Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend (The Elephant in the Room)

Written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko

Penguin Workshop

979-8-217-04951-6

96 pp.

Ages 5–8

Releases August 26, 2025

 

Grade 2 is turning out to be a rough year for Mabel. Her friends Bea and Flora are in the other Grade 2 class and, because her family recently moved, Mabel travels on a different school bus than they do. And her teacher, Mrs. Crabgrass, sometimes keeps Mabel in at recess to do her homework that she forgets to do. But then Mr. Elephant comes into her life.

 

On her way home and then at her house, Mabel starts to see an elephant hiding, sometimes in a moving box, under a lampshade, or behind a shower curtain. She's confused so goes to ask her family about the elephant, but her dad is too busy with the twin babies, her mom is busy writing her book, and her Goth teen sister speaks only in spooky old poetry.

From Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend, written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko

When he finally speaks to her, wondering who imagined him into existence, he chooses the name Mr. Elephant, and the two start sharing how they live their lives. After they determine he is not her fairy god-elephant, Mabel interviews him and in a playful way learns about elephants: where they live, what they eat, and what they do. When playing a video game becomes a little rambunctious, he seems to be the one creating mayhem. That mayhem continues when Mr. Elephant accompanies her to school the next day.

From Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend, written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko

At school, Mabel gets into trouble for causing the art easels to fall, for not doing her homework—Mr. Elephant ate it because it had a smudge of peanut butter on it—and for her lack of focus. But when her friends Bea and Flora affectionately call her weird—"Oh, Mabel, I love how weird you are!"—Mabel is concerned until Mr. Elephant reminds her that they actually want to spend time with her, inviting her to a movie.

From Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend, written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko

It's pretty obvious that Mabel is missing her friends and hasn't made any new ones. (In fact, the next The Elephant in the Room book has Mabel's parents signing her up for the scouting club called Lightning Bugs to help make new friends.) Not only is she lonely, she's also having a hard time focusing. She may create an imaginary friend who comes in handy to explain the messes she makes, the chaos she creates, and the school work that doesn't done. But Mr. Elephant doesn't take away her worries that she doesn't fit in or that maybe others don't like her. Cyndi Marko not only lets us see Mabel from the perspective of her teacher, her friends, and her parents, she also allows us to see what Mabel is seeing and feeling both from her own point of view and that of Mr. Elephant. He helps refocus her but also plays the scapegoat. His role is multifaceted and, though he may be a creation of her imagination, he is a real part of her. 

From Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend, written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko

I've loved Cyndi Marko's storytelling since she published her Kung Pow Chicken series, another early graphic novel. These books and Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend demonstrate that Cyndi Marko knows her early readers and gives them what they'll love: laughs, characters, and issues with which they can relate. Mabel seems to get into trouble at school while her family is too busy to see that she needs some support. But Mabel's troubles are multi-faceted in that she's feeling lonely, worrying, feeling ignored, and always seems to have the wiggles. She needs some help. Sadly, the only one who seems to provide it is the elephant she imagines for herself. But Cyndi Marko addresses what Mabel is going through while keeping it funny and clever and even providing facts about elephants. Her illustrations are very cute, especially her characters. Mabel and the other humans have stick arms and legs but their faces and bodies make them easily differentiated. And it's easy to see the emotions of sadness, confusion, silliness, and more in those faces and in their body language. Even with uncomplicated illustrations which are perfect for the audience of early readers, Cyndi Marko gives us more story and more feeling. 

 

Mabel Makes (^Up) a Friend, with its delightful artwork and important story, packs a lot into 96 pages. Not only will it entertain, it will teach science, reassure those fidgeting kids that accidents happen, assist kids in finding help, and maybe even encourage parents and teachers in becoming aware that, when little ones are challenged, sometimes they have to find their own supports, such as envisioning a bow tie-wearing pachyderm who is delighted to be picked for the job.

I'm Not Sydney!

Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-597-7

40 pp.

Ages 3-6

March 2022

 

Why is Sydney not Sydney? It's because he's a sloth. And while his tree looks like a deciduous tree of Canada, the child imagines himself in the lushness of a tropical forest. As a sloth, he is happy to smile, sleep and daydream his days away, though his companion, Sami, scampering up the tree, sees herself as a spider monkey.

From I'm Not Sydney! by Marie-Louise Gay

As sloth and spider monkey enjoy their new personas, little Edward, ready for baseball, responds with the most charming of answers when they tell him of their exploits.

"Well, well," said Edward. "How about that?"

With that, he's down on all fours, his elephantine form disappearing into the tall grass of the savanna, feeling the sun, hearing the grasshoppers and smelling the grass and earth.

From I'm Not Sydney! by Marie-Louise Gay

Anamaria becomes an anteater and quiet Brigitte a bat and the quintet of friends play at make-believe animals until the elephant's trunk–or was that a water hose?–drenches them with water and laughter. They may return home when called for dinner by their parents but their imaginings carry them through their meals, bath time and sleep, with Brigitte even staying up, anticipating her flight into the night.

From I'm Not Sydney! by Marie-Louise Gay

Oh, to be a child with the freedom of play and imagination. For Sydney, Sami, Edward, Anamaria and Brigitte, a tree and meadow become the ground for creating a new world or two, and allows them the abandonment to visualize themselves as different in body and behaviour. They don't just pretend. They become. And Marie-Louise Gay lets us peek at them at their play, turning their realities into new worlds, as true as those in which they are called for dinner and given baths. Marie-Louise Gay, creator of the popular Stella and Sam and Princess Pistachio series, always, always, takes us to the heart of children's play of imagination, revealing both their innocence and sophistication in visualizing that which may not be there. In both words and art, she makes worlds resplendent in butterflies, caterpillars and birds among overgrown flora profuse with flowers with the children as stars in their own worlds, created or not. They are the gardeners of those daydreams, cultivating and nurturing life from whatever seeds are present. Whether those worlds last but a day or are ones they will revisit regularly is all up to them as well as the pen and watercolours of Marie-Louise Gay.

From I'm Not Sydney! by Marie-Louise Gay

A youngCanLit booklist for World Elephant Day: August 12

I know many a child and adult for whom elephants are a favourite animal. Celebrate the world's elephants and ensure their preservation and protection by instilling an appreciation for these gentle and powerful giants through these books of youngCanLit. Among the picture books, early readers, non-fiction, middle grade and even young adult, there is learning from information, entertainment through humour and much insight into elephants. In other words, there's something for every reader!


Board Books and Picture Books

Fatima and the Clementine Thieves
Written by Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2017
Reviewed here

 

My Dog is An Elephant
Written by Rémy Simard
Illustrated by Pierre Pratt
Annick
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
1994

Nancy Knows
Written and illustrated by Cybèle Young
Tundra
40 pp.
Ages 307
2014

Ollie
Written and illustrated by Paola Opal
Simply Read
24 pp.
Ages 2-5
2020

Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave
Written by Ruth James
Illustrated by Kent Laforme
Page Two Books
978-1-989025420
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2019
Reviewed here

Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper!: A Masai Tale
Written by Tololwa M. Mollel
Illustrated by Barbara Spurll
Clarion Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-8
1991

What Elephant?
Written and illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2006





Early Readers, Middle Grade Fiction and Young Adult

Big City Otto (Elephants Never Forget 1)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
88 pp.
Ages 8-11
2011

Big Star Otto (Elephants Never Forget 3)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-11
2015

Big Top Otto (Elephants Never Forget 2)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
80 pp.
Ages 8-11
2013

Elephant Secret
Written by Eric Walters
Puffin Canada
352 pp.
Ages 9-12
2018

Follow the Elephant 
Written by Beryl Young
Ronsdale Press
248 pp.
Ages 10-13
2010

Ghost Boy
Written by Iain Lawrence
Laurel Leaf
252 pp.
Ages 12+
2002

Just So Stories (Volume I)
Written by Rudyard Kipling
Illustrated by Ian Wallace
Groundwood Books
64 pp.
Ages 5+
2013
Reviewed here




Non-Fiction

5 Elephants 
Written by Rob Laidlaw
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
88 pp.
Ages 8-13
2014

Animal Aha! Thrilling Discoveries in Wildlife Science
Written by Diane Swanson
Annick
48 pp.
Ages 7-11
2009

Animals That Changed the World
Written by Keltie Thomas
Annick
112 pp.
Ages 8-12
2010

Elephant Journey: The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity
Written by Rob Laidlaw
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Pajama Press
40 pp.
Ages 8-13
2015

The Elephant Keeper: Caring for Orphaned Elephants in Zambia
Written by Margriet Ruurs
Illustrated by Pedro Covo
Kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
2017

Elephant Rescue
Written by Jody Morgan
Firefly Books
64 pp.
Ages 10-13
2004

Elephants: Life in the Wild
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Michael Maydak
Random House Books for Young Readers
48 pp.
Ages 5-8
2000

Endangered Elephants
Written by Bobbie Kalman
Crabtree Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
2005

Our Future: How Kids Are Taking Action (Kid Activists)
Written and illustrated by Janet Wilson
Second Story Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-12
September 2019

Welcome to the World of Elephants
Written by Diane Swanson
Walrus
32 pp.
Ages 5-11
2011

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Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave : Book launches (BC)

Join 

author Ruth James 

and 

illustrator Kent Laforme 
(Studiostone Creative)

for multiple events to launch

their picture book

 Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave

Written by Ruth James

Illustrated by Kent Laforme

Page Two Books

978-1-989025-42-0

32 pp.

Ages 5+

May 2019
Reviewed here

Thursday, May 2, 2019
 7 p.m.
Kidsbooks
2557 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Monday, May 6, 2019
10:30 a.m. 
Salt Spring Island Public Library
129 McPhillips Avenue
Salt Spring Island, BC
(n.b. illustrator Kent Laforme will not be at this event)

Saturday, May 11, 2019
2 p.m.
Courtenay Public Library
300 6th St.
Courtenay, BC

Saturday, May 18, 2019
1 p.m.
Indigo at Mayfair 
Mayfair Shopping Centre
Victoria, BC

There will be

a reading of the story and craft activities, 
including finger puppet and diorama creation,

and a special photo station with 
a life-sized Paseka illustration

Books will be available for sale and signing.


I reviewed this lovely picture book yesterday here 
and 
emphatically recommend you attend one of the BC launches, 
if you can.
🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave

Written by Ruth James

Illustrated by Kent Laforme

Page Two Books

978-1-989025420

32 pp.

Ages 6-10

May 2019

From Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave by Ruth James, illus. by Kent Laforme

This is Paseka. After she and her mother are attacked by hyenas and separated, Paseka searches for Mama and is drawn to a large grey shape moving quickly along a tree bridge (a log road). Though fooled, the injured Paseka follows the safari jeep into the camp, causing mayhem in her desperation. To help the very young elephant, camp workers tranquilize her and tend to her injuries, and she is taken to an elephant rehabilitation camp.

When released, Paseka bounds to the matriarch, hopeful it is her mama and desperate for milk. But all the elephants need to check out Paseka first, prodding her with their trunks.

Standing quietly, Paseka sucked her own trunk, gaining comfort and helping herself to be brave.

Hungry, she listens as they discuss her, until the matriarch, who knows of Paseka's harrowing story and loss, welcomes her into the herd and matches her with a mother elephant and her older female calf. A mother, a sister, and milk.

From Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave by Ruth James, illus. by Kent Laforme

Still, there is the solemnity of elephants lost, to poachers and predators, and amongst the bones of poached elephants, little Paseka hears and feels the heart song of her mother that had urged her, before birth, to

Be strong, my Paseka!
Be steady, have courage.
Play every day!

Connected both to her mother in spirit and to the elephants of her new herd, little Paseka learns she has the strength to belong and be saved.

From Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave by Ruth James, illus. by Kent Laforme

Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave is loosely based on a true story of an orphaned baby elephant that writer Ruth James heard about when she visited Kenya as a founding member of the African Children's Book Box Society. (Book sales benefit this organization.) While Paseka's true story appends the picture book, the story is not an informational text about vulnerable elephants and poaching. It's an uplifting story about finding one's place through tragedy. It's about holding onto connections with those gone and making new connections to sustain and comfort. And it's about elephants and their bonds, their losses, their resilience, and their spirit.

Ruth James's words are eloquent and emotional, from the attack by the hyenas, to Paseka's heartbreaking search for her mother and for the security and sustenance she desperately requires and finds.

A baby elephant's heart can ache with hoping.

The fragility of Paseka's story is reflected in Ruth James's elegant prose and Kent Laforme's illustrations. Kent Laforme may be more widely known as a Victoria, BC stone carver–he is currently working on a stone sculpture of Paseka (https://www.kentlaforme.com/elephant-dream) –but I hope we see more and more of his exquisite ink and watercolour artwork in children's books. Kent Laforme blends the right mix of reality with heart, telling Paseka's story of tragedy and finding hope, with an atmospheric touch that reveals but doesn't crush. That's a profound accomplishment of artistry for a story that includes predation, death, hunger, and abandonment. Moreover, by emphasizing a palette of purple, the reader is infused with both the regality of these magnificent creatures and the sorrow of the situation.

For those passionate about elephants, about showing compassion for all creatures, and for making a world that embraces all, Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave will tell you a real story.

From Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave by Ruth James, illus. by Kent Laforme

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

A downloadable Teacher Resource Guide is available at pasekathebook.com.

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Multiple book events for the launch of Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave will be held in British Columbia in the following weeks. I will post tomorrow with details.

Woodrow at Sea

Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-029-1

24 pp.

Ages 3-5

November 2017

Not since an owl and a pussycat set off to sea have two wholly unlikely friends shared a boat on the open water.  But the story of Woodrow at Sea is less love story than story of friendship and a far more poignant one than Edward Lear's nonsense poem.

From Woodrow at Sea 

by Wallace Edwards

When Woodrow, the elephant, waves goodbye to his family, setting off on his adventure with only a boat, a paddle and a spyglass, he could never imagine finding a small white mouse marooned on a purplish mound in the open water.  The mouse tells of his own tale of saying goodbye to his own family who gift him with a compass and heading out in a teacup vessel until upturned by a purple, gold and orange creature. 

From Woodrow at Sea 

by Wallace Edwards

Together the travellers set out to seek adventure, with the mouse teaching Woodrow to sing. When a foul cloud blows in nasty weather and the calm sea is awoken into turmoil, the little mouse uses the spyglass to rescue Woodrow. Together they battle their way to calmer waters and, though they both return to their different island homes, they're both richer for their encounter and adventures.

From Woodrow at Sea

by Wallace Edwards

Because Woodrow at Sea is a wordless book, author-illustrator Wallace Edwards allows his illustrations to carry the story.  But it really isn't just one story.  Everyone will read something different into his touching and considerate artwork.  Though less elaborate than his art in earlier books such as Once Upon a Line (Pajama Press, 2015) and Unnatural Selections (Orca, 2014), Wallace Edwards provides more than enough depth of detail for our youngest readers to interpret the illustrations in a myriad of ways.  They will easily recognize the value of friendship and teamwork but there will be questions.  Why did Wallace Edwards choose and elephant and a mouse? Are the elephant and mouse singing or whistling?  Does Woodrow know how to sing or did the mouse have to teach him?  Were the two animals planning on an extended adventure that was interrupted by calamity or were these just day trips? When recounting their adventures to family, why did they focus on different events though both emphasize the goodwill of the other?  For a story told with no words, Woodrow at Sea has much to tell.  And a lesson in creative thinking and visual literacy would not go amiss here.

Woodrow at Sea is truly a story about the importance of friendship and the good fortune of having a friend who has your back when seas get a little rough. It may not always be an angry ocean or a purple monster, but there's always something that is eased with the support of a friend.

From Woodrow at Sea 

by Wallace Edwards

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Wallace Edwards will launch his newest picture book this weekend in Toronto. Details for this event were posted here.