Today’s tamariki are beset by the blues seemingly more so than previous generations, and it’s heartening to see the literary community responding with stories about empathy and expression of feeling as a way of normalising the experience and offering comfort and support. Anxiety and depression can sometimes be quite tricky feelings for littlies to identify and express - and we’re all familiar with the transformative, healing power of a good story.
My Elephant is Blue is a beautiful, locally produced picture book which can be read to preschoolers and primary schoolers suffering from anxiety and depression - as well as to those who don’t, in order to generate understanding.
The story starts with a child waking one day to find a big blue elephant crushing their chest. (The author felt like this during her own real-life reaction to some bad news; it sparked the story.) Her whānau do all they can to try and move the troublesome pachyderm.
The story offers some simple, tried-and-true solutions to shifting it: a walk in fresh air, a whānau picnic, sunshine… Eventually the elephant’s hue morphs into magenta.
The ambiguity in the child’s gender, ethnicity and their reason for feeling depressed is a neat trick which allows the story to be applicable to any potential woes. The text is carefully chosen and appropriately paced, and the illustrations are engaging and gorgeous. A gentle, soothing, mood-booster.
Reviewer: Stacey Anyan
Penguin, RRP $19.99