Cover Image: The Elephant

The Elephant

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Member Reviews

tWhat an amazing little book. Totally tugging at your heartstrings this one is about grief and loss and support. Its brilliantly written and just unforgettable, and the imagery is breathtaking. Perfect for kids to understand depression. Loved this.

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I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Carnavas and his picture books. I was excited to see a middle grade story. I think it's a good message and very touching. I'm not sure if every child will get the connection about the elephant and depression, but for a child experiencing it, I think it would be a great resource.

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Review forgot to be sent earlier---this book was an excellent depiction of sadness and grief that is well-suited for the age range.

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So few children's books tackle depression and sadness so this was a refreshing text to see. Young kids need a safe way to work through their sadness and this book allows that. Reading it to my kids and my students and then writing about loss in our lives has opened our eyes and hearts to the struggles of others. A great talking point for classes and families.

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The Elephant by Peter Carnavas is a wonderful middle grade book to help children understand depression. The little girl in this book shows great wisdom in understanding that something is wrong with her father, as represented by an elephant that follows him everywhere. Depression is real but coping is possible-- all of this comes out so eloquently in this book. I highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

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Emotional, heartfelt book about the importance of family and feelings. Sometimes these books are hard to read but have a huge importance. This book was well done and taught importance lessons.

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This was a beautiful, touching and well-written book - perfect for any middle-school child, especially one dealing with depression or grief. I enjoyed every word and I admittedly had to choke back tears at the end. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Carnavas!

Thank you, Pajama Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC!

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I solely picked this book based on the title and was greatly surprised by how deep the theme of the story. We met Olive who along with her family is working through the grief after the death of her mother.

While this may be considered a middle grade/children's fiction book I think adults could get a lot of info from this. One is how children are more perceptive to what we as adults are experiencing and feeling. We try to keep on a happy face in front of them but they know when we are upset or are bothered. A lot of children will try their hardest to fix us but do not understand why their fix is not working.

Another review mentioned she was a little worried that this book would convince children that with a little hard work they could fix the adult troubles and that is not always the case. My personal opinion is that it shows children that with hard work they can overcome their own grief and depression when the time is right.

I am intrigued to look into the author's other works.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Myrick Marketing and Media LLC, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

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I really enjoyed this graphic novel because of its art style and entrenching plot. I would highly recommend this to fans of middle grade fiction and interesting stories.

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at first, I found the story a little confusing, but little by little I understood who the elephant was. I found it very interesting how the writer portrayed the child's perception of adults' sadness. The only problem is that it shows that the child is responsible for this cure, which we know is not true. He could have written the same story without that tone and put the burden of healing on good family therapy.

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Olive, a little girl in primary school,whose mother died when she was one year old, lives with her grandfather, her father, and a big gray elephant. The elephant is only seen by her, but represents to her the immensity and weight of her father's grief and sadness. She has never seen him without the constant presence of the elephant, and is determined to get rid of the elephant. For good.

Fortunately, her grandfather fills in beautifully and gives Olive the love every child needs and deserves. Her times with him are magical, and she treasures them, yet she longs for the same kind of encounters with her father.

This is a very well written and illustrated book that captivated me so much I read through in one sitting. I admire that the author tackles the subject of depression in a way that children can understand. Ordinarily that would rate a 5 star review from me. However, what deeply concerns me is that children who read this book might take away the idea that they can make a loved ones' depression go away. For good. That is not only false, but encouraging children to think that they can help depression go away and it's somehow their responsibility to get it right so that that outcome is achieved is cruel.

This might be a good way to introduce children to the overwhelming sadness that is part of depression, but they should not be led to think that they are responsible or in any way have the power to eliminate it from a loved one's life.

Oh how torn I am on this book!! My concerns take priority though so 3 stars from me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pajama Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. This review contains my true opinions.

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The Elephant by Peter Carnavas is a beautifully written novel of depression using the metaphorical elephant that is always in the room. Olive has her grandfather and friend Arthur to help her which was wonderfully done. Though perhaps her father and the elephant would be somewhat confusing.

Not at all the story that I had thought it would be from the cover. It is a moving story with insight into how the family is affected by loss. However, I am not sure that a younger child could understand all that is happening without some adult supervision. For that reason I would recommend that the novel be read young and older together.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read or seen many books for school age children about depression. I think this book does a good service to "animate" depression in a way that a child might understand how big and burdensome it is. I think an adult would need to navigate this book for most kids, but it's definitely a worthy title to add to a school library.

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This started out reminding me of "Lily and the Octopus", but for children and depression instead of a tumor.

Olive sees a sad gray elephant following her dad around where ever he goes. Due to his depression, he struggles to take care of her so her grandfather lives with them and does all of the household management and takes Olive on adventures. All Olive wants is to get rid of the elephant so her father can be happy again.

I liked her relationships with her father and grandfather, and how it all ebbed and flowed through the book, and how it all came together in the end.

I just felt that a few things were left unexplained (like, has her father been this depressed since her mother died when she was a baby - and she only just now decides to hatch a plan to help him??) but otherwise was a very good read indeed and might help children who are dealing with a depressed parent.

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How can one not fall in love with a little girl who has a lovely thinking spot high up in a flowering tree?

This book is a deligthful blend of grief and hope, love and longing, and honoring the past while moving on.

LOVELY!

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I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review. I thought that this was a picture book and it turned out to be more of a short story about how adults have feelings too. Not my favorite book but I good message, though I think it will go over most kids heads.

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This is a gentle gem of a book. The characters were sympathetic and realistic and the resolution was satisfying. Lovely friendship and relationship between Olive and her grandfather.

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The Elephant by Peter Carnavas was a warm and heartening story of a little girl, Olive, trying to help her grieving father. Olive’s mom passed away and Olive sees her father’s sadness as an elephant following him around. She decides it’s her job to help her get rid of the elephant. With the help of her Grandad and her friends she is able to see her dad smile and laugh again. This tale introduces children to the sorrow caused by death and how it affects everyone differently. The characters are fun and interesting. The black and white line drawings do a good job accompanying the story. Overall the story is filled with both laughter and joy, as well as the somberness of death.

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This book was recommended to me, and probably not something I would choose to read on my own. It is a very short children's novel (much more like a short story). It is a cute story with a happy ending and I think the intentions were good, allowing children to see that adults have feelings that they are dealing with that the children might not be able to perceive. BUT, it seems to me that the main message that this is sending children is that they are responsible for their parents happiness/lack thereof. A small child should not be thinking that she needs to take away her father's or grandfather's sadness/depression. So I would not recommend it for that reason.

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This is a sweet book about a girl who just wants her dad to fix her bike. But that is even a little too simplistic. Really, what she wants is her dad to be a dad. The elephant, of course, is a metaphor. Something that continually follows around after her dad. It's invisible and only Olive can see it.

I really enjoyed the grandfather and how he brings love and stability to Olive's life.

And I particularly loved the part about the "old and wonderful things." Part of the story has to do with a school project where the children have to bring in old and wonderful things. Olive wants to bring in the bike, but... well, Dad won't fix it. Grandad shows her his old record player and typewriter, but then Olive sees the old camera. I love how the plot shifts here to Olive seeing other grey animals.

Ultimately, this book is a story about grief and how we deal with grief. It's an interesting choice to show the grief felt by the father and others in the story.

Told in short, easy-to-read chapters. The illustrations add a nice touch. This book is definitely intended for younger readers. Although, I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult.

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