The Boy and the Elephant
by Freya Blackwood (Author)
From an award-winning illustrator comes a tender, magical, and gorgeously rendered wordless picture book about a boy who saves the trees in the lot next door from being cut down.
Amongst the hustle and bustle of the city is an overgrown piece of land where trees and wildlife thrive. A boy, who lives in a house on the lot next to it, loves to visit. He has a friend there: an elephant, an animal that he sees within the shapes of the trees. No matter the weather, the boy visits. And as the seasons change so does the elephant; thick green foliage changes to autumnal colors before the bare branches of harsh winter appear. But one day, builders arrive. The land has been sold, and the trees have been marked for removal. The boy can't lose his elephant, and so he comes up with a plan.
Unbearably beautiful and moving, and with a touch of magical realism, here is a wordless picture book about conservation and children's ability to be powerful agents of change.
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Kirkus
A contemplative look at finding your place in a busy world.
Publishers Weekly
This dreamy wordless fantasy by Kate Greenaway Medalist Blackwood opens with a series of vignettes that show a pale-skinned child climbing out of bed, donning a school uniform, then setting off for a starkly rendered city school, braving sidewalk crowds and sitting alone among throngs of children at recess. After school, the child takes two bowls out to a cramped patch of trees next door to their home, where they greet a friend: a stand of interwoven trees that make up the figure of an elephant. A spread shows the trees through the seasons, the child beneath, suggesting the bond's constancy. When a "SOLD" sign goes up in front of the grove's lot and big white X's mark the trees, all meant to be felled, decisive action is called for, and a middle-of-the-night outing catalyzes a miraculous landscape shift. Blackwood's pencil and oil spreads lend softness and a sense of liveliness to the work; the child's small, often-solitary figure and the elephant's patient frame seem warm and tangible throughout this quiet tale of triumph over destruction. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
"Aspiring young activists will treasure this poignant book, making it a wonderful addition to an Earth Day collection and encouraging them to look closely at the beauty the world has to offer." —The Bulletin
JUV002080 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Elephants
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
Imagination
Conservation of natural resources
Trees
Wordless picture books
