What could a retired circus elephant and a young girl flagged for social isolation have in common? An unexplainable admiration for each other as two daughters who dream of being reunited with their mothers. Read The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan to explore the beauty of cultural heritage, to revel in an elephant’s joy of living on a nature preserve, and to appreciate the importance of how we treat others – human or animal. Experience the pleasure of viewing the world through Sila’s eyes and friendships, filled with patience and kindness, even in the face of longing.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Holly about the fun of research, the importance of perspective and point of view, and the beauty of crossing bridges to meet in the middle. Enjoy!
Tell me about your journey as a writer: how did you start, and where are you headed?
“I always considered myself someone who loved stories. As a kid I loved to read and to watch movies. I ended up writing novels and writing films, so I guess I took the things I cared about and made those things central to my life.
I’m proud to say that I’m getting ready to turn in the manuscript for my eleventh book. Ten of those are for young people, and one is an adult novel. I’ve written ten films that have been made, and many more that have not. However, hope springs eternal and maybe some of those projects will end up being filmed. Some of my movies are well known, such as Angels in the Outfield and The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. All of them have a special place in my heart.”
The Elephant in the Room features a number of unlikely friendships: Mateo and Sila, Sila and Gio, and even Veda and (briefly) Mr. Pickles. Which of these friendships was the most fun for you to nurture throughout the book? Was there any dynamic you wish you could’ve spent more time with?
“I really loved the bond that Sila and Mateo have. I worked hard on that. I have friendships in my life that go all the way back to when I was in preschool. And just yesterday I received an email from my Kindergarten best friend. What’s amazing about that is the fact that I moved often as a child, and I lived overseas (in Holland and in Turkey). Despite moving every three years in childhood, I’ve been able to keep in touch with the people who mattered in my life.”
“He was a bear. She was an elephant.” This is such a simple, but profound, way to describe two beings that understand and respect each other without being friends. What lesson might humans take from this, especially in our current climate?
“I believe that while living things have differences, living things are all more common than we are led to think. I write books in large part to make that statement. Don’t look at what separates us, find what brings us together. We live in divided times. I want us to find ways to cross bridges and meet in the middle.”
Sila’s chapters are rich with lyrical prose that captures the big emotions she’s feeling in her mother’s absence. Then, midway through the novel, there are chapters from Veda’s point of view followed by a chapter from Mr. Pickle’s point of view. How did you approach creating each of these distinct voices?
“I’m very interested in the fact that there are so many different ways to see any event. It’s all about point of view and perspective. I love animals so much. When I was very young, my whole world was our dog, our pet goat, the neighbor’s cats, and the horses that lived on the other side of the hill. I loved watching birds, looking for tadpoles, salamanders and frogs. There were skunks, raccoons, and owls that were out at night. I listened for them. I tried to imagine what they were thinking.
I’ve been fortunate enough to go to Africa, and I worked on a film project that was about elephants. They are truly extraordinary.”
Sila and Veda walk parallel paths throughout Elephant, both missing their mothers across a great distance. How early in plotting the novel did you know Sila and Vida were both carrying the same loss?
“I started with that idea, so very early on. When I was young, our across-the-street neighbor got a puppy. But apparently it was taken too soon from its mother. At night, the little puppy cried and cried. The neighbor was a doctor and he got an alarm clock, which ticked in a very loud way. He wrapped that up in a soft, fuzzy sock, and placed it right next to the puppy. The little dog went right to sleep. The doctor explained to me that the alarm clock would be a sound the puppy would recognize as a beating heart. He would believe his mother was there. He would be comforted. I’ve never forgotten that. That’s not in the book, but I bring it up because the connection to a mother is fundamental.”
Throughout Elephant, you share a number of interesting animal facts — both about elephants, and other animals like ants and flamingos. In your research, was there a particular fact that really surprised you?
“I have a real soft spot in my heart for flamingos. Why are they pink? Why do they often stand on one leg? Why do their beaks ooze liquid? Researching plants and animals is my idea of heaven.”
You juggle multiple plot lines in Elephant. How did you ensure they land in a way that is cohesive and satisfying? Any story plotting advice for young writers?
“I really think that writing is all about rewriting. So my advice is to write a story, and then go back to the beginning and tell that story a second time, adding in a new understanding of the characters, the place, and the situation.
My life advice, whether a person is writing or doing anything, is to be consistent. If you want to be a great guitar player, then play every day. The same is true for soccer. It’s true for cooking, writing, and drawing. You need to commit. And like the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It!”
Reading is a great habit to get into. It gives you a bigger life. A larger vocabulary. A greater understanding of the world. So just do that.”
Another of your novels, Appleblossom the Possum features an animal protagonist — and Veda’s dung brings a variety of different animals to Gio’s land. How do you think a meeting between Appleblossom and Veda would play out?
“HA! That’s a funny question. Appleblossom would be hopelessly in love with Veda. Appleblossom is curious about the world, and she recognizes the goodness in others. They would be a good match as friends!”
You have also written many iconic and beloved screenplays for film and television, particularly in family entertainment, as well as directed. Have those experiences influenced how you write or find inspiration for your books?
“I love animals. I love sports. I love being in the natural world. I love kids. I love writing about them, and writing for them. In the movie Angels in the Outfield, I got to spend months with professional baseball players. The studio even sent me to baseball training camp in Arizona. I went to Australia and spent time with the Irwin family while making The Crocodile Hunter movie. I worked (uncredited) on a movie for Disney called Mighty Joe Young. I went to Africa and saw mountain gorillas in the wild. There really isn’t a lot of difference for me in writing a novel or a film. I’m trying to tell a story, and I’m very much inspired by what I see around me.”
How has reading aloud made an impact on your life?
“One of the most important things in my education occurred in the fifth grade. My teacher lost her husband halfway through the school year. I never did know the specifics of what happened, but what we all did know was that she was gone and then came back after a few weeks and she was very sad.
She taught us in a different way when she returned. She decided that she was going to read books to us for almost an hour a day. So every afternoon she shut the door and she pulled down the shade and she took a seat up front on a stool, facing us, and she started to read. I guess we didn’t do as much math, or spelling or whatever it was that we had been doing before. She was on a different path and we were all with her.
The other thing she did was she had us each memorize a piece of writing. We had to work on that on our own time, but I can still recite most of The Gettysburg Address because of her. The power of hearing those books, and the feeling that we all got every day right after lunch when we were full and probably tired, as we listened to her read, was incredible.
So thank you, Mrs. Perron, for turning me into a reader and then a writer.”
What do you hope students, families, and schools will take away from their time with The Elephant in the Room?
“I hope that reading The Elephant in the Room will lead to discussions that are wide-ranging. I want people to think about animals and how they are treated. That leads to a discussion of how people are treated, how we care for each other and protect each other. I want to talk about differences, challenges and ultimately, how we find ways toward acceptance.”
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We at Read to Them cannot thank Holly enough for her time. If you’d like to get in touch with Holly with any questions of your own, you can reach out on her website or on her social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Happy reading!
