Elephants Are Not Artists

PreS-Gr 2––Inspired by Ruby, an Asian elephant at the Phoenix Zoo who painted, this Ruby uses a stick to scratch in the dirt, wishing she could make art in color while a parade of scoffing animals tells her “Elephants are not artists.” Ruby never doubts herself, and eventually a zookeeper brings her colored paint, after which Ruby is admired by human visitors who she inspires to follow their dreams. While based on a worthy subject, as a picture book, it lacks cohesion and drama. The author is hard-hitting with the book’s message, restating it several times at the end. The cartoon digital illustrations of the animals are cute but flat, with very minimal texture. The paintings “by Ruby” are looser and the most appealing in the book. An odd design choice to use different fonts adds to the awkwardness. A lovely and poignant paragraph at the end describes the real life Ruby.