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Reviewed by Francis Mont for Readers' Favorite
The Gradual Elephant by H.S. Toshack is a high-quality children’s book aimed at fostering imagination and critical and logical thinking. Unpredictable things happen when Sheena, a little black and white cat, gets bored. She is missing the smells of the Baragandiri National Park, where she had her big adventure with wild, fascinating, and dangerous animals. So, she decides to sneak into the ‘Great White’ Land Rover when her human family again goes on a vacation to the same place. Once she is there, she gets into trouble by striking up a conversation with a poisonous cobra and almost immediately regrets it. Mpole, a 12-year-old male African elephant, rescues her, and a great friendship is born that lasts throughout her entire adventure in the park. Mpole had been sent away from the herd to earn his place and be accepted as a young male of the herd. He has to pass seven tests to prove himself worthy. He does everything gradually, taking his time to think through puzzles, and needs Sheena’s helpful suggestions to succeed. Then they must face an even bigger test, as they race to save the life of The Only Elephant, the largest, oldest and wisest of elephants.
I thoroughly enjoyed this clever and very entertaining story. What stood out for me was the unusual combination of an exciting plot, very funny narration, and the educational aspect that teaches young readers about problem-solving skills without preaching. This combination is done seamlessly. The language is advanced enough to teach new words and concepts, but never too advanced to overtax readers’ vocabulary. I very much appreciated the ethical dilemmas the author created to challenge young readers to think about commitment, responsibility, obligations, and friendship. This is maybe the most important value of the book because it helps children to absorb the correct values and attitudes by following Sheena’s adventures. The high-quality and often amusing drawings add to the value of this magnificent story. I very highly recommend The Gradual Elephant by H.S. Toshack to parents who want their children to grow up to be productive and responsible members of the human family.
