If Elephants Disappeared, by Lily Williams | Book Review

The Children’s Book Review

If Elephants Disappeared

Written and Illustrated by Lily Williams

Age Range:  4-8

Hardcover Book: 40 pages

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (September 17, 2019)

ISBN: 978-1-250-14320-4

What to expect: Elephants, Endangered Species, Environmentalism

IF ELEPHANTS DISAPPEARED is a beautifully illustrated and poignant book about elephants living in the wild and how they affect everything – and everyone – on Earth.

Lily Williams, author of the If Animals Disappeared series, brings elephants to graceful life in this book. Like in her other books of the series, we are introduced to an animal and then asked what would happen if that vital animal disappeared. In this latest book, children will discover African Elephants and how they started evolving 60 million years ago. The elephant timeline illustrates how elephants, including the African Forest Elephant and the African Savanna Elephant, came to be.

Williams leads readers on an age-appropriate journey covering how elephants are hunted for Ivory, which means fewer and fewer elephants every year. The story shows how fewer elephants mean less biodiversity in forests, which affects the whole planet in a trophic cascade across different ecosystems. The decimation of the African elephant is a serious issue, and Williams uses softly painted pictures and careful wording so that the subject matter isn’t too frightening.

With beautiful illustrations that also feature adorably serious children, little readers will be thoroughly engaged with the elephants’ plight. William’s sober subject is dealt with in a pitch-perfect manner. There are resources at the end of the book for further investigation and ways that children can help the elephants in their own homes.

With stunningly colorful artwork and fascinating facts, this is a sure pleasure for elementary school children in or out of the classroom.

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About the Author-Illustrator

Lily Williams grew up in Northern California. She received her BFA with high distinction from California College of the Arts. Lily seeks to inspire change, engage audiences, and educate people of all ages with her artwork. Her work can be seen in films, books, and on the web. This is Lily’s third book for children, following If Sharks Disappeared and If Polar Bears Disappeared.

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Read our exclusive interview: Lily Williams Discusses the If Animals Disappeared Series

If Elephants Disappeared, by Lily Williams, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like If Elephants Disappeared by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Elephant Books, Endangered Species Books, Environmental, Lily Williams, Non-Fiction, and Picture Book.