The author creates a tale about understanding the truth from an anecdote originally written by the Persian poet Rumi. Author’s Note.

Elephant in the Dark is a retelling of a Rumi poem about villagers trying to figure out what a mysterious creature kept in the dark is. The story is set in Persia (current day Iran), and the illustrations are lively and reflective of Persian culture. The illustrations are a huge part of the success of the book. The expressions on faces of the characters bring the story to life. The text is simple but effective. The style of writing is familiar and evocative of the storytelling tradition. ( )

What a lovely tale! This book can be seen as a bit silly at first but after reading the author’s note in the back I really love the message that it is conveying. The villagers try to guess what a new animal is after only touching it in the dark and they are all convinced they are correct. When the animal is revealed they begin to realize that each one of them only had part of the truth. The message is that if we insist on our own ideas without knowing the full story we will also be in the same position as the villagers. Although quite a difficult concept to grasp this story has a fun way of sending the message. Along with the animated drawings of the villagers I can see this book being a hit! ( )

A perfect tale with todays troubles. Can be used by teacher or counselor in the classroom to help with listening to others problems. This original tale was told years ago and has been rewritten many time. The story is about a merchant who buys an elephant and brings it home and stores it for a day in his barn. The story gets out that the merchant brought a grand beast home to the village. However the villagers are not able to see the elephant because the merchant is to tired to show it...He goes to sleep. The villagers will not take no for an answer and they try to see the beast through a small peep hole. The villagers each have their own view of the animal and no one agrees on what it is. They start to squabble about what the animal is and miss seeing the elephant walk to the barn with the merchant. Colorful pictures with children running around and villagers in their authentic Persian clothing. A teacher could use this book to help students understand the importance of seeing all sides of a story rather than just 1 persons point of view. Search for the truth and don't get lost in all the noise. ( )

When the villagers hear of a huge and mysterious beast that has come all the way from India, they steal into the dark barn to see what it is. One is convinced it is a snake (after feeling the trunk) another is convinced its a tree (after feeling the legs) a third is convinced its a fan (after feeling the ears). This adaptation from a Rumi poem is a wonderful reminder to listen to others. We may only have a part of the puzzle, and that by listening we will be able to see the whole picture.