Elephants Have Wings

Elephants Have Wings

Susanne Gervay and illustrated by Anna Pignataro

Elephants Have Wings is based on the Indian fable about the blind men who examined different parts of an elephant and presumed that the part they felt and understand is the correct version of the whole creature and that the other experiences of the other blind men were therefore wrong. There are a number of versions of this story told in different religious traditions.

This version begins at bedtime when children demand a bed time story from their father, who tells of a time his grandfather sent his children outside in the dark to ‘search for the secret.’ The group interpreted the secret differently and argued and shrieked at each other like a ‘babble of monkeys’ until they learnt that they were right and also wrong. However, this is only part of the book – the rest is about……..but then I would be telling you the plot. You will need to read it yourself.

The pictures are intriguing – there are pictures inside the pictures and little scraps of words blended into the back ground. I also loved the use of colour especially the different types of blues and green smeared and blotched across the page. I spent a lot of time looking at the pictures looking for meanings.

Elephants Have Wings is suitable for children aged seven and over. The hardback book is available from October but the paperback version will not be available until March.

Katy Gerner

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