Review by Erin Wilson

Hope, harmony, and peace emanate from this beautiful picture book. A young Rohingya boy shares his memories of his grandfather’s stories of a white elephant born in their land becoming mountains and symbolizing peace and harmony. Their lives were joyous until the elephant was hunted and killed for its ivory. Thus, their lives were also turned upside down to the point they must flee. Later, after reaching a camp, the boy would see the white elephant near the camp and it would be a hopeful sign that there will be peace and unity. It is ultimately the responsibility of all to protect the white elephant for its symbolizes unity and harmony. 

This picture book comes with the message of peace. The author, through simple and clear text, emphasizes from the grandfather’s teachings that we are all responsible on this earth to make sure we co-exist peacefully. 

If you are looking for a book about refugees, Rohingyas, peace, and unity with a reassuring outlook, this is a book for everyone.

Original Book Info:

Title: The White Elephant

Author: Mayyu Ali

Illustrator: Nabidur Rahman

ISBN:978-1-946747-26-6

Publisher: Gubabooks

Language: English

Date: 2022

Translation Info 

Title: Shada Haati

Author: Mayyu Ali

Illustrator: Nabidur Rahman

ISBN: 978-1-946747-25-9

Publisher: Gubabooks

Language: Bengali

Date: 2022

Author Bio:

Mayyu Ali is a Rohingya poet and the author of EXODUS: Between Genocide and Me. He has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Financial Times, The Independent, CNN, and Al Jazeera. He is the editor and co-founder of The Art Garden Rohingya, a community-led online platform which aims to revive Rohingya art, literature and culture. Mayyu was born in Arakan, Myanmar. During the violence in August 2017, he fled to Bangladesh with his family.

Illustrator Bio:

Nabidur Rahman is an animator, illustrator, VR artist and filmmaker from Bangladesh. Nabidur is passionate about telling stories. He uses different mediums of creative visual arts to express his thoughts and worldview through artwork. Nabidur obtained a degree in animation filmmaking at The Korea National University of Arts.

Reviewer Bio:

Erin Wilson currently works as a Teacher Librarian in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has worked internationally for 10 years in the following countries; China, India, and now Bangladesh. She has vast experience working in diverse cultures from Native American students to inner-city students and the international community. Her other passion lies in studying Asian dances. Currently she is focused on Odissi classical dance, and uses this dance vocabulary for storytelling in the library to actively engage children. It’s never boring in the library. 

You can follow the school where she works, International School Dhaka Instagram: @ isd_library

Opinions expressed in posts on this site are the individual author’s and are not indicative of the views of Global Literature in Libraries Initiative.