About this book

When the villagers hear of a huge and mysterious creature that has come all the way from India, they steal into the dark barn to find out what it is.

"It's like a snake!" says one.
"It's like a tree trunk," says another.
"No, it's like a fan!" argues the third.

Who is right? Which of them knows the creature's true shape?

Mina Javaherbin's charming and witty retelling combined with Eugene Yelchin's refreshingly brilliant illustrations bring this enlightened classic, inspired by Rumi's poem, vividly to life.

Reviews

Praise for Elephant in the Dark:

"An amusing retelling." -- Booklist

"The book should provide opportunities for rich discussions about perception and
about advocating for what you believe to be true." -- Horn Book

Praise for The Secret Message by Mina Javaherbin (illustrated by Bruce Whatley)

"This handsome picture book's intriguing title will grab children, and they won't be disappointed with the twists in both story and message...Both the richly detailed scenes and story reversals will draw a young audience." --Booklist

"After the first suspenseful reading, children should clamor for repeats." --Publishers Weekly

Praise for Goal!by Mina Javaherbin (illustrated by A.G. Ford)

"This heart-tugging picture book from a debut author tells a lyrical soccer story in the voice of a young boy in a South African shantytown." --Booklist

Praise for Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

A Newbery Honor Book

* "This brief novel gets at the heart of a society that asks its citizens, even its children, to report on relatives and friends. Appropriately menacing illustrations by first-time novelist Yelchin add a sinister tone." --The Horn Book, starred review

"Yelchin's graphite illustrations are an effective complement to his prose, which unfurls in Sasha's steady, first-person voice, and together they tell an important tale." --Kirkus Reviews

"Yelchin skillfully combines narrative with dramatic black-and-white illustrations to tell the story of life in the Soviet Union under Stalin." --School Library Journal