The Boy and the Elephant
by Freya Blackwood; illus. by the author
Primary    Random House Studio/Random    40 pp.
8/24    9780593707661    $19.99
Library ed.  9780593707678    $22.99
e-book ed.  9780593707685    $10.99

In this wordless picture book, we follow a young boy who seems ignored at home and lonely at school as he visits the vacant lot next to his house. This glorious forgotten place is rich in trees; one in particular takes the shape of an elephant and is obviously an old friend to the child. Disaster looms as a for-sale sign appears on the lot and the trees are marked for destruction. In the middle of the night, the boy visits the lot and must have worked out a plan with the elephant-tree—because the next thing we see are the trees on the move, not only an elephant but a giant leafy giraffe, rhino, and camel heading down the darkened streets to replant themselves in the schoolyard. This story is a gem of child agency and power. Blackwood’s gorgeous pencil and oil illustrations are infused with color, narrative, movement, and emotion. In crowd scenes, each small character seems to contain a story. When we see our hero leaning on the edge of a claw-foot bathtub, we can almost taste his despair just in the placement of his arm. This setting and plot also celebrate the value of wild areas that survive in a crowded urban landscape, meeting places for imagination and joy.

From the "November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.