Of Boa Constrictors, Elephants and Imaginary Whales

It’s a surprising combination of the illustrations of three animals that represent a collection of cautionary tales. The author counts on the creative imagination of the reader to grasp the full meaning of the three animals represented here: a boa constrictor, an elephant and a whale. The boa constrictor and the elephant are taken from the imaginative tale of St-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” where we find a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant that grown ups call a “hat.” As to the whale, it’s there to remind the reader of the Biblical whale that swallowed Jonah.

It’s a reminder of being in the belly of the beast. The cautionary tales in this book are thus represented as tales of the creative imagination that remind the reader that sometimes one needs to be cautious about what one does or hears. The author simply asks the reader to open one’s mind to the fascination of imaginary tales that rival so called fact and reality. Children are most often sensitive to what grown-ups fail to decipher and understand.

They see a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant while grownups see a hat.