Recently I revisited an old favorite.

Elephants Never Forget! was written by Anushka Ravishankar and illustrated by Christiane Pieper. It was published in 2007 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Interestingly, this book was first published in India by Tara Publishing. The cover is what captured my attention and coaxed me into opening the book. I can’t stress enough the importance of a great attention-grabbing cover for picture books.

The cover illustration for Elephants Never Forget! (actually all the illustrations in the book) is only three simple colors-black and lavender on a cream background. The incredible, lively illustrations were created digitally, but you’d never guess it. I think they work perfectly for this rewarding tale that has an ending that I didn’t expect. Here’s a summary: A lost baby elephant finds a new home with the buffalo and when the elephant herd returns, he must decide who he will live with.

 It’s worth noting that