A white elephant is something no longer wanted or of value (or a gift that is a curse); it can also refer to an Asian elephant. These meanings work in tandem in this illustrated chapter book, inspired by an event in ancient Siam and told with tender realism. Young orphan Run Run toils with Walking Mountain, his beloved old elephant, clearing tree stumps for the farmers in the hillside village. When Run Run angers Prince Noi the Idle, the prince sends the boy a white elephant, Sahib, as punishment, ordering the orphan to care for it like a sacred guest and not to work it. But Sahib learns to work anyway (hidden in a coating of mud), and he eventually helps Run Run find the strength to break free of the prince and seek his destiny. McGuire’s beautiful full-page pencil illustrations, one for each chapter, capture the child’s nurturing of the elephants. The trickster story is fun, and kids will enjoy talking about the title’s meaning. Most moving is the boy-animal bond, depicted without anthropomorphism; Run Run sleeps safely curled up with the huge creatures he loves. Hazel Rochman
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