My sister, Kelli, was digging through our old books the other day and found one I had completely fogotten about until I saw it again. It may be my favorite kids book ever. But No Elephants by Jerry Smath is about an old woman who is a sucker for the local traveling animal salesman (there’s one in every community). She buys a new creature every time he comes around but insists she will not take any elephants. Her resolve is weak, however, and she crumbles. The elephant moves in and wreaks havoc on her house, eating so much he falls through the floor. When she’s at her wit’s end with him because its the dead of winter and he’s eaten all the food in the house, he has an idea that saves everyone. He stands up and walks the house to warmer weather where the wacky family lives hapily ever after.
Its pretty much perfect. And I love how “south” is just across the bridge…
The Spotted Elephant 
I remember that one!!!
I don’t know what it is about this book (maybe it’s because I read it as a child, every time I went to the doctor’s office); but I absolutely *love* this book! I forgot the details and the title/author, but I knew it was a brown book, about too many animals stuck in a house, and I’ve been searching the internet for years trying to find it. Glad I finally re-discovered it, and I hope to share it with my own children.