Praise for The Elephant
A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the Year
“A warm-hearted book of emotional learning, creative problem-solving, and genuine care for others. Recommended for anyone in need of hope for a path to happiness.”—School Library Journal
“Carnavas takes the tough topic of caregiver depression and gives it a delicate, graceful touch. His plot weaves tightly together, and the ending twist is a lovely completion. Black-and-white spot illustrations throughout give a visually accessible feel, as do the short chapters....A delicate, lovely story about caregiver depression that will validate and empower readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This sensitive illustrated chapter book explores a child's response to a loved one's depression, and how love and family can help people struggling with mental health.”—A Mighty Girl
“The warm, plain, rich written text is more than sufficient to mark The Elephant as excellent, but Carnavas’s playful, emotionally evocative line drawings catapult the work into the exceptional realm....[A] must-buy for everyone who knows anyone touched by mental health issues – which is everyone. This book belongs in every home, library and classroom. Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine
“The Elephant is an endearing, exceptional story about dealing with loss and supporting those involved. The relationships in the story are positive ones including the important way that Olive’s grandfather lovingly cares for his granddaughter’s needs during this difficult time. This heartwarming novel is the best book that I’ve read pertaining to loss. Highly recommended!”—Toronto.com
“Lovingly illustrated…beautifully told.”—Youth Services Book Review
“The Elephant is a great book for a lot of reasons. From a structural standpoint, it helps ease young readers into the novel format….Thematically, The Elephant deals with issues of loss and depression without getting too heavy.”—Kids Make Mess
“Exquisite, moving, and utterly unforgettable…I absolutely loved this darling story and its tender approach in dealing with loss, depression, and despair.”—Christina Ammirati
“Carnavas, a gentle storyteller, tells the difficult tale of how depression and grief can affect those around us–how that grief becomes palpable and infects everything we do....Carnavas’ delicate style is particularly suited for Middle Grade novels as it allows readers to explore a difficult subject without enveloping them in the morass of emotions that would prevent them from processing the message....The Elephant provides a kind, tender and sympathetic way of introducing issues like death, depression and other elephants that can fill a room.”—Mr. Alex’s Bookshelf
“The imagery and simple, child view of this story are amazing....Olive is an inspiring girl, and I found the charming illustrations to be the perfect complement to her story.”—Kiss the Book Jr.
“This is a great book to help kids understand when someone in their lives is struggling with depression….The illustrations for this book are simple, yet show so much…[they] bring the story to life for young readers.”—Canadian Bookworm
“This story is a great metaphor for depression or mental health problems. Olive can physically see how her father’s depression is dragging him down, as if he has a giant elephant following him….I loved this book!”—Jill Jemmett
“We rated this book: 5/5...This is a sweet story, but also sad sometimes....It is a good read-out-loud book.”—Kids BookBuzz, Madie, Age 6
02/28/2020
Gr 2–5—After Olive's mom dies, Dad isn't the same. His eyes are full of rain clouds and he just can't seem to do the things he used to do. In Olive's eyes, Dad is shadowed by a big, sad metaphorical elephant. Then Grandad moves in with Olive and Dad. Grandad packs Olive's lunches, makes her dinners, walks her home from school, and takes her on adventures. But when Olive is injured falling from a climbing tree, she sees Grandad accompanied by a sad, old, grey tortoise. With kindness and caring, Olive seeks creative solutions to help both Grandad and Dad find healing and let go of their heavy companions. In the end, readers learn that Olive has had an animal all along who reflects her emotions as well. Sweet black line illustrations throughout the book complement the narrative and tone. VERDICT A warm-hearted book of emotional learning, creative problem-solving, and genuine care for others. Recommended for anyone in need of hope for a path to happiness.—Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa
2019-11-24
A gentle story of depression and hope is told in this middle-grade Australian import.
Olive's mother died when Olive was 1, and ever since, she has seen a large gray elephant following her father around. It follows him home from work, sits in the house next to him, and keeps him heavy and sad. Olive doesn't know what to do about the elephant, but at least she has her maternal grandfather, who packs her lunch and picks her up from school, sometimes wearing a purple backpack that means a special adventure. One day, Olive, ignoring Grandad's directive to put on her helmet, falls from a tree and receives a concussion. When she awakens, she sees a gray tortoise following Grandad around and blames herself. Olive confides in understanding friend Arthur. Together they devise a plan to get rid of the tortoise, and when that succeeds, Olive determines—with Grandad's help—to make the elephant leave too. Carnavas takes the tough topic of caregiver depression and gives it a delicate, graceful touch. His plot weaves tightly together, and the ending twist is a lovely completion. Black-and-white spot illustrations throughout give a visually accessible feel, as do the short chapters. All characters illustrated are the white of the paper.
A delicate, lovely story about caregiver depression that will validate and empower readers. (Fiction. 5-12)
