The Secret Elephant: Inspired by a True Story of Friendship

By Ellan Rankin. Random House Studio, 2024. 32 pages. $18.99/hardcover; $6.99/eBook. Recommended for ages 4–8.

The story opens with a young elephant in a cheerful zoo environment in Belfast in Northern Ireland. Told from the elephant’s perspective, the days are full of discovery and fun as the elephant and her keeper forge a trusting relationship. The zoo seems to be a lovely home for the elephant who is surrounded by other animals—until World War II comes to Belfast through bombings. Visitors stop coming to the zoo; animals disappear; and the loud noises scare the young elephant. The keeper does her best to calm and soothe her elephant friend. The war escalates, and when the zoo seems unsafe, the keeper begins to sneak the elephant out of the zoo to her own home.

There are amusing pictures of a young—and then not-so-young—elephant exploring a human home. On one of the many trips back to the zoo, the elephant is seen chasing a neighbor’s dog, and the secret is out. The elephant must be returned to the zoo. However, the bond between the keeper and the elephant is so strong by now that neither wants to be alone, especially on those nights the bombs fall. The keeper moves into the elephant’s indoor enclosure, and together they weather the rest of the war, comforting each other. The two friends survive the war together, and they remain friends for life.

The story is based on true events, and we learn at the end of the book that the elephant was named “Sheila,” and the keeper was Denise Weston Austin. Somehow not knowing the names of the characters helps to make the story more magical. The elephant has the innocence of a child, and her confusion from the terrible bombing noises is heartbreaking. The keeper’s devotion to the elephant is unwavering. There are lessons of love and friendship to be learned here, especially for our animal friends.

In addition to the simple, joyful text, Rankin’s illustrations set the scene beautifully. Multiple vignettes on some pages share delightful images, even those involving drinking from the toilet and an accident on the dining room floor. The nighttime images depicting the bombings are moody and dark, capturing the fear and loneliness the elephant experiences. Much of the beauty of the book is in its simplicity. Young readers may take from this book a lovely story of friendship, while older readers will appreciate the two friends facing fearful moments together and the comfort they offer each other.

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Karen Clark, a convinced Friend, is a member of Little Falls Meeting in Fallston, Md., and a fifth-grade teacher at Friends School of Baltimore. She has taught in independent schools for 22 years, educating preschool through middle-school students.