"It's alright,' Lewyn said, 'let's go on, let's persist, we can't quit just because Greenland doesn't exist!' But how would the three of them know where to find a country seen only inside Ellie's mind?"
Lewlyn Sylvester meets an elephant - a green elephant. He is green because he has just returned from Greenland. In Greenland he has seen the most marvelous things - jellyfish lights, ice cream hills and cottages made from chocolate pies.
The world of Lewlyn Sylvester is so dull. No colour and no excitement. Lewlyn heads over to the zoo to talk to Ellie (the green elephant).
"I'm sorry for doubting your story so far. I'd love to see Greenland, but I don't have a car."
Lewlyn climbs onto his elephant friend, and they head off across the outback, then over to the coast, across the ocean to arrive at the equator where they are stopped and told they need to fly. Luckily an eel arrives with a small sailing boat. And so their journey continues across the ocean until the arrive on a shore. But is this really Greenland? And if it is not the place of their dreams, what can they do?
"Would you like to visit the land of your dreams? Where hats can be boats, and eels sell ice-creams? I'll turn out the light, tuck you in, shut the door. Close your eyes, are you ready? One two three ... four!"
The final page (which might shock or surprise or puzzle you) made me think of these books:
The journey feels little like the famous Lewis Carroll poem - the Hunting of the Snark.
So much care has gone into the design of this book. It has interesting end papers which are sure to be terrific discussion starters. Extra money has been spent to include green foil on the cover. The way the partial view of the elephant is seen to be marching forward is the perfect invitation to open this book and discover more.
The illustrations early in the book reminded me of The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan. There are charming extra details inside the emerald igloo such as a train in a bottle, a deep diving helmet, a world map and a pair of skis – all icons of an adventurous explorer. Turning the elephant’s hat upside down is reminiscent of the umbrella Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. There are also some very clever nods to Dr Suess.
The word play is such fun – Gator Keeper, Ellie Phant and the eel deal. I love the images of ice cream cones when they construct Greenland. Food used this way reminded me of War and Peas by Michael Foreman. There are so many layers to this story which means it will be appreciated across a range of ages. The page turns add drama and suspense. The messages of wonder and dreaming, of teamwork and perseverance, and the rewards of a community working together are very worthwhile. Even though the rhyme is uneven (I suggest you practice before reading this book aloud to a group of children), I do like the rich word choices. This book celebrates imagination and special friends. The ending is funny and unexpected. Share this book with children aged 6+.
You can see Beau Wylie's quirky art style on his web page here. Scroll down to see illustrations from To Greenland. Click to see an image of Beau painting his green elephant.
Pip Smith is a novelist, poet, songwriter and children’s author based in Sydney. Her critically acclaimed first novel, Half Wild, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2017, and her first collection of poetry, Too Close for Comfort, won the inaugural Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award in 2013.
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