The Shadow Elephant

A gentle story about sadness showing that sometimes all you need to feel better is the openness of someone who accepts you as you are.

A Financial Times Best Children's Book of 2021

This is a subtle story about an elephant who is feeling sorrowful, and nothing seems to interest him or lift his spirits. Illustrated with a striking contrast between shadow and light, the moody blue elephant appears to live in a different world from his colorful savanna friends. Empathy is a tricky emotion for children and adults alike to grasp, but The Shadow Elephant manages to walk the line between sadness, understanding, and emotional connection. Here we witness, in a story that unfolds at a natural, gentle pace, that it's okay to be sad and to show it, and that this sorrow is not necessarily a problem to be fixed, but is a feeling to acknowledge without judgement. This simple act of acceptance and validating another creature's feelings is subtle, yet, it is an essential step to true empathy.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Published: 10/13/2020
ISBN: 9781592703128
Pages: 48
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.70h x 11.50w x 0.40d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2020
Publishers Weekly 10/26/2020
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2021 pg. 91
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2021 - Superior,Well Above Average