The Beautiful Elephant

A young elephant with low self esteem learns through the kind words of a baby owl that she is her own kind of beautiful. This feeling of self-love opens her perspective and grants her a long-awaited friendship in the process.

A young elephant is unhappy with her appearance, especially when comparing herself to other creatures. Her self-esteem is so low she won't risk saying hello to the graceful flamingo for fear of rejection. When Elephant overhears the admiration of an exquisite baby owl, she sees herself in a new light and finally recognizes her own beauty. This self-love opens her heart, enabling her to begin a friendship with Flamingo. She also realizes they have more in common than she thought. This story illustrates the struggle of self-doubt, the difficulty of judging ourselves too harshly, and the power of kindness and self-acceptance.

Jennifer Lohrfink Morfea draws on her personal experiences, especially as a mother and a special education teacher to write about important issues that children face on a daily basis. She has a gift of verbally expressing words of the heart and does so with compassion, candor, and humor. She lives in Holmes, NY with her husband and children. She is also the author of The Gentle Boa, The Little Hyena, and The Rebellious Bat. Additionally, her writing was featured in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul (1997).