FICTION

Free To Be Elephant Me

by Giles Andreae (text) & illus. by Guy Parker-Rees
Orchard. Jun. 2021. 32p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781338734270.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1–The creators of Giraffes Can’t Dance now take on the topic of naming elephants. King Elephant Mighty is not impressed when he sees a young elephant struggle to lift or blow out of his trunk. He seems to have no strength and no voice, so he’s given the name Elephant Nothing-at-All. This causes him to leave the jungle, but when he does, he finds new friends who see his strengths—and convince him of them, too. This motivates him to declare his new, better-suited name, in a way that causes change and happiness in many others who had been suffering living under the expectations and limitations of their given names. This fun story told in rhyme may cause some dancing and a bit of conversation about the important, less visible qualities people have that make them unique.
VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this humorous tale will have preschoolers intrigued about the value and caprice of a good name.
Reviewed by Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake P.L., Alta , May 14, 2021

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