Elephant's Big Solo

by Sarah Kurpiel, Sarah Kurpiel (Illustrator)

Overview

Everyone is excited about the chance to perform a solo in the class recital—except Elephant. How will she deal with her anxiety and stage fright? Elephant’s Big Solo is a warm and sensitive celebration of meeting life’s challenges while staying true to who you are. This picture book will be adored by fans of The Rabbit Listened and Little Elliot, Big City.

Elephant’s favorite class is music. She loves playing the French horn and performing with all her friends. But when Ms. Gator suggests that everyone play a solo at the school concert, Elephant hesitates. The thought of performing alone makes her heart race and her stomach twist.

Luckily, Elephant thinks of another way to perform a solo; one that allows her to shine alongside a full orchestra of her friends.

Sarah Kurpiel’s accessible text is pitch-perfect and her expressive artwork is irresistible. Elephant’s Big Solo explores social anxiety in a sensitive and thoughtful way, always assuring young readers that Elephant stays true to herself. Readers will applaud when Elephant gains the confidence to show her true talents. Elephant’s Big Solo is an excellent choice for social and emotional learning, as well as story-time sharing. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063093201
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,035,169
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Kurpiel  is the author and illustrator of Lone Wolf, which was named an Indie Next Pick. She is a librarian and a self-taught artist, inspired by animals, nature, and everyday life. She uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity. Sarah Kurpiel lives with a cat as loud and as fast as Kiwi in Downers Grove, Illinois. www.sarahkurpiel.com

Sarah Kurpiel  is the author and illustrator of Lone Wolf, which was named an Indie Next Pick. She is a librarian and a self-taught artist, inspired by animals, nature, and everyday life. She uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity. Sarah Kurpiel lives with a cat as loud and as fast as Kiwi in Downers Grove, Illinois. www.sarahkurpiel.com

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-17
Standing solo can be tough.

Elephant’s favorite class is music (because she likes being part of the crowd), but when Ms. Gator, the music teacher, announces that everyone will be performing a solo piece, Elephant’s anxiety causes her to worry so much that she grows to dislike the class, Ms. Gator, her French horn, and music. Thankfully, the other students are there to help, and they volunteer to play her solo with her. This gives Elephant the courage to both mention that she composed her own song and to teach it to the class. The story wants to do a lot but suffers from shallow messaging. Sure, Elephant finally has the courage to share more of herself, but her anxiety isn’t proactively addressed by the other characters, who clearly see how unhappy she is—Tiger dismisses her concerns, saying, “It’s just a small recital,” while Grandpa tells her, “Sometimes we need to push ourselves.” The digital illustrations do their best to distract from the hollow story, as the characters are delightfully designed and extremely expressive, but the art can’t quite make up for the issues with the narrative. Regardless of anxiety level, readers will agree that the strongest takeaway here is that Ms. Gator seems like a real jerk. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Weak messaging sadly leads to sour notes. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews