Review by Booklist Review
When an elephant falls in love, he does many foolish things. The tall, rectangular trim size fits this big square elephant with four tiny legs as he personifies pachyderm love. We don't meet his beloved until the last page, but we follow our hero as he hides whenever he sees her (hard to do behind such a skinny tree), concentrates on healthy eating (but ends up finishing a cheesecake), and obsesses over what to wear. He writes letters he doesn't send; lies on a hill, staring at clouds; and secretly brings flowers to her doorstep. Illustrations are sweet and silly the elephant wears a top hat and cane and walks a tightrope. When he looks in the mirror, only a portion of him shows. Hot-pink endpapers with orange flowers enhance the interior colors, where a yellow bird, a pink umbrella, and other tiny details contrast with the mottled gray elephant. A delightful book for a Valentine's Day read, or just for showing the tenuous steps toward a loving relationship.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
An elephant suffers the pangs of love, including all the indecisiveness and agony of wondering whether the object of his affection (eventually revealed to be a female elephant) notices his heartfelt gestures or even realizes he exists. While conceptually a story that will most likely resonate more with adults, the book's playful, minimalist text and illustration style may appeal to young children. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An elephant in love, it turns out, behaves an awful lot like a besotted human being.When an elephant falls in love, he writes letters that hell never send. / And he stares at the clouds for hours and hours. As Calis simple, declarative text unfolds, symptom by symptom, Lottis equally witty multimedia illustrations depict a large, gray pachyderm acting them out. He is shaped like an upright brick balanced on four absurdly stumpy legs, trunk and tail depending from either end about midway up; he is mottled gray, with just a few lines to describe ears, toenails, and a wrinkle or two and ink-dot eyes. His bulk is played up in each illustration, as when he hides behind a tree that is far too slender to conceal him or tries out a stylish outfit with a tiny top hat perched on his forehead. He, an omnipresent yellow bird, and the few items necessary to set the scene appear on, usually, spacious white backgrounds, and this clean focus further heightens the foolishness. There is no doubt kids will be giggling, even though the narrative describes a romantic love thats quite foreign to their own emotional development. Moreover, kids whose adult caregivers or older siblings are themselves in the throes of new love may recognize more than a few of these behaviors. A wry exploration of the symptoms of falling in love. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
