You have heard of Winnie The Pooh and Wojtek the Bear from Brothers In Arms but did you know about the elephant named Sheila? (Or Violet? As I’m finding conflicting accounts, yet I’m going with Sheila as that is what is in The Secret Elephant : Inspired By a True Story of Friendship by Ellan Rankin.)
Despite the name difference, the story is one of heroism at another level. And maybe a little silliness. Our young elephant is by themselves, except for their zookeeper. The two are as tight as any family, and in fact, both consider themselves family. Told from the perspective of the elephant, we see how she is afraid of the bombings that are happening nearby during the second world war. But the keeper won’t let our baby be alone. Long story short, the elephant is very stealthy and off she goes to the keepers apartment (where she, nor I, will tell you what happened in the living room). This goes on for some time before the two are found out and the young (and not so baby) elephant must stay in the zoo. But family does not abandon family and the keeper finds a way to still help her “baby.” Perhaps the most fun part of the story (though one “sneaky elephant” is cute) is that it is based on true events that happened at the Belfast zoo during World War Two.
For me, it is the artwork where the fun really happens with the more muted colors, that are neither dark or too bright. The details are as needed, and can be on the simpler side, a bit less “pronounced” or can be fully fleshed out. The style is a bit less “realistic” but not “cartoonish” that really gives it a lighter tone, but does not take away from the seriousness of things.
Read via an online reader copy, though available.