Stellarphant (James Foley, Fremantle Press)
One of the best things about picture books is that anything is possible; there are no restrictions on imagination. Author–illustrator James Foley’s latest book plays with a totally outlandish concept: an elephant in space. (After all, there’ve been other animals up there.) Yes, one day Stella (with a fetching blouse of orange stars) decides she wants to be an astronaut. The administrator splutters his coffee in astonishment at the idea, but Stella is adamant, even making her own spacesuit when he tells her that it’s a mandatory requirement. Then she’s told she has to do her own training. Stella studies hard and works out to get fit for the journey but there’s another setback—there’s no rocket big enough to carry her! But this elephant is not going to give up that easily. She merely assembles and tests her own equipment, then gathers a crew as well. Part of the humour is the matter-of-fact manner in which Foley depicts creatures of all shapes and sizes dressed in clothes and who all seem perfectly capable of doing anything humans can. Stellarphant is an engaging book for preschoolers that shows how, by sheer smarts and determination, you can do just about anything you set your mind to, no matter how unlikely.
Thuy On is reviews editor of ArtsHub and a freelance arts journalist, critic and poet.
