Elly's ears won't grow because she is so scared Little elephants with small ears can get into all kinds of trouble when they can't hear their parents instructions. Find out how Elly's parents learn to help her feel safe so her ears can grow. The Elephant with Small Ears teaches the concept of "listening and minding" to your child while reminding parents about the importance of connecting with children to help them feel safe. Reading The Elephant with Small Ears with your child will help you and your child understand the importance of how traditional parenting techniques are not effective with children from hard places. This story is one of eight children's books written by Cindy R. Lee and is designed to teach concepts developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Institute of Child Development. Proceeds are being donated to HALO Project and the Institute of Child Development.