Have You Seen Elephant? (David Barrow, Gecko Press)

The innocent joy of a young child’s self-belief is celebrated in this extremely promising debut picture book. When a boy’s elephant friend suggests a game of hide-and-seek around the house, warning him ‘I am very good’, the reader will notice the reverse roles forming. Elephant becomes child, sticking out of preposterous hiding places in every room and the garden too, utterly convinced of his expertise. Does the boy become an adult, pretending to fail to see elephant’s ludicrous attempts to hide his ample body? That’s up for speculation; certainly the young reader will enjoy being in that role. The punchline comes after the elephant has given himself up, when a tortoise asks to join in and suggests they change the game to tag, warning with sweet repetition: ‘I am very good.’ While the text is sparse and simple, the visual storytelling is layered and satisfying. David Barrow’s artwork is reminiscent of John Burningham, with multi-texture and colour creating plenty of atmosphere. Ink washes in purple, orange, sage and grey give each room in the house a different personality. The boy is multi-racial—too rarely found in picture books—and this is thoughtfully expanded on. While the front endpapers show family portraits, including his parents’ wedding photo, the back endpapers alter the range with the addition of the elephant and tortoise engaging in some amusing ‘photo-bombing’. This is a very positive story, beautifully presented, for children aged two to five. This is the first picture book from the UK author-illustrator, published by New Zealand’s Gecko Press, although he has since been signed for further books by Hachette UK. 

Emily Gale is a children’s book and YA specialist at Readings

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews