  | Elephant and the piano Author: Hiller, Colette | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
In a sanctuary in Thailand lived an elephant called Bonti. Short-tempered and destructive, Bonti was alone--the other elephants (and humans) knew to keep their distance. But when a musician came to play the piano for Bonti, something incredible happened.
| Illustrator: | Adani, Nabila |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/15/26)
School Library Journal (03/01/26)
Booklist (04/01/26)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/06/26)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 03/01/2026 K-Gr 3—Based on true events, this is an inspiring story of music and connection. Bonti lives in an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, but he is not happy. He has a strong temper and doesn't get along with the other elephants. One day, Paul (a bespectacled white man with white hair) decides to play the piano for Bonti. This has an amazingly positive effect, not just on Bonti, but on all the elephants. The text is simple but lovely, descriptive, and age appropriate. There are additional notes about the origin of this tale and suggestions about performing music for pets. The illustrations are done in a combination of gouache, watercolor, oil pastels, and digital media. The color palette is full of warm tones with light yellows, soothing greens, and blues. Digital brushes create texture and value shifts, adding emphasis to the mixed media format. VERDICT This artistic rendition of an intriguing story will be good for fans of Kim Tomsic's The Elephants Come Home.—Virginia Pine - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 04/01/2026 In this mostly true tale, readers journey to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Here they meet Bonti, a solitary elephant who doesn’t enjoy friends or play. Paul, on a visit, notices Bonti and asks to bring in a piano to play music for this lonely elephant. After getting the okay, Paul brings in a piano and begins to play Beethoven. Bonti loves the music, and as it turns out, the other elephants at the sanctuary do, too. To this day, Paul still plays his piano for these creatures. Here's an unlikely story, with simple, straightforward text, that shows the healing powers of music. The book features some limited back matter that is age-appropriate for readers. The art, done with gauche, watercolor, oil pastels, and digital media, features a light and wavy dotted contrast pattern on each spread, offering a distinctive style that stands out. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
