Albert the Elephant
A heartwarming story about overcoming perfectionism and discovering the joy of creativity.
Join this fun and loveable character Albert the Elephant as he overcomes his self-doubts and fears around drawing. Albert wants to draw the perfect picture, but along the way he learns that there is something even more important—believing in yourself and just having a go.
What Readers Are Saying
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Keith MacDougallÂ
Primary School Teacher
"Albert the Elephant is a sensitive and engaging tale that highlights the important message that all children are beautiful and special in their own way." Â
David Goldstein
Co-Author of Creative You, Artist, Blogger (USA)
Hi Joanna, Just wanted to let you know that your book is very well received. I waited until after the Christmas "noise" to give my son your Albert the Elephant and for the last week, its been his favorite book. Even last Saturday when we were going out he wanted to make sure his babysitter knew to read it with him before bedtime and I heard him say to her that "it came from Australia." Being a fan of both drawing and ice-cream, my son gets Albert right away. He has several toy stuffed elephants and he lines them up to listen to the story. He asks lots of questions about why Albert crumples his artwork and it has opened up a nice dialog between us about how we all have different creative styles."
Sophie (Age 5), as shared by her parent.
"Sophie really enjoyed your book. What do you want to say to Jo about it, I asked "I love it" she says "It's the best book that I ever had" "really?" "yep". That was an actual conversation. Her favourite bit is when he scrunches up the paper and throws it in the bin."
 Angelina (Age 7)
"I loved it so much because Albert didn't give up. His picture was good."
Josh (Age 6)
"That's exactly how I feel!"
Christos (Age 9)
"I really liked the pictures Joanna drew. The story makes me want to draw now (but I can't bc I'm sick!)"
The Story Behind Albert the Elephant
The joy of creativity is what brings me alive, and I’ve loved creating and imagining worlds for as long as I can remember.
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Albert the Elephant was the very first book I wrote and published, making it a particularly special part of my journey.
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The inspiration came while I was a stay-at-home mum watching my children drawing together. My younger child kept comparing their drawing to their older sibling’s, then scrunching it up and throwing it away. I wanted to write a story that helped children overcome perfectionism. A story that encouraged them to enjoy the process of creating, rather than trying to create the perfect picture.
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To publish this book, I had to overcome the perfectionism that was holding me back, too. I chose to illustrate the story myself with simple chalk pastel drawings because I wanted them to feel genuine and heartfelt rather than polished and perfect.
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I quickly discovered that chalk pastels on grey paper don’t reproduce particularly well in print! With the help of my sister, I made a few digital adjustments so they would work on the page, while carefully preserving the warmth and simplicity of the original artwork.
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Looking back, I can see how much I’ve grown as both an author and an illustrator, but this story reminds me that every creative journey begins with the courage to start.
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Albert the Elephant will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the book that transformed a lifelong dream of being an author into reality.
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Shared with love,Â
Joanna WalshÂ