This story was adorable. My son loved that the elephant changed colors. I will say that the point where the elephant got off the kid was a little anticlimactic. I would have liked to of seen more excitement. Overall a very cute story.

Another great picture book representing SEL. I really love the sensitive way it was handled. I also loved the perspective that family and friends kept giving the child, concerning the Elephant- IE just forget it, etc. Often times depression does feel like this and the advice of others, although well-intended, can be hurtful. I also enjoyed the portion describing the parents being unfamiliar with elephants (depression), and checking out resources at their library about the subject. This depicts a healthy parent-child relationship, as well as the idea that resources are available to those who want to understand better.

This was a beautiful deep meaning book. However, I thought it had explanations of feelings for kids to understand that Blue the Elephant was their emotions they carry. It doesn't explain that. So after reading it with my son, I explained it to him that Blue the Elephant is like the emotions and sadness we can carry, and her colors changed depending on the good, not so great feelings. Still a cute book and a deep one, great for kids. My son loved the illustrations because he loves elephants!

I received this book from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book with my son.

Such a sweet tale. I really liked how the blue elephant represented sadness and some of the things that the character did to try and help the sadness. I think it's a great book to provide kids with some ideas on how to overcome depression.

I tried to understand this one, but I was a little lost. Blue, the elephant, begins to feel "blue" and hangs around a young boy and his family. Is Blue bored or sad or perhaps lost in its own thoughts? The boy and his family do what they can to cure Blue, but does anything help?

I love the concept of this book, but it didn't work out as well as it could. It's great to personify (or elephantify?) sadness or troubling feelings and have others interact with the child to help nudge the elephant along. That had a lot of promise. And getting out for walks helps a bit and a bit more until the sparse illustration because colorful and full with the child and elephant feeling better.

I wish the ending could have been one spread earlier.

This was a sweet book, but the concept behind the elephant sitting on the chest and the color changing was not easily understandable to my child. It was cute, but not sure that I would purchase this book.

Author Melinda Szymanik does a wonderful job portraying the affect of heavy feelings like anxiety and depression on a person. The book is applicable in a wide variety of contexts and readers of all ages are sure to identify with the main character and their elephant named Blue. My favorite part is when the main character responds to the suggestion of going for a walk. They say, "I wanted to go for a walk, but it was impossible to walk with an elephant on me".
Even things we want to do are more difficult (or impossible) with an elephant on us.
I look forward to adding this to my bookshelves for readers of all ages to explore their own elephants.

Cute, albeit simplistic, way to describe what depression might feel like. I have but one qualm with the book and it's a big one: While the metaphor of the blue elephant is apt, the colorful elephants that follow have nothing to do with living with depression once you have the tools to manage it.

A little boy wakes up to discover an elephant sitting on him. He takes the elephant with him and his family on a picnic and they play in the yard. Suddenly, the elephant begins to turn pink. It turns out that blue is not just a color, it is an emotion, as well.

I cute book showing an elephant’s emotions. It could have explained the change in emotions that caused him to no longer be blue but that is only a minor suggestion.

A good story for young kids to help them understand emotions.


I received an ARC from Fly Away Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

A nice book about dealing with depression and sadness, or helping to understand somebody who deals with this. I think this would be a helpful book for students to begin to understand, or to see their feelings validated in a book. I loved the illustrations. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this title.

A gentle, metaphorical tale about a young girl who feels crushed by a blue elephant sitting on her chest. She discusses the issue with her family and they try all sorts of ways to get the elephant to move or feel easier to carry. Some things work and some don't, but eventually she learns to live with the blue elephant and explore all its other colors too.

This would be a good conversation starter to get kids talking about their feelings and how to manage them. The metaphor will go over kids' heads, but an adult reading partner can help them make the connection. The book is very careful not to stigmatize low moods or challenging feelings--they are treated as a normal part of life that people deal with. This would be a helpful resource to have on hand in school and classroom libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Words cannot describe how important a book like this is. This gives children words to things that they may not even know how to describe. It brings the idea of depression and breaks it.down so that children can learn, listen, and relate to the idea. This helps process their emotions and helps them understand that they aren't weird or bad for feeling things.

I was disappointed with this title. The illustrations were not unforgettable, and the text was not engaging. I was sorry not to find more to engage with.

My Elephant Is Blue

written by Melinda Szymanik
illustrated by Vasanti Unka

Children sometimes have trouble verbalizing their feelings and managing them. My Elephant Is Blue was written to help children deal with sadness. “Big, heavy feelings” are represented by the crushing weight of the elephant Blue. The child’s family members try to help in various ways, and gradually the child does feel the weight of sadness lifting. This is Mental Health Awareness month, and My Elephant Is Blue is one of many picture books published by Flyaway Books to help young children and their families deal with emotions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Children’s Fiction, Health

Notes: 1. Ages 3-7
2. Supporting resources linked to this book are found at www.flyawaybooks.com/resources. There is a Discussion and Activity Guide that helps the reader understand the symbolism in the book. This guide includes Discussion Starters, Activities, a list with links of organizations that offer support, and a coloring sheet. There is also a book trailer if you would like a preview of the book.

Publication: April 11, 2023—Flyaway Books

Memorable Lines:
They said, “Perhaps if you cheered up a bit…or smiled at it.” But it’s hard to cheer up or smile with an elephant sitting on your chest.

“It’s an elephant,” Mom and Dad said. “Surely it can’t stay forever. It’s bound to move on sometime.” I hoped sometime was soon.

Wow!!
What an incredible view of how depression hits children.

Instead of forcing kids to heal quickly, the story explains how it's best to let it heal on its own, and in time, one will feel better and start to not see the blue elephant, but a pink one & a yellow one.

This portrays a healthy view of teaching and approaching mental health in children.

As someone who struggles with mental health, it’s so important to not only educate adults, but kids as well on this heavily debated topic.

A powerful book that could help so many young kids! My Elephant is Blue takes something abstract (depression) and makes it easier for students to understand. A young child wakes up feeling blue and as though they have an elephant on their chest. We then see the actual elephant sitting on the child as their family members try to help them remove it with advice such as smiling or eating or seeing a specialist. Then they go on a walk together and they both feel better. A great way to show how depression feels and is one that many children could connect to.

Thank you to the author, Flyaway Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful children's book that addresses the issue of feelings, particularly feelings of sadness and overwhelmed-ness - not in terms of "let's fix this thing that's wrong with you", but in terms of "this can happen to you - and it's okay to feel like this". Many adults may be familiar with the black dog of depression, the blue elephant plays a similar role, and gives children help to find ways to talk about feelings and anxieties in a constructive way. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed this book. I think the illustrations and storyline allow for True understanding of the subject matter.

This book is a metaphor for depression in kids. It’s the big blue elephant sitting on the chest. This book isn’t about teaching the child to “get better” but more of, it happens, and it can be lived with, and treated. This book is more about saying “it’s okay” then “let’s fix you”. I like that, and I think for the kids that need it, they will like this book.