A. Canburn.

Everyone wants to be liked and most of us don't want to be different. And that is Elston, the rooster's dilemma. He believes the barnyard animals don't like him because he wakes them up every morning. Ernest, the donkey, attempts to assure his friend that the animals may not want to wake up so early in the morning, but they like Elston. Elston decides that it would be better if he wasn't a rooster and didn't crow. But everything goes awry when Elston tries to be something he isn't. Elston and everyone else soon discover how special they each are, differences included. Ernest and Elston is a fun, yet educational book that can help children appreciate themselves and their own differences. The illustrations are inviting and warm and will draw the children into the story. Armchair Interviews says: Ernest and Elston is part of a series that children will enjoy and learn from.