Soon

PreS-Gr 1—Baby elephant Raju follows his mother on a grand adventure, beginning in the dark of the morning and continuing through areas of great danger. Each turn of the page brings him to a new experience with unseen perils: traversing the river where crocodiles await, an Indian forest where a great snake lives above in trees, and the "tall grass where the tiger prowls." At each stop, mother elephant frightens away danger and continues on, patiently answering her little one's queries about returning home with a single word—"Soon." The bond between the two is evidenced in each step and stop, as Raju's long adventure builds to a mountainous climb and culminates with a panoramic view of his world, before returning home. Finely detailed, water-washed images of the Indian countryside emphasize the nervous excitement of new experiences and love between parent and child.