Each chapter of Small as an Elephant begins with a fact about elephants, the first of which notes how similar elephants are to people. Eleven-year-old protagonist Jack loves elephants and knows everything about them. He awakens in his tent at Acadia National Park, where he and his mother Becky have been camping on their summer vacation. Immediately, Jack notices that his mom’s tent and all the camping gear is gone, along with her rental car, and he stands in shock at first. Jack walks around the campgrounds, checking each campsite to see if his mother simply moved elsewhere, but he can’t find her. Experiencing hunger pangs, Jack changes his focus to finding something to eat. Jack asks a park attendant where the nearest food market is, hoping to come across some famous Maine red snapper hot dogs. He thinks about asking if she saw his mother, but decides against it. The woman directs him to a place down the street. Jack calls his mother, but she doesn’t answer, and he leaves her a voicemail asking where she is. He wonders whether their argument the night before is the reason she left him alone.