The Secret Elephant

OK picture book about a cute little elephant why would you make me cry?

This is a beautifully illustrated story about an elephant and their keeper at Belfast Zoo during WWII. All based around a true story of the first female keeper sneaking a young elephant back to her house in the middle of the night to help keep it calm.

This is a story about love, care, and friendship and this comes across so strongly throughout and brought a tear to my eye as I was reading.

The warm orange tone to the whole book gives it a feeling of the 50s and 60s in my mind, but the janglier scenes of bombing brought out the harsher side of those tones and this contrast was used so well.

Loved this so much!