Follow the Elephant

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Peter was told that his baby sister died at birth, but what if she didn't?  When a fortuneteller tells him she is still alive and an elephant will show him the way to her what will Peter do?  What elephant?  How will an elephant show him the way?  But Peter has hope and determination and sets out to find his sister.

This is a sweet story of hope, belief, family and forgiveness.  DiCamillo sets up a rich setting and develops characters with depth.  Peter's world starts out rather bleak and dark.  And then the elephant appears, literally by magic.   And somehow this event sends ripples through the town, touching everyone.  It is a beautiful story as hope, and wonder, and love start to change the dark lives of the people of the town.  The ending is a little predictable, but it is still wonderful to read.  There are a few dark moments in the story but ultimately it is about the power of family, hope, wonder, friendship, and forgiveness.

The Magician's Elephant starring Noah Jupe

Peter, an orphan being raised by a soldier, has always believed that his baby sister had died.  But when a fortuneteller tells him she is still alive he is determined to find her.  He is told to 'follow the elephant'.  And his quest changes his life and the lives of those around him in unexpected ways.

In a once magical town, hope has disappeared along with the sun.  But then a desperate magician makes an elephant appear and things start to change.  It is fun to watch the town slowly start to come back to life, mostly in the background so make sure to watch, as Peter goes on his quest to find his sister.  There are a wide cast of characters that the audience becomes attached to.  And you feel for Peter as everything seems to want to stop him in his search.  It's fun to watch the characters, some of whom start out sad and lost, change and grow through the story.  It is a fun, beautiful, emotional story about the power of love, empathy, family, and forgiveness.  And it shows you what can happen if you dare to ask the question, "But what if?".  

The movie stays close to the basic story of the book.  There are lots of moments that you will recognize from one to the other.  But there are lots of differences too.  Starting with how the soldier raising Peter got him to how Peter gets the elephant.  Some things are vastly different.  There are new characters in the movie that don't exist in the book.  I, personally, do not like the addition of the king.  He might have been put in as some comic relief (it can get a little dark at times) but I don't think his goofy character fits the feel of the story.  And the added drama from the way Peter gets to the elephant is probably considered important in a movie but was unnecessary in the book.  I liked both of them but, if forced to choose, I would say the slightly simpler, more concise story of the book has a slight edge.