I absolutely loved In the Shadow Of An Elephant! What a beautifully written story. You captured the shock, sadness and loneliness that grief brings but also mastered the new relationships and support found while on a grief journey. I love the use of seasons to show time passing (extremely hard to show in a picture book).
Clover's Big Ideas by Georgie Donaghey & Emma Middleton (Little Pink Dog).
Being small doesn’t mean you can’t have big ideas. This story of a very cute little lamb saving the day, with its very appealing illustrations will delight small people.
A very endearing tale which, importantly, touches on elephant’s great emotional capacity.
Lualani is a baby elephant that lives with her family on the African plains.
At night she sleeps cuddled into her mother. During the day she stands in her mother’s shadow as protection from the burning sun.
It is night when the sharp sounds split the calm and force the herd to scatter. Lualani is left alone.
She is found by the boy Jabari and his father, and taken to a place of safety to be fed and cared for. But Lualani longs for her mother until she realizes Mumma won’t be coming back.
Trust is built and a strong bond is formed between the elephant and the two humans. Their shadows become one until a tragedy occurs and the tables are turned. Now Lualani is the comforter, and the boy the broken-hearted.
When time and space separate the two friends, they both know that they will be reunited again at some future stage.
This is a delicate story, beautifully told about the hunt and slaughter of African elephants by poachers. This central theme is revealed in a non-confronting way through subtle allusion.
The secondary theme of the strong friendship between animal and Man is the maintaining wall built around the poaching reference, as is the fragility of life, and the protection of wildlife.
Sandra Servergnini’s exquisite illustrations in pencil and watercolour sit as light as air on the page in cohesion with the gentle tone of the text. Her portrayal of the separation of mother and baby projected on a dark background effectively relays the devastation felt by the two elephants. Decorative African trim at the bottom of selected pages adds that something extra. These same colours are the only ones used in all the illustrations. The rest is grey against white. The fly pages reflect intimate images replicated from inside the book of Lualani and Jabari together.
Original Review: www.kids-bookreview.com/2019/08/review-in-shadow-of-elephant
'This is a book of intense meaning, of beauty, life, earth-shattering loss and of an epic forge of bonding.'
Blurb:
One terrible night the ground rumbled, and dark shapes appeared in the distance. A cracking sound tore through the air. Lualani’s life was changed forever.‘Don’t be afraid. I will look after you.’ Jabari reached out his hand.A life-long friendship set on the edge of the African Savanna. Through life’s challenges they will embrace the joys of dancing in the shadow of an elephant.
Review:
From the first glimpse of the cover, we, the reader, are immediately drawn in to this emotive story. With a loving embrace and tears streaming down their cheeks, this image captures something deep in all of us – a special connection, so full of emotion, heart and intrigue. We need to know more.
Being African-born, and a huge animal-lover and protector, In the Shadow of an Elephant touched a part of me from the beginning. But you don’t have to be those things to fall in love with this heart-rending, moving tale. Within us all is the need to feel loved and cared for – to have and to hold a friendship so near that withstands a life-time of ups and downs. Georgie Donaghey so beautifully elicits all of this in her story; from complete joy and tenderness, to shock, despair and sorrow, and comfort, trust and loyalty. Donaghey’s poetic-like narrative takes us to the vast African Savanna, which finds baby elephant Lualani suddenly orphaned due to the terrors of hunters. And so, although understandably heartbroken, she begins her journey on a new path with boy Jabari and his Papa. Across time, we encounter a unique friendship of understanding, of learning new things (like, how to be an elephant), of sharing grief, and of an undeniable dance between love and light. What joy and soul, trumpeting off these pages with Sandra Severgnini’s mixture of light and shade and pops of patterned, vibrant, and warm tones. She has created unforgettable illustrations that ooze with a cultural, heart-warming and eye-appeasing aura.
In the Shadow of an Elephant is such a valuable book for its ability to promote compassion, thought and discussion around topics of wildlife poaching and the treatment of animals, friendship, love, life and loss and the power of memory. How neatly does this intertwine with the amazing power of elephants?!
This is a book of intense meaning, of beauty, life, earth-shattering loss and of an epic forge of bonding. Tender, emotional and sublime. Highly recommended for primary school-aged children.
EXCITING NEWS!
In the Shadow of an Elephant, has been honoured as a “Finalist” in the “Children’s Picture Book: Hardcover Fiction” category in the 2019 International Book Awards.
Congratulations!
Original Review: www.justkidslit.com/bookreview-in-the-shadow-of-an-elephant-by-georgie-donaghey-and-sandra-severgnini
