Age range 5 to 9

A gentle story about sadness showing that sometimes all you need to feel better is the openness of someone who accepts you as you are.

This is a subtle story about an elephant who is down in the dumps. Illustrated with a striking contrast between shadow and light, the moody blue elephant appears to live in a different world from his colorful savannah friends. Empathy is a tricky emotion for children and adults alike to grasp, but The Shadow Elephant manages to walk the line between sadness, understanding, and emotional connection. Here we witness in a natural and comfortable way that it’s okay to be sad and to show it. It’s also okay not to have a quick fix. Better, in fact, to acknowledge someone else’s feelings without judgement and to show your acceptance of them as they are, which is often the very best gift of all.