Title: Strictly No Elephants
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo
Age Range: 2-6
Synopsis: A welcoming book that encourages inclusion.
The Lowdown:
I had a very difficult conversation with someone close to me recently. It ended with me standing up and walking away because I was so angry I wasn’t sure what horrible thing might pop out of my mouth. We try to teach inclusion and tolerance to our kids. It’s something I constantly work on. So when people I love spout messages of intolerance and condemnation I just… can’t. It doesn’t make sense to me. How can someone I know is kind, thoughtful, and loving say something so horrible? We read Strictly No Elephants shortly afterwords. One of the kids brought it to me and we snuggled up to read. It was like the universe was handing me an answer.
In its essence, Strictly No Elephants is a book about friendship. It’s not limited between two characters but blossoms out and encompasses anyone who happens to get in range, which I love. The two initial characters are a boy and his small elephant who endeavor to attend a Pet Club meeting only to be met with a sign stating: “Strictly No Elephants” and some unfriendly faces of dog and cat owners. Dejectedly the two friends walk the rainy streets and meet a girl with a skunk who was also turned away from the meeting. The boy assures her that the others “just don’t know any better.” and they decide to create a club that is non-exclusive. They are soon joined by pet owners who have a bat, giraffe, narwhal, armadillo, etc. In the end, even the girl with a dog who turned them away is allowed.
The illustrations are adorable as only a tiny elephants can be. The true harmonious relationship that the original characters have is easily seen in the pictures, as they carry each other over sidewalk cracks, hold umbrellas for one another, and share in emotions. Those emotions are easily understood too as Yoo uses a monochromatic blue palette for an entire scene to indicate the character’s feelings. It’s easily identifiable for young readers but to pull them in even more she adds a whole slew of supporting characters that show up in the background. This allows readers to find connections later on in the story and provides an added interest for very young readers.
Our challenge is there will always be people who say things that are intolerant. I can’t change that. But I can teach my children to lead by example and to trust the inherent goodness in others. We can then hope that our actions are the teaching tools that our words can sometimes fail to be. Like the little boy says some people don’t know any better.
Story Tips:
- Let your kids make observations for each page. Guess emotions, find animals, etc.
- The story uses the prompt: “That’s what friends do, they…” Fill in your own.
I need more!
Lisa Mantchev has a couple picture books out already and new ones scheduled to drop in 2020. On the top of my list is Remarkables which she created with the amazing David Litchenfield. For more information head to her website: http://lisamantchev.com/picture-books/
Taeeun Yoo has quite a few books out as well. I haven’t seen any of the others but find out more at her website: http://www.taeeunyoo.com/
