Small as an Elephant

Thus book has just about everything you'd want and/or expect in a book for young readers. As a Grandparent, I am particular about the books I would like to see my Granddaughters read. Of course, its now always my choice. I'd thought this one might be a good one for my 9 year old, but now that I've read it myself, I am certain my 12 year old Granddaughter would also enjoy it. Kudos to Jacobson for writing such as wonderful book.

Most novels about characters with mental illness tend to be from the point of view of the character suffering the illness. Done right, these books can be revealing looks about living with some of the world's most misunderstood conditions; done poorly, and they can perpetuate damaging stereotypes. "Small as an Elephant" is different in that it tells the story from the point of view of the son of a victim of mental illness... and while it can be a harrowing and heart-wrenching read at times, it tells a valuable story about how mental illness affects not only the lives of the mentally ill, but the lives of their families... and especially their children.

"Small as an Elephant" follows Jack, an eleven-year-old boy obsessed with elephants who goes on a camping trip with his mother in Maine. When he wakes up one morning, however, his mother's tent is gone... and so is their rental car. Most kids would go to the authorities first thing... but Jack's mother isn't normal, and he knows she must be on one of her "spinning" streaks, a manic phase that means she could be anywhere and doing anything. And he fears that if the police find him, he'll be taken away from his mother for good. So Jack sets off on a journey to find his mom on his own, carrying only his cell phone and a small toy elephant. And while he meets helpful people along the way, he also uncovers some heavy truths about his mother, and comes to the realization that he can't do this on his own...

The prose in "Small as an Elephant" is fairly simple, servicable but workmanlike and without much in the way of vivid description. I found that this mostly works for the story, however -- it's told from the point of view of a child, after all, and flowery descriptions would have gotten in the way of what's ultimately a spare story that focuses almost entirely on a single character and his struggles to come to terms with his mother's illness. The book does give us a fascinating look at the various small towns and tourist traps of Maine -- the author states in the dust jacket that every location Jack visits is real, or at least existed at the time of the book's publication (2011).

It's hard to read this book and NOT sympathize with Jack. My heart ached for him as he feared for his mother's safety... and as he learned truths about her that made him feel angry and betrayed. He occasionally made stupid decisions, but that was perfectly understandable given that he's a child... and a child terrified that the authorities will take him away from his mother if he goes to them for help. And while it's easy to hate his mother for her own stupid decisions, I found some sympathy for her as well -- the book never outright states that she has bipolar disorder, but it's heavily implied in the text, and her disorder lands her in a terrifying situation of her own.

"Small as an Elephant" is a short read, but an emotional one, and shows that mental illness affects entire families and not just the individual. It never demonizes Jack's mother for her illness, nor does it give pat answers or tidy solutions... but it still gives the reader hope that Jack's journey will ultimately be a happy one. If this isn't an assigned read in schools, I feel it should be -- kids need to learn about the realities of mental illness, and how it can affect their lives or the lives of their peers.

Jack's bi-polar mother stops taking her meds, has a "spinning" manic episode, and abandons him in a National Park -- 248 miles from home. She has done this before to her eleven-year-old son and he fears that the authorities will step in if they find out. So he needs to find her before that happens.

Jack is intelligent, resilient, and brave. He carries a shop-lifted small elephant as a talisman on his journey because of what elephants represent to him. In fact, one of the things Jack had hoped to do in Maine was to see Lydia, a performing elephant in a wild animal park.

These two goals -- seeing Lydia and finding his mom -- drive the realistic, heartbreaking, hopeful-ending plot.

This was a surprisingly delightful story. I was expected a serious tearjerker, it’s about a boy whose mother leaves he alone after all. There were definitely tears at the end of the story, but the rest of the story was more about hope and Jack’s ability to fend and think for himself.

I think there were emotions and elements of the story that stuck with me more than the target young YA reader would understand. For that reader, there is survival and confusion about why this was happening to him. There were unexpectedly good things and good people, as well as interesting little tidbits about Jack’s obsession with elephants. As an adult and a mother, I saw all those things, but also how a parent’s behaviour and mental well-being directly affect your child and their thought processes. I saw that it is possible for small tragedies to occur, and yet for there still be an overall feeling of hope and positivity. After all, Jack is really young to be by himself, and yet he managed to not only feed himself, he also travelled a great distance, and all while managing to not get abducted, abused, or even encountered seriously bad people.

Overall, I was highly impressed at the this story. While it may be aimed at a younger audience, it still tackles mental illness in a very realistic and compassionate way. It’s a story that will resonate with all readers, regardless of age, and is well worth picking up.

Small as an Elephant is a well-written, interesting and heartfelt examination of how a child views bi-polar disease. It's also a damn good story about an 11 year old trying to do what he thinks is best for his family. Lastly, it's an adventure story. you'll be cheering Jack on through every inch of his journey, and the ending is just about perfect. Can't ask for more than that in a YA novel written simply enough for an advanced middle schooler and yet complex enough to satisfy an adult.

Kalyb Sangas This book is about an eleven year old boy That goes on a camping trip with his mom and its Labor day weekend so that is the whole reason why there on this trip, anyway when he goes on the trip and the first day they go is fine but when they go to bed in there tents the next morning he finds himself alone with his mom missing. She took all the materials including the tent and car. ( by the way they had separate tents). All he had left was his spending money which he used on a hot dog,cups, matches, marshmallows, and a drink. He set out to go look for his mom in different cites Along the way he picks up recycling cans to donate them for money. He teams up with this kid big jack to find his mom. He then finds out he has been reported missing by his grandmother. him and big jack go to the elephant that is at the zoo, her name is lindy. he then has to camp in the woods again over night. when he woke up they went to visit lindy again but this time his grandmother was there waiting for him. She says she has been waiting there for a few days. He goes to his grandmothers house and she then explains to him that his mother is in the hospital getting better, and he has to live with his grandmother for now. My opinion: my opinion of his whole problem is that i think that he spent his money way too quick and on useless things, if I had that money i would use at least two dollars a day one dollar on water and one dollar on food. By the way he could of went to stores and refilled his water at the water stations so he could just spend the rest on food.

Jack, the main character, is always trapped between two worlds: his mother's world and his own world of elephants. It is probably the second world that kept him going. The story begins as Jack having a fight with his mom, causing her to live him behind in Maine, and go alone on a charter. The moment he discovered her gone, any usual children would have called the police or any adults for help, but Jack is no ordinary boy, and his mother is not the usual adult.
Instead of informing the grown-ups that his mother "disappeared", he continues to wait and lie to anyone who is interested in a boy who smells like garbage and looks as if he didn't eat anything for couple of days. During his search for his mother, he meets Jack, the bartender, who later helps him on his journey. As he stars for home, he learns that he doesn't want to go home, nor see mom again.
In the end, he decides to see Lynda, the elephant, for himself and for his missing mom. He learns rapidly that everyone is looking for him, and it is his grandma who is in the front. He makes new friends, but only to find some of them wanting to turn him in. When he got a close call getting caught by a police, he runs into Jack, (the bartender) and reaches his goal.
If you read the stories yourself, you will notice the perfect smoothness of the events adding up: every character mentioned in the story affect the book in its own way, and help Jack on his way to the end. That's not all: the book's main theme of the story is about a boy "surviving" in the society without any help, making it different from Hatchet, where the character must live with no help at all, allowing the readers be notified of the happening that can happen even in the society.
The book is written well for every age, especially for young adults. To sum up, I really enjoyed this book, and I hope you will too.

Small as an Elephant had me hooked from page one. The story was both riveting and touching, the characters (especially the protagonist Jack) were interesting and realistic, and the pace fast moving.

Of course for me what was most impressive about Small as an Elephant was the level of writing Jacobson exhibits. She is obviously a talented storyteller, but the connection she creates between Jack and the reader really goes above and beyond. Readers will commiserate with Jack and his situation, and find themselves overwhelmed by Jack's futile thoughts of living with his mother again, and will tear up with the books touching and fantastic ending. Really it is this level of writing and connection to Jack that brings Small as an Elephant from a good book to a must read.

All in all Small as an Elephant is a fantastic book. While it is short, readers will thoroughly enjoy the book. Jack is endearing and relatable, the premise is unique, and the level of writing is superb. Defiantly worth the purchase.

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Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson is a suspenseful, adventurous story that also gives a peek into the inner life of an 11-year-old boy. Jack hasn't had it easy. The reader doesn't hear details, but we glean that his mother is a manic depressive. She doesn't like to take her meds, so she sometimes "spins." During these times, Jack is basically left to fend for himself, surviving off of canned foods. Other times when she's "up," she pulls him of school for incredible adventures.

Right before school starts, Jack and his mom take a camping trip. Jack wakes up the first morning, alone. His mother's car is gone, and she's not answering her cell phone. He lays low, assuming she'll come back, but when she doesn't, he decides that he needs to find her. This takes him on an adventure -- walking, biking, and riding the bus. He's resourceful, turning in cans for the deposit so he can buy some food, and finding unique places to sleep such as a store and a barn loft. When he finds out that the authorities are looking for him, he has to be even more careful.

He was hungry, tired, and worried. Why wouldn't he just turn himself in? He knew what would happen to his mom, that's why. He didn't want her to get in trouble for neglect (even though he knows leaving him was wrong), and he didn't want to be taken away from her. As adults, our hearts break for a kid like this, but kids tend to take things at face value. As hard as it is to believe, this is more a story of adventure and survival than it is a heartbreaking tale of abandon. That makes it completely age-appropriate for any tween readers.

What a gripping premise. Jack wakes the first morning of his camping trip in Maine to find his mother's tent is gone, his mother's car is gone and his mother gone. What's Jack going to do? How is he going to get back home to Massachusetts? How is he going to find food? And what's going on with his mom?

I was hooked to Jack's heart and thoughts from the first page through the satisfying resolution.

Jack's love of elephants was a perfect thread to tie everything together, including the fascinating elephant facts that began each chapter.

This novel fulfilled all its promises, and the last sentence was beautiful.

While camping with his mother, Jack wakes up to discover that she has left him. Alone. Again. Jack uses his experience with his mom disappearing and his smarts to avoid the police and social services. Being far home in Maine (they live in Masachusetts) doesn't hinder Jack's ability to find food (helping an old lady or from trash cans) or finding a place to sleep (in a store or church). We surmise from Jack that his mom is mentally ill and that she has Jack believing that his grandma is the enemy. Each chapter begins with a blurb about elephants with a quote from a book or an interesting fact. Jack has always loved elephants and it is this love that will ultimately save him and help him heal.

A parent with a mental illness is a tough subject for kids. Being abandoned by a parent is also tough. Jennifer Jacobson handles these subjects deftly and readers will be cheering for Jack. While as an adult I find it hard to believe that Jack survived alone as long as he did young readers will not. Recommended for readers who like survival or adventure stories and contemporary fiction.

This book really os very touching and brings out the deep bonds of a true family. Has some sad and tear jerking parts but thats what makes up a great story. Would reccomend to anybody searching for a beautifully writte book!

SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT was beautifully written, incredibly compelling, and so emotionally intense that (especially as the mom of a young son) I sometimes found it almost painful to read, I was so scared and so invested in Jack's fate. I loved the ending, and I look forward to giving this book to my own son to read when he's old enough.