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THROUGH THE ELEPHANT'S DOOR

Name: THROUGH THE ELEPHANT'S DOOR
Author: Hélène De Blois
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2193-4

by Hélène De Blois ; illustrated by France Cormier ; translated by Sophie B. Watson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

This quirky French-Canadian import stands out—rather like an elephant at an art museum.

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Will the officious, sneering guard at the art museum eventually banish a boy and his elephant friend, Émile?

As soon as the boy and his pachyderm pal enter the museum, the guard greets them with, “Not so fast, sweetie pie!” After grilling them on the rules, he follows the pair through gallery after gallery, constantly bullying and berating the sensitive elephant. The bespectacled, large-headed boy narrator exhibits behavior that will resonate with readers. Each time the guard insults Émile, the boy is politely acquiescent. After the guard has left the room, the boy lists all the rebuttals he wishes he had made. (Cleverly, these include interesting facts about elephants’ ears and trunks.) The underlying, serious message is well-balanced by the humorous premise and continued humor in art and text. There is also a fundamental introduction to art appreciation. Young readers will particularly enjoy the semidark pages in which two criminals think Émile is an exhibit. One sentence of narration feels a bit off: The boy asserts that the guard should know he and Émile will be careful, since they are not “gorillas.” It’s more of the text’s absurdity, to be sure, but it may subvert the message. All characters (except the blue-gray elephant) present as white. The text and illustrations have the air of a sophisticated picture book; the trim makes it look like a novel.

This quirky French-Canadian import stands out—rather like an elephant at an art museum. (Fiction. 6-8)

Pub Date: April 2, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4598-2193-4

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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WHAT THE ROAD SAID

by Cleo Wade ; illustrated by Lucie de Moyencourt ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2021

Inspiration, shrink wrapped.

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From an artist, poet, and Instagram celebrity, a pep talk for all who question where a new road might lead.

Opening by asking readers, “Have you ever wanted to go in a different direction,” the unnamed narrator describes having such a feeling and then witnessing the appearance of a new road “almost as if it were magic.” “Where do you lead?” the narrator asks. The Road’s twice-iterated response—“Be a leader and find out”—bookends a dialogue in which a traveler’s anxieties are answered by platitudes. “What if I fall?” worries the narrator in a stylized, faux hand-lettered type Wade’s Instagram followers will recognize. The Road’s dialogue and the narration are set in a chunky, sans-serif type with no quotation marks, so the one flows into the other confusingly. “Everyone falls at some point, said the Road. / But I will always be there when you land.” Narrator: “What if the world around us is filled with hate?” Road: “Lead it to love.” Narrator: “What if I feel stuck?” Road: “Keep going.” De Moyencourt illustrates this colloquy with luminous scenes of a small, brown-skinned child, face turned away from viewers so all they see is a mop of blond curls. The child steps into an urban mural, walks along a winding country road through broad rural landscapes and scary woods, climbs a rugged metaphorical mountain, then comes to stand at last, Little Prince–like, on a tiny blue and green planet. Wade’s closing claim that her message isn’t meant just for children is likely superfluous…in fact, forget the just.

Inspiration, shrink wrapped. (Picture book. 6-8, adult)

Pub Date: March 23, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-250-26949-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: April 7, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
MAY YOU LOVE AND BE LOVED
by Cleo Wade ; illustrated by Cleo Wade

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WAITING IS NOT EASY!

From the Elephant & Piggie series

by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4, 2014

A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends

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Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”

When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.

A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)