The Elevator on 74th Street

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.)