Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant

Starred review from December 15, 2020
A tale of memory and kindness infused with warmth and a splash of color, imported from Spain. Author/illustrator Gir�n presents a thoughtful tale that is both quiet and robust. Her gentle use of contrasts begins on the first complete double-page spread, showing ultradiminutive main character Arthur, a bespectacled white boy, beside a supersized elephant that's so big only its trunk and one leg fit on the page. When the elephant's gigantic tears splash against Arthur's head, the boy introduces himself. The sad elephant cannot reciprocate because he doesn't know his name or where he belongs. No matter. Arthur befriends the elephant, and their play together eventually helps the elephant to recall. When readers learn why the elephant is forgetful--dementia is implied when his joyful, multigenerational family greets him with cries of "Grandpa!" and "Hi, Dad!"--it tugs at the heart and threatens to unleash readers' own elephant tears. Gir�n's careful use of white space gives emotional impact to sparse type and solitary images of Arthur. However, other pages splash with the patterns and colors of nature--tiny leaves, trees, and branches reaching to the infinite beyond, patchwork colors against a vast gray background. The depiction of the nameless elephant is beautifully executed, using techniques that add texture and dimension. Gir�n's art has the fluidity of watercolor with the texture of pastel. Powerful, playful, emotional, and so worth a place on the bookshelf. (Picture book. 4-7)

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