An answer from the Past: being the story of Rasselas and Figaro

Elephants never forget. But poor Rasselas is an elephant who can’t recall where in the world he left his legendary memory. When his young human friend Prince Figaro agrees to help with the search, they embark on a risky, heartwarming - and, of course, unforgettable - adventure. Brian Allgar’s playful, energetic rhymes carry the boy and the elephant across dangerous waters and rugged mountains, through jungle and desert, and into dramatic encounters with talking animals both friendly and ferocious. Falling in love with this story is as easy as picking up peanuts with your nose. - Chris O'Carroll

My memory’s not brilliant at times, I confess, so I empathised with the problem Rasselas had, and thoroughly enjoyed reading this thrilling tale, in which he and Figaro encounter a conniving crocodile, a helpful hippopotamus, a gentle giraffe, a pompous peacock and a lonely lion (who’s also a liar!):

It’s pretty quiet in my cave,

And conversation’s what I crave…
This book is written with Brian Allgar’s typical precision and complete mastery of rhyme and metre; it’s the perfect present-giving solution for grandparents and parents, …or indeed for anyone who wants to give a special gift to a lucky child.

• Jayne Osborn

Adults and children alike will enjoy Brian Allgar’s story of Figaro’s adventures in the company of his elephant friend, Rasselas, who is on a quest to rediscover his lost memory. Joined by an assortment of animals anxious either to assist them or to eat them, they swing between disaster and calamity till finally all is resolved. The whole saga is written in verse that displays the wit we’ve come to expect from Brian after reading his last book, The Ayterzedd. (You have, haven’t you?)

• Sylvia Fairley