Half of an Elephant

Gusti. Half of an Elephant. Illustrated by Gusti. Kane/Miller, 2006. ISBN 9781933605098. $15.95. Ages 5-9.

In this fun, unique story lives an elephant that wakes up to find that the back half of his body is missing. During the evening, the world has split in half. Through cute, creative artwork, the front half of the elephant journeys to find his other half. The artwork is masterly done in collage form, and the animals are made out of random, everyday objects, such as garbage cans and empty wooden boxes. The easily read, humorous wording allows children to fall in love with the elephant, and cheer him on. As the elephant is searching for his back half, he meets many fronts of animals, such as a leopard and a crocodile. He creatively attaches himself onto the fronts of other animals, such as a monkey, yet finds it difficult to live under those conditions. The front and back halves then realize that life is not so bad living without the other, and they imagine all the things they can now do since they are smaller. In the end of this colorful, clever, enjoyable story, the world joins together again, and the two halves of the elephant are reunited, in an entertaining way.

Erin Vanni, BGSU student