Elmer, the patchwork elephant, has been a favorite of children around the world since the first book debuted in 1989.

It's almost Elmer's Special Day again, and the elephants are busy painting themselves in bright colors just like Elmer. But in all the excitement they are making an awful lot of noise and upsetting the other animals.

So Elmer changes the rules and invites every single animal to join in the parade. And they have a surprise in store for Elmer...

Upsetting the Balance by Harry Turtledove

While the war seemed rather static in the second book, major events fill Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance from the first scene. Turtledove still follows all of his major characters, depicting the war from many perspectives. But now the personal struggles are more often entwined with higher concerns, giving this volume more depth as well as more suspense. Turtledove also returns to some humorous social commentary, something prevalent in the first book but strangely absent from the second.