Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ellie the Elevator, whose attentive face is formed by simply rendered architectural details, lovingly serves all of the residents who live in her building--a metropolitan microcosm that Imamura (Love in the Library) depicts with stylishly smudgy, densely colored multimedia illustrations. Ellie loves "the dogs with muddy paws and the man who pushed Ellie's buttons over and over to make her move faster," writes Gehl (Orson and the World's Loudest Library), and she "goes the extra mile" for each of the building's inhabitants. But the elevator holds a special affection for Thea, who arrived as a newborn the day Ellie was installed. When Thea's best friend moves away, Ellie conspires to connect her with a newly arrived peer by creating opportunities for conversation, even malfunctioning so the two are thrown together. After bonding and realizing that their BFF status is all thanks to Ellie, they decorate the elevator with balloons and stars, seemingly sparking an impromptu lobby gathering. Could it be that ordinary and often overlooked objects might secretly be operating with benevolence on a higher floor of consciousness? As fantasies go, it's certainly uplifting. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Erzsi Deak, Hen&ink Literary. Illustrator's agent: Freddie Dawson, Bright Agency. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--Ellie the elevator loves taking care of the inhabitants of her building. She holds her doors a few extra seconds for Mr. Chen, who moves a little more slowly than others, and she doesn't mind the muddy paws of the dogs that live in her building. While Ellie doesn't want to play favorites, she does have a soft spot for Thea. Ellie's first day on the job was the day that Thea came home from the hospital, so Ellie has watched Thea grow up. When Thea's best friend moves away, Ellie tries to lift her mood but nothing seems to help. Then a new girl moves into the building, and Ellie has to pull out all her tricks to get the two girls to connect. Eventually a new friendship is formed, and Ellie is thoroughly satisfied. Illustrations in gouache, watercolor, markers, and aquarelle crayons capture Ellie's expressions and the unique role that she plays in this lively and diverse community. This story will be useful for engaging children in discussions about the effort that it takes to form friendships and would be useful at the start of the school year to help students find those small connections that can build into true friendships. VERDICT A charming story with a unique point of view that will have children thoroughly connected to the human and non-human characters alike. A highly recommended tale of friendship.--John Scott
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A meditation on the not-so-accidental circumstances that bring us together. Ellie, the hardest-working elevator on 74th Street, spends her days cheerfully ferrying residents from floor to floor. She loves her job and the occupants she provides bespoke service to; she modulates the volume of the music she plays for hard-of-hearing Mrs. Sanchez, and she patiently waits for Mr. Chen, who uses a cane. But no tenant is dearer than Thea, a fashionable, bespectacled adolescent. After Thea's best friend relocates to the West Coast, Ellie kicks her care into overdrive, making each trip extra pleasant for the girl in an effort to ease her heartbreak. When her usual tricks don't provide their intended lift, Ellie hatches a matchmaking plan, staging scenarios meant to foster friendship between Thea and a new neighbor named Claire and effecting kindnesses that go neither unnoticed nor unrewarded. A charming retro-futurism suffuses the story in both plot and aesthetic; Gehl's comfortable and familiar narrative is an apt match for the vintage-feeling images that enliven our anthropomorphized protagonist. Imamura's grounding use of negative space brings visual texture to each spread, as do the occasional pops of neon yellow that stipple an earth-toned palette. Ellie's robotic visage is just subtle enough to make her reveal as the main character a delightful surprise, an unexpected start to an otherwise-understated tale. Thea presents East Asian, and Claire is Black; peripheral characters are diverse. A stylish and lovely perspective on happenstance.(Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
