In Mike Curato’s Little Elliot, Big City, a diminutive, cupcake loving, polka-dot elephant takes in the sights of late 1930s Manhattan by himself before bonding with a new friend, Mouse. On October 6, Henry Holt released a sequel, Little Elliot, Big Family, in which Elliot feels very alone when Mouse goes off to a family reunion – until his friend invites him to join in the clan’s festivities. And last week the character of Elliot embarked on a new venture, when he boarded The Polka-Dot Express: Little Elliot’s Big Adventure!, which will take him to at least 60 schools in at least 40 states during the current school year.

Though Curato is currently on a two-week, 12-city author tour, Little Elliot’s “tour” enables many more young fans to celebrate the plucky little elephant’s second book outing. Masterminded by Mary Van Akin, senior publicist at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The Polka-Dot Express sends three plush Elliots (created by MerryMakers) on separate tour tracks, packaged in a polka-dot box along with several Elliot-friendly “treasures” gleaned from staffers’ offices, and a Little Treasure Map on which schools mark their location. Teachers and librarians are encouraged to plan Elliot-related classroom activities and add a trinket (or two) to Elliot’s cache of treasures before sending the box off to the next school on the schedule.

The premise of the Express springs from Elliot’s love of collecting objects that he spots during his wanderings, and the family-centric theme of Little Elliot, Big Family, which has a 50,000-copy first printing. The idea of hosting a plush Elliot clearly appealed to many: when Van Akin posted a form online, inviting teachers and school librarians to request a visit from the Express, the response was overwhelming.

“We had 115 requests overnight, and knew we wouldn’t be able to send Elliot everywhere, so we decided we’d add two more Polka-Dot Express boxes to make sure that we’d reach as many schools as possible,” Van Akin explained. Though at this point Elliot is traveling to 40 states, she has reserved some spots on his itinerary, since “We’re really hoping we can send him to all 50.”

The Trek Begins

The Express got rolling in three states two weeks agao, when a trio of educators opened the boxes with their students. Colby Sharp, a third-grade teacher at Parma Elementary School in Parma, Mich., reported that Elliot immediately endeared himself to his class of 22. “A lot of my students relate to the book, which gets them talking about what it’s like to feel lonesome, and how important it is to have someone there for them, and how important it is to be there for someone else who is lonely,” he said.

Sharp said that the Elliot plush accompanied his class to the library and to recess, and “someone was always reading to him, or writing with Elliot looking on.” The teacher was grateful for the geographical span of the Express, noting, “Most of my kids don’t get beyond a 15-square mile radius of our town, and Elliot’s travels and map help them see the broadness of the big, wide world out there.”

A second Elliot plush started his journey in Connecticut, in the care of Jenny Lussier, librarian at Brewster Elementary School in Durham and John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield. Her roots with Elliot run deep, since her own children, ages eight and 10, are devotees of his books – and have their very own toy Elliot at home.

Lussier talked up Elliot’s arrival ahead of time to her students, who became fans after reading his first book. “We talked about Elliot’s core values of kindness, respect, and being a team,” said Lussier, “and that really resonated with the kids. I’d told them about the treasures that Elliot is traveling with, and they were out of their minds with excitement by the time the box arrived. I know it’s a great book when kids clap at the end – and they did every time I read Little Elliot, Big Family to a class – which was at least 25 times!”

Westward Ho!

A third Elliot plush made his debut in California, chaperoned by Alyson Beecher, an elementary school literacy coach for the Pasadena Unified School District. Beecher’s students enjoyed adding their own hometown-inspired treasures to Elliot’s collection, among them a rose in tribute to Pasadena’s legendary annual Rose Bowl football game and Rose Parade. After participating in Little Elliot activities, including drawing portraits of him, the kids were sorry to bid adieu to Elliot, but there were silver linings. “They were actually kind of excited to send him on to his next adventure,” she said. “And Macmillan gave us a copy of the book, and I purchased my own Little Elliot plush – so we didn’t really have to say goodbye to him.”

Just setting out on his cross-country tour, author-illustrator Curato called The Polka-Dot Express “a genius idea” that allows him to visit schools by proxy. “After all, Elliot is the real star,” he said, “so kids are really happy to have him arrive, and I’m really excited to see what trinkets they put in his box. It’s been rewarding and humbling to see how everyone has connected with Elliot. He’s getting rock-star treatment on his tour – and I’m pleased that he’s making so many others happy.”

And the popular young pachyderm may spread more good cheer and grab more time in the spotlight in the future. Scheduled for 2016 release is Little Elliot, Big Fun, which brings Elliot and Mouse to vintage Coney Island. “I am so happy that The Polka-Dot Express is not only connecting readers with Elliot, but is connecting schools with each other, which only grows his family of readers,” said Van Akin. “We hope we’ll have the chance to create more moments to make readers feel part of Elliot’s big, extended family.”

Little Elliot, Big Family by Mike Curato. Holt, $17.99 Oct. ISBN 978-0-8050-9826-6