The Third Elephant

by Penny Dolan

BOOKS

Paperback

First published April 2, 2007

Reviews

[Cheryl Gatling]

Three carved wooden elephants were left behind in a house about to be demolished. The littlest one gets thrown out the window by a worker, and is picked up by a girl. He becomes her "lucky elephant." He helps her to have confidence in her ability to play her flute, and get a solo in a big concert. Then the lucky elephant helps her sister have confidence to complete a bike ride across India. Then he helps a boy named Jack overcome his bitterness toward his mom's boyfriend, and his life in general. The "luck" the elephant brings reminded me of the "magic feather" from Dumbo. It wasn't really magic. The kids had it in them all along. But there is a kind of magic in the book. The mice are helpers and guiders, dispensing wisdom to the little elephant, who also learns to believe in himself. Along the way the book sneaks in lessons about Indian culture, and the plight of real life Indian elephants.