Written By Logan Dunn

Ellie Makes Friends

#1

Illustrated By Nathan Webb & Logan Dunn

There once was an elephant named Ellie. She had loving parents and plenty of food to fill her belly. She had a nice house and did well in school.But something was missing, her life felt half full.

She had no one to play with; She sat alone at lunch.She wasn’t sure what was missing, But she certainly had a hunch.

What she needed was more than a quick fix or mendShe needed a playmate, a fellow, a friend.She went deep in the forest searching for oneWho would make her life super duper fun.

Her first friend she found smelled kind of funkyHis name was Harry and he was a monkeyHe liked to laugh and play and swing through the treesHe told such funny jokes it made Ellie wheeze

When Harry and Ellie were having a laugh,They heard someone snicker; it was a giraffe!She said, “My name’s Gwen,” and gave a big smile.Then the three of them played for a while.

Then the sun went down and they got kind of scared.They were afraid of things like lions, tigers, and bears. Out of the shadows stepped a big paw,It was a lion with big teeth and claws!

The friends were all frightened; They didn’t know what to do.Then the lion roared, “My name is Louis, I’ll be your friend too!”Louis was brave with a heart of gold.He kept them safe and out of the cold.

The next day Ellie went to school with stories to tell.She waited patiently until she heard the school bell.She told the other elephants of Gwen the giraffe,Harry and Louis and all of their riff raff.

Ellie finished and smiled and nodded her headThen she asked what they thought of all that she’d said They pointed and laughed and joked without endSaying, “Lions and monkeys cannot be friends!”

So Ellie left school feeling really sad,She needed to talk to her mom and her dad.Ellie told her parents about Harry, Louis, and Gwen,And she told them about how they became friends.

Then she said, with a tear in her eye,How the elephants now laughed when she passed by.She finally found friends, but no one approved.She asked her parents, “Now what do I do?”

Ellie’s parents looked at each other and smiled big grins.And said, “Oh, Ellie the elephant, of course they’re your friends!”“It’s not about tails, trunks, or big teeth.”“What makes them your friend is what’s underneath!”

So Harry, Louis, and Gwen came to town.

Even though the others didn’t want them around.

They all played together; It was such a fun view,

That the other elephants came to play too.

They finally realized that,

If you don’t think too hard.

It’s not about what you look like,

It’s about who you are.