Product Overview
What will help when the blues leave you feeling as though you’re crushed beneath an elephant? Will a smile do the trick? A gentle nudge? Chocolate? A walk? Can anyone—or anything—make the elephant go away?
Warm, empathetic, hopeful, and often funny, My Elephant Is Blue is an inviting exploration of the experience of living under the weight of sadness.
A reading guide with discussion questions based on the book, activities to help children explore its themes, and a list of resources for more information is available at flyawaybooks.com/resources.
Reviews
"With support and the realization that you can’t fix a problem by ignoring it comes some relief—and a plethora of other colors for the child’s new companion to move through. The collage illustrations are a warm complement to this comforting story about addressing childhood mental health struggles." - Foreword Reviews
"Warm, empathetic, hopeful, and often funny, "My Elephant Is Blue" by the team of author/storyteller Melinda Szymanik and artist/illustrator Vasanti Unka offers an inviting exploration of the experience of living under the weight of sadness for children ages 3-7. While especially recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school and community library Life Lessons picture book collections, it should be noted that "My Elephant Is Blue" is also available in a digital book format." - Midwest Book Review
"The illustrations are brilliant in showing the progression of the child's moods by having the landscape change from gray winter to multicolored spring. . . . The resolution, in which the child learns to live with all the colors of different moods, fits beautifully." - Booklist
"Describing depression is difficult for everyone, so offering concrete vocabulary at a young age is critical, and this text does it well. While not every case of feeling blue can be so easily remedied, the hope conveyed with this picture book cannot be denied. . . .Readers struggling to express themselves will feel seen and comforted." - Kirkus Reviews