THE LITTLEST ELEPHANT

Ruby the elephant—introduced in Applegate’s Newbery Medal–winning The One and Only Ivan (2012)—makes her picture-book debut.

Told entirely in Ruby’s voice, the story centers on the young pachyderm’s uncertainties around her Tuskday ceremony: a rite of passage that celebrates the appearance of an elephant’s front teeth. In the first-person narration, Ruby’s feelings—her anxieties about her emerging tusks, her traumatic memories of poachers, and her fears about growing up—all feel immediate. Judge’s watercolor illustrations are extraordinary, capturing the emotional landscape of elephant life through body language and expressive eyes. Daytime scenes at the sanctuary where Ruby lives are bathed in warm golds and greens; vignettes focus on some of her more intimate moments. A particularly stunning nighttime spread depicts Ruby gazing at a luminous moon, surrounded by her herd’s protective circle—the deep blues and silvery whites creating a sanctuary of light against darkness that mirrors the book’s central theme. The vertical lines of the trunks and soft-edged, massive elephant forms work together to create a sense of visual calm and safety, grounding Ruby’s emotional journey. Readers will organically absorb facts about tusks, mud baths, and herd behavior while also confronting deeper fears about loss and belonging. Applegate’s text may be a bit dense for the youngest listeners, but it serves as an effective introduction to the characters from her One and Only novels.

A meditation on memory, growth, and resilience that trusts young readers with difficult emotions.