Soon

by Timothy Knapman, Patrick Benson (Illustrations)

A little elephant and his mother share an unforgettable day’s journey in this touching and gorgeously illustrated tale.

The sun is not yet up when a small elephant named Raju embarks with his mother on a special outing. As they meet a slithering snake in the forest, snapping crocodiles in the river, even a tiger in the tall grass, Raju’s mother shoos the scary creatures away and keeps her little one safe. Holding tight to his mother’s tail, Raju follows her up a high mountain—and what they find at the top takes his breath away. Timothy Knapman’s story of trust and tenderness between mother and baby is beautifully matched by Patrick Benson’s expressive and atmospheric illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Family, Nature, Storytime, Fiction

Hardcover

First published February 10, 2015

About the author

Timothy Knapman has written many books for children, including Mungo and the Picture Book Pirates, Dinosaurs in the Supermarket and Eleanor's Eyebrows. He also writes plays and co-writes musicals.

Timothy Knapman is available in a range of colours, and is washable.

Reviews

[Karyn The Pirate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated story about a mother elephant and her son. I enjoyed the slow pace of the story almost as if we were walking along at an elephant's pace with Raju and his mother. This book will be a great addition to my elephant story time as well as my mother story time.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raju and his mother set out on a walk early one morning. Along the way they come across a crocodile, a snake, and a tiger. Each time Raju’s mother warns him to be quiet, but the predator hears them anyway and Raju’s mother must ward them off with by stomping her feet, blowing from her trunk, or rearing herself up. And each time, Raju asks when they can go home. His mother responds, “Soon.”Finally they come to the crest of a mountain and Ruju’s mother shows him the beauty of his world. They stood very quiet and then returned home the way they had come. At the end of the day, Raju was tired but he asked when they could do it again. “Soon,” his mother replied. http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a picture book that I took from the Library for the kids! The pictures are beautiful and the story is nice. One of my students pointed out that the little elephant cant seem to be quiet and that is the moral. Once the elephant is quiet and has observed the kingdom, they return home.

[Jess Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful book to look at visually let alone read. This story is about a young elephant named Raju and his mother who go on an adventure. Despite coming across numerous threating creatures on the way frightening the baby elephant resulting in him asking "When can we go home again?" the trust he had for his mother got him through. When eventually getting back home the pair both reflected on their journey and instead of Raju wanting to stay at home he instead wanted to go on this adventure all over again. Such a lovely story reflecting the importance of relationships, this is 100% a story that I would love to read to my first class this September.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baby elephant is taken on an outing with his mother. At first everything seems scary and strange, but when the elephant sees the beautiful world and discovers how vast and amazing it is, the little one can't wait for the next outing.

I think my favorite part of this book was all the different ways you see the mother protecting the baby elephant. This is a story about building trust, faith and confidence in the grown-ups around us to keep us safe.

Now that I'm a grown-up I appreciate this lesson all the more, as I know just how far I would go to protect my own children.

[Ellie Abrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually a very beautiful book, this story details the travels of a baby elephant and his mother through the jungle. Although they encounter several dangers along the way, the baby elephant or the reader does not feel endangered - mostly due to the mother's protection.

[Louise Hedley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a good use of repetition for young children to engage with.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet

[Leslie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and simple. The illustrations are gorgeous!

[Mrs Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated hardback book about a baby elephant called Raju and his Mummy who set off on a little adventure together through the wilderness. On the way they bump into a few dangerous animals such as Crocodiles, a Snake and a Tiger but Raju's Mummy scares them all away. Raju keeps asking when they can go home and the Mummy's reply is always soon which does remind me of "Are we there yet".

I love that the story shows that the baby elephant is always protected by his Mummy and has references to home throughout. I think the story is that the Mummy is showing the baby how to survive by the way she tackles each danger and also that the baby is always safe which mimics how we teach our own children how to survive in the world. My Children are too young to really understand the story completely but my son did comment on how the Mummy was looking after the baby and so he does sort of get it.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous throughout and just beautiful. A lovely story which has been a really nice bedtime read for my children.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC copy to read and review if wished.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little elephant and his mother share an unforgettable day's journey in this touching and gorgeously illustrated tale set in India. The sun is not yet up when a small elephant named Raju embarks with his mother on a special outing. As they meet a slithering snake in the forest, snapping crocodiles in the river, even a tiger in the tall grass, Raju's mother shoos the scary creatures away and keeps her little one safe. Holding tight to his mother's tail, Raju follows her up a high mountain--and what they find at the top takes his breath away. Timothy Knapman's story of trust and tenderness between mother and baby is beautifully matched by Patrick Benson's expressive and atmospheric illustrations.




Notes
Timothy Knapman has written a number of children's books as well as plays, song lyrics, and opera libretti. He lives in Surrey, England.

Patrick Benson is the illustrator of the beloved and best-selling Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and has also illustrated books by Roald Dahl and Russell Hoban, among others. He has won many awards, including the Mother Goose Award, the Christopher Award, and the Kurt Maschler Award. He lives in Scotland.

[Paper Privateer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review published by The Children's Book and Media Review published by Brigham Young University.

Raju the elephant and his mother spend the day going on a great adventure. At each part of the journey, Raju asks when they can go home again and his mother says “soon”. As they travel, they encounter crocodiles, a snake, and a tiger that Raju’s mother protects him from so that they can get to the top of the mountain and see the beautiful world they live in. At the end of the journey, Raju wants to know when they can do it again and his mother says, “soon.”

The story of this book is very simple, and older readers will find the little elephant’s questions repetitive and predictable. The real joy of the book is the beautiful illustrations by Benson. The colors of the different parts of their world and the creatures they face are beautiful and vivid. This would be an excellent book for children who love elephants.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely watercolor illustrations depict a mother elephant and her little one as they move through familiar terrain and head to the top of a mountain to enjoy the view. The baby is ready to go home quite often as is the case of many youngsters, but the mother has things she wants to show to him. As they walk, she makes sure he is kept safe from all the threats that surround them, including crocodiles, a snake, and a tiger, all of whom blend into the surroundings perfectly. This is a sweet albeit familiar story made more appealing by its incredibly-detailed images.

[Rhonda K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy KnapmanWe have been reading a lot of picture books about elephants lately, and this one is as lovely as it gets when depicting these beautiful animals in the wild. The illustrations are gorgeous, and along with the text show the peace and danger a young elephant and his mother encounter on a special journey. This is a perfect night time read since the story follows the events of a single day and end on a beautifully illustrated nighttime expanse. Loved it!

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visually, a beautiful little book which tells the story of a young male elephant heading off to an unknown place with her mother. On the way they encounter many threatening animals yet because of the strength and presence of his mother, you never truly feel like the young elephant is it risk. Finally, they reach the destination and then head home with the young calf matured. The repeating refrains of 'Soon' and 'When can we...' meant, for me, that it had an element of storytelling to it.

[Brodie McGovern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raju and his Mummy set off on an adventure one morning. All the way, Raju asks "When can we go home again?" and Raju's Mummy answers 'soon'. After their big adventure Raju asks when they can do it again.. Mummy's reply is obvious. A touching story, illustrated in beautiful hues, especially the tall grass, which was so visceral. I cannot wait for 'soon'.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journey of an elephant mother and her little child, Raju, is calm, although they do meet alligators, snakes and tigers. The mother protects in special ways as her child keeps asking, "when can we go home again"? There is a beautiful ending, enhanced by the awesome illustrations. The story shows well how much mothers know to do to protect their children, and show them wonderful things.

[Bmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story of a mother elephant taking her baby elephant for a walk through the forest with snakes, the river with crocodiles etc. Mother bear scares off these animals with her large voice and size. The baby is always asking when they can go home but they see a very lovely view at the top of the mountain before they return. Once home he asks when they can go again. :)

[Josianne Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! I loved this painstakingly illustrated story about a baby elephant and his mother. Would make good mentor text for organization, as the mother keeps promising the baby they will return home soon.

I love how the mother protects the baby from every predator they encounter with real elephant behavior. The pencil & water color illustrations are wonderful and atmospheric.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lovely tale of a mother and a child bonding. The story is simple; however, the illustrations and simplicity of the story leave a beautiful child's book. I think this book is great book to bring into the home and share with your children. The beautiful pictures will catch children's attention and the sweet theme will lead to heartwarming conversations.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little elephant keeps asking his mother when they will be able to go home. Her answer is continually, "Soon." It reminds me very much of young ones asking, "Are we there yet?"

Good for preschool or toddler storytimes.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations but nothing very original about this. Sweet.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elephant mother protects her baby as the go on an outing. Not a terribly original story but warm and pleasant with lovely illustrations.

[Nella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raju constantly asks "are we there yet?" as he and his mother walk all day through the jungle and up to the mountain where Raju can see the whole of his world spread out before him.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Andrea Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are amazing, the words are meh.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and an OK repeated predictable story of "When can we go home again".

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the "Are we there yet?" picture book with elephants instead of people. Beautiful illustrations, simple repetition. Could be a lovely bedtime story for the very young.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voted ACL Distinguished June 2015.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations pair nicely with this sweet tale of a baby elephant enjoying an adventure with his mother. Reminded me of my safari in Kenya and all of the incredible animals I saw.