Mi elefante Azul: Un libro sobre emociones pesadas y enormes

by Melinda Szymanik, Miriam Martínez Garza (Translator)

'One morning I woke to find an elephant sitting on my chest. I found it hard to get up or move around, to breathe or talk. "I'm Blue," the elephant said.'

This is a sweet and quirky picture book about a child who is stuck carrying around an elephant, wondering if they will ever feel light and free again . . .Full of humour and heart, My Elephant is Blue is a hopeful story about big heavy feelings.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Mental Health, Fiction, Psychology, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

I write for young adults, children of all ages and have published novels, picture books and have short stories in anthologies and educational publications. My sophisticated picture book 'Fuzzy Doodle' (Scholastic, 2016), was a 2017 Storylines Notable book, finalist in the 2017 NZ Children's and Young Adults Book Awards and a 2017 White Raven selection. My historical mid grade children's novel, 'A Winter's Day in 1939' (Scholastic) was a 2014 Storylines Notable book and won Librarian's Choice at the 2014 LIANZA Awards. My 2008 picture book The Were-Nana was voted Children's Choice at the 2009 NZ Post Children's Book Awards.

Reviews

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful deep meaning book. However, I thought it had explanations of feelings for kids to understand that Blue the Elephant was their emotions they carry. It doesn't explain that. So after reading it with my son, I explained it to him that Blue the Elephant is like the emotions and sadness we can carry, and her colors changed depending on the good, not so great feelings. Still a cute book and a deep one, great for kids. My son loved the illustrations because he loves elephants!

I received this book from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book with my son.

[The Bibliophile Doctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the days everyone feels a little blue, sadness creeping up unexpectedly and without any apparent cause. We as adults can deal with our blues but how about kids who do not understand what exactly is sadness?

There comes this book for the rescue. My kid is still young to understand it but I'm definitely going to keep this book for the future purpose when she has a blue elephant sitting on her chest making her uncomfortable (in this case sadness is blue elephant).

My girl anyways enjoyed the story as elephant [in her language "Hathiphant" ( she mixes hathi -Hindi word for elephant with elephant)] is her favorite animal. She has been captivated with elephant for his unique features and also because one of our Gods -Ganesha has elephant's head and rest of the human body.

She thoroughly enjoyed the book and she even showed me how the Hathiphant changed the colour towards end. She liked blue Hathiphant more though as blue is her favorite color.

I definitely will recommend this to all parents and teachers out there who want their kids to learn more about blues.

Thank you very much Netgalley and flyaway books for this amazing ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Rebecca Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Elephant is Blue written by Melinda Szymanik with cute illustrations by Vasanti Unka is a realistic, funny, and hopeful read about childhood mental health problems. This easy-to-follow and lovely book will really resonate with younger readers but can also help struggling adults as well!

The unnamed narrator wakes up one morning with a huge blue elephant on their chest. It is hard to do anything: they cannot breathe, eat, or even go for a walk. The narrator’s family members try to help with suggestions, chocolate, and even trying to physically remove Blue. But, nothing works. Will the narrator ever be able to make Blue go away?

I really loved this book! It promotes such a healthy and relatable attitude to mental health. I wish I had something like this growing up to help with sudden and heavy feelings. I think this book will be an excellent resource for helping little readers deal with sadness, grief, and other heavy feelings that can be hard to name.

The book is written in very easy-to-follow and simple language. I like that the narrator simply wakes up one morning and suddenly has Blue on their chest. It’s realistic because heavy feelings do not always stem from a specific problem. I also love the different types of support and help offered by the narrator’s family members. It’s gentle, well-meaning, and quite realistic. I particularly like that the book ends hopefully and organically. The narrator eventually comes to terms with life with Blue and learns how to navigate her different colours and moods.

Unka’s full-page and full-colour art is so quirky and fun! I particularly love Blue the elephant and her various expressions. I really like the simple but effective use of her changing colours to communicate emotions. The narrator is spunky and adorable. I love that they remain unnamed and genderless so that it would be easier for more kids to relate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for this book in exchange for an honest review.


🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘 out of 5 elephants!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, bravo.

This isn't exactly how mild depression feels to me, but I could still feel what the child is feeling, and still empathize with what they did to feel less blue, and what worked, and what to do to try to maintain better mental health.

Of course mom is right to do research, and dad to call for advice. But that clearly isn't always enough. If your child can't be helped by this book and the suggestions in it, get professional help, please. And if the first professional isn't a good fit for your child, try again with someone else.

[This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What an incredible view of how Depression hits children. As the book explains, an included "symptom" sometimes involves living (for a while) with an elephant on your chest to describe its heaviness.

Instead of forcing one to heal quickly, the story explains how it's best to let it heal on its own, and in time, one will feel better and start to not see the blue elephant but one of many colors.

What a healthy view of teaching and approaching mental health in children.

[Jamie Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

A sweet story and first introduction to anxiety/emotions. A great opportunity to have a discussion with kids about what they think blue, pink, and yellow represent,

I really like the illustrations. They were in a watercolor style with great detail.

I'd recommend this to kindergarten age or older.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.littlest.bookworm and retail sites close or at the time of publication.

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to lots of 5-7 year olds, they all picked up that it was about feelings, and feeling the weight of sadness stopping you enjoying yourself until you maybe spend some time with family outside in the fresh air until it goes away, and remember that if it comes back you know it will go away again. Lovely read aloud.

[Page_2_Pen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elephant shows up one morning, unexpectedly and makes it very hard for this little girl to focus or get anything done. In fact, this blue Elephant weighs her down and affects her own feelings and moods to do anything she typically would do before. With the help of her family and much patience, she learns just what Elephant needs to not feel so “blue”. This story relates colors to feelings. Sometimes, things can weigh heavy on us and cause us to not be ourselves. The important thing to remember is that it’s okay to feel how we do, and know that in time, feelings change when we take care of ourselves and are patient with ourselves and each other. I liked that Elephant changed colors later in the story, reflecting that feelings annd moods aren’t permanent. This story could be useful in a school social lesson on emotions. I received an arc copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ankit Saxena · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Verisimilitude"

This is a book on glooming girl. She felt pain on her chest for varied reasons and thought of it so heavy as an elephant sitting over her, one morning when she woke up.
Blue is the color of sadness and low mood, so I would say Melinda described this factor so well in her picture book, metaphorically.

She tried a walking with her sadness and went to picnic her mother set to spend family time on and to lighter her mood further. With time spending with her blue, she realised when she started taking things on lighter note, the color of elephant turned to pink, a color for joy and happiness. Once, some more time she spent with that pinkish elephant, it started to turn to yellow, a color of warmth, hope and optimism.

This is a complete book on the sense of colors and the mood or nature (of humans) they resembles. A good learning for children. Also, with activities, Melinda depicted for how one can turn their sadness into joy and hope and learn to handle such situations or mood swings derived from those situations.

My NetGalley review

[Zac · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a child is full of worries it can be tricky for them to process how they feel and explain it to those around them. This is where picture books that focus on mental health are hugely valuable. They can explain to a child how they are feeling, using words and images, and show them some ways that they can shake off that feeling and start to feel happy. Melinda Szymanik and Vasanti Unka’s latest picture book, My Elephant is Blue, is about a child and and the big, heavy feelings that take over their life.

The child in the story wakes up one day to find an elephant sitting on their chest. It’s so heavy that it is difficult for them to breath or talk. The elephant, called Blue, is very comfortable sitting on the child and doesn’t want to move. Mum and Dad are worried and do what they can to help, including reading lots of books about elephants and calling an elephant specialist. The child’s sister even tries to help push the elephant off, but nothing helps. Dad suggests that exercise might help, so the child and Blue go for a walk around the block. This is just the start of getting the elephant to move, and with some nice family time, Blue starts to change colour. Together, they discover that they quite like other colours too.

My Elephant is Blue is a magnificent picture book about mental health, that is bursting with empathy and positivity. This is the kind of book that every family should have on their bookshelves, for those days when anyone feels a little blue. We all have those days and it’s good to remind ourselves that they don’t last, and that by doing things we enjoy, we can have a brighter day. This is a book that is great for so many ages, whether you’re reading it to preschoolers or intermediate-age children. The concept is simple enough for younger children to understand, but it will also resonate with older children (and adults).

Vasanti Unka’s illustrations are delightful. For most of the book her illustrations are quite subtle and sparse, but as the child starts to become happier, the illustrations are busier, brighter and more colourful. They become more full of life, especially on the page with the picnic. Vasanti captures the emotions of the child perfectly, using facial expressions that the youngest readers will understand.

One of my favourite things about this book is that the child is gender neutral. Melinda hasn’t used any pronouns or given the child a name, and Vasanti has drawn them so that they could be any gender. This makes the story really accessible to all children. I want to thank Melinda and Vasanti hugely for this.

Cat Taylor has done a wonderful job of the design, especially the front cover. Blue the elephant has been raised on the front and back covers, so you can feel the groves and bumps of his skin. This little touch makes the book really tactile, and I love running my hands over it. You just know that kids will love this too.

My Elephant is Blue is a must-have for schools and families. It will create some good conversations and help children to understand their emotions. It will also give them some strategies to try when they are feeling blue. It will help children to become more empathetic, as it will help them to understand how others feel.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever wake up feeling heavy feelings that you feel like you have a elephant sitting on you. A blue elephant. A creative way to talk about those heavy feelings with your child. One important thing about feelings is being able to name those feelings and how they make you feel. Being able to express those, you don't feel alone.

Both parents and child will experience a freedom in reading this well thought out book. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Flyaway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!
What an incredible view of how depression hits children.

Instead of forcing kids to heal quickly, the story explains how it's best to let it heal on its own, and in time, one will feel better and start to not see the blue elephant, but a pink one & a yellow one.

This portrays a healthy view of teaching and approaching mental health in children.

As someone who struggles with mental health, it’s so important to not only educate adults, but kids as well on this heavily debated topic.

[Sreelekha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book on feeling blue for our young ones. The illustrations are beautiful and go hand in hand with the prose. I would recommend this to be part of school libraries giving children an oppurtunity to understand the big feelings they are unable to express.

[Cassandra Meléndez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tan bonito para poder hablar con las niñeces de emociones no tan placenteras como la tristeza. Creo que puede servir mucho para entender la emoción, aprender a sentirla y saber que no siempre se quedará con nosotros.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am stanning these children books on depression. They make me so happy that kids have these these days :)) 😭😭😭

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love the mental health transparency for children. Would read to my child if I had children because I’m on sertraline and so are they

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my homeschool families recommended this book to me so I had to read it. It really helps children understand big, heavy feelings and that it’s okay to have them.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melinda Szymanik writes about BIG feelings in her book My Elephant is Blue. Have you ever felt so down that you felt as though an elephant was sitting on you? In this story, a little girl wakes up one morning with an elephant sitting on her chest. She has difficulty moving, breathing, or even speaking. "I'm Blue." says the elephant. The elephant is crushing me, so I ask it to move. It's perfectly happy where it is. It sits on top of me. When my parents try to cheer me up and tell me to smile, I tell them that it is hard to smile with an elephant strapped to your chest. Despite their efforts, my siblings are not able to help me. Additionally, my parents make an effort to help me. Dad suggested going for a walk. The only thing Blue did was ignore me when I asked her. In the end, Blue and I went on the walk dad suggested. My family decided to go on a picnic the following day. It was a lot of fun! On the way home, I felt lighter than I had in a long time. It was as I held Blue's trunk that something changed. Blue! You are turning PINK! "That is because I don't feel so blue anymore."

You'll have to read the book to find out the rest of the story.

I highly recommend this book. When young children are struggling with BIG feelings, it is hard for them to express themselves. This book is excellent at describing how the emotions may feel and how to overcome them. Children learn that it is okay to feel sad and that there are things they can do to help turn their feelings around. If you have a child or group of children who are hesitant to discuss their feelings, this book is a great way to begin the conversation. I enjoyed the colorful illustrations. They are simple and not overwhelming at all. For a more calming effect, lighter tones and pastels are used. This is a great book that I recommend.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book for kids when they are feeling as though they are being crushed beneath a big blue heavy elephant. The book highlights how to deal and manage heavy feelings that they are experiencing.

A deep sense of sadness envelops a little child who tries hard to expel it alone but is unable to make it go away.

Mom and Dad are worried and encourage the child to cheer up a bit and smile at it. That does not work. Mom takes every book on elephants out of the library and starts reading. Dad calls an elephant specialist that someone recommends. There is no luck in dispelling the blue beast. Other ideas are pursued: perhaps chocolate? a walk? a picnic in the park? Something must enable that HUGE blue elephant to go away.

"My Elephant is Blue" is a very helpful exploration in finding how to recognize and manage living under the weight of sadness for a young child.

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 will be available April 2023 at flyawaybooks.com/resources.


The book is written so young children are able to better understand their feelings and anxieties. It is a wonderful way to open up meaningful conversations between a parent and child and the sadness that is overwhelming them. I highly recommend this book.

[Kylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHILDRENS ARC REVIEW FT MY DAUGHTER
📖 My Elephant Is blue By Melinda Szymanik📖
Pub Date ~ April 11th 2023
Publisher ~ Flyaway Books
  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our thoughts ~ this is a wonderful book introducing young children to their feelings. Sometimes a heavy feeling, like sadness, can weigh you down. it explained well an emotion and what you could do to help with the sadness. This was a great story for my 7 year old.   elephant is a metaphor for how the child is feeling,  The colors of the elephant are bases apon his mood. Sometimes you just need a little guidance to help you through.

📚 About The Book📚
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 will be available April 2023 at flyawaybooks.com/resources.

We appreciate being able to receive a ebook copy to read thank you @NetGalley

#NetGalley #Myelephantisblue

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be hard for kids to name their feelings, especially sadness. This story of an elephant sitting on a child’s chest and refusing to leave, helps kids identify with their feelings and offer ways to find happiness again.

“One morning I woke to find an elephant sitting on my chest. I found it hard to get up or move around, to breathe or talk.”

The child begins to realize it isn’t fun to have an elephant sitting on your chest. Yet, she doesn’t know how to get rid of the elephant. Her siblings and parents offer ideas until eventually, she agrees to go outside. Now she just has to convince the elephant.

Eventually, the elephant is no longer on her chest and even changes from blue to pink to yellow. I like how the story ends with the realization that the elephant isn’t necessarily gone. Sometimes, the elephant turns blue again, but she knows how to get the elephant to change back to other colors. This book also doesn’t make kids feel bad about being sad. It validates their emotions and lets them hold it (or rather the elephant holds it) for a while until they are ready to release it.

This is a great book for discussing emotions, especially sadness, and to offer ways to get rid of that heavy weight and feel happy again.

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Elephant is Blue is a wonderful book introducing young children to their feelings. Sometimes a heavy feeling, like sadness, can weigh you down for a bit. Finding ways to still do things that make you happy doesn't make the feeling completely go away but it reduces the weight of the sadness little by little until it's only there every once in a while.
I read this to the 2 and 4 year olds that I nanny and they enjoyed it in different ways. The two year old loved the illustrations, which are fabulous, and she was intrigued by why the elephant was sitting on the boy so much. The Four year old also loved the illustrations but felt bad for the boy because it was so hard to do things with this elephant weighing him down. We were able to start a conversation about the things that worry her or make her sad and it turned into a very good conversation.
I will definitely be purchasing this wonderful book for my nannying library and for the children I nanny so that they can enjoy it as much as I did.
I am very grateful to Flyaway Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this children's book in exchange for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the first words out the elephant’s mouth here – “I’m Blue” – are only going to set a class off singing a certain song, this is not to be dismissed. Our heroine wakes up with a bad feeling on her stomach – the literal blue elephant of the title and the visuals – and struggles to even get up because of it. Food won’t help, fresh air is not really possible – although baby steps in that direction are what turns the day, once the girl acknowledges the elephant a bit more than before. The thing is, there are a lot of books doing this sort of thing now, showing children with clear issues presented as splodges, blobs, clouds, and now pachyderms, and this didn’t really make itself that distinctive. With the very literal and obvious ‘feeling blue = being blue’ side of things, it seems like more effort might have been needed to make this a must-buy. Oh, and that mother really ought to open here eyes if she wants to read a pile of books. Three and a half stars.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
How do you cope when you wake up with an elephant on your chest? Szymanik shows readers how hard it can be to do anything with an elephant on you. Blue does not want to move away from the child. No matter how many times the child asks, Blue will not move. The family does research and offers options but none are successful until the child works with Blue to move together. The first walk leads to more and finally a family picnic and games. We see Blue change colors as the sadness lets go. A lovely analogy for younger readers who may not have the words for what they are feeling. The illustrations capture the emotions and energy level changes for the child, the elephant and the family. Terrific option for preschool and elementary level children to open dialogue on their feelings.

[MookNana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle, metaphorical tale about a young girl who feels crushed by a blue elephant sitting on her chest. She discusses the issue with her family and they try all sorts of ways to get the elephant to move or feel easier to carry. Some things work and some don't, but eventually she learns to live with the blue elephant and explore all its other colors too.

This would be a good conversation starter to get kids talking about their feelings and how to manage them. The metaphor will go over kids' heads, but an adult reading partner can help them make the connection. The book is very careful not to stigmatize low moods or challenging feelings--they are treated as a normal part of life that people deal with. This would be a helpful resource to have on hand in school and classroom libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Beverly Manring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining book about a blue elephant. The bigger picture is it teaches kids how to address what they are feeling sometimes ie.sadness. Blue because she was depressed. Seems like maybe the little girl was depressed too in the beginning is how the elephant came to find her. Blue clung to the little girl’s every move, she showed empathy and was very caring. Soon they were able to take walks outside then the entire family went on a picnic in the park, the elephant was able to graze like she once did. Yes I would recommend for young readers. What a fun read it will be to explore emotions while reading with your parents.Thanks to the following for allowing me to review early:
#NetGalley
#FlyawayBooks
#PenguineRandomHouse
#MelindaSzymanick
#MyElephsntisBlue
Pub Date: 11April 2023

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about "big, heavy feelings," and it does a good job of describing some of the feelings a child may be experiencing when they are living with sadness. It also gives some suggestions for ways to get through a moment, like taking a walk or having some chocolate.

I know this is a really difficult subject and it's good to see a book addressing it with young children. I think this would be good with k-1st grade kids. I found it a little bleak (but realistic and honest) to think of a young child learning to live with depression (my interpretation). But also glad to see so much support from their family.

My thanks to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sadie-Jane Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 286 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a clever way to speak to children about such a deep topic - their feelings and how to cope with them.

Brilliant. More kids and parents need to read this together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book286of300 #amreading #netgalley #tbrpile #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #goodreads #booklovers #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookchallenge2024 #reviews #lovebooks #booknerds

[Emma Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about feelings. Although the tone remains light and the story is entertaining and full of joy as well as sadness, it's a great introduction to heavier themes of depression and mental health for little ones. It even offers ways to manage negative feelings while remaining absolutely true to the story. It's not at all didactic or patronising, which some picture books about these matters can tend towards. It's just a lovely story with some deeper meanings that could be used as a great start point for talking about feelings in greater depth. And the illustrations are wonderful!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Elephant is Blue focuses on helping children understand depression and moods. Depression is expressed as a huge blue elephant, so heavy and sad that the child has difficulty engaging in the world surrounding them. Mom and Dad help with research and guidance, and eventually strategies are found to shift the elephant’s color/mood. In using the elephant, the focus becomes a much more relatable and talkable for children. This is a thoughtful book with engaging illustrations, and I think many families will find it helpful.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for granting access to a digital ARC for my review.