A Troubled Elephant. A Pianist. And an Idea That Changed Everything
The Elephant and the Piano
Written by Colette Hiller
Illustrated by Nabila Adani/
Images courtesy of Sourcebooks
Ages 4-8
Book review by Heidi Frankel
A true story that will move you and your grandchildren.
In this extraordinary story based on real events, a pianist visits a Thai sanctuary along the River Kwai, sees a troubled elephant, and figures out a unique way to connect with him.
Bonti is isolated and angry — wilder than the other elephants. Humans and the herd keep their distance. But when Paul Barton, a friendly Englishman, brings his piano to play Beethoven by the riverbank, something remarkable happens.
Alt text: Illustrated spread showing a large elephant looming over a small man seated at a grand piano in a sunlit Thai forest with text reading Bonti towered over him
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Bonti listens intently. He begins to sway, shifting his great weight, swinging his great head. A baby elephant drifts over, curious. Bonti stays calm. The baby plays the piano with his trunk — and then Bonti joins in. Plink. Plonk.
Barton returns the next evening — too hot to play during the day — this time with a self-made elephant keyboard. Bonti is there to greet him. The moment the music begins, a sudden blast of trumpeting sounds, and the ground begins to shake — the entire herd, young and old, arrives to listen and play. The adults rock. The babies roll. They wiggle their ears and trumpet with joy. Plink. Plonk. How they love to hear him play.
To this day, Barton still plays the piano for the elephants. He and Bonti, a character based on three real elephants in the herd, are best friends.
Music’s power to heal — for humans and animals alike — has never felt more real. The back pages reveal the true events behind this book — and explain how you can use music with your own animals.
Colette Hiller’s text strikes a perfect balance: enough detail and a gentle enough pace to carry young readers all the way through. An advocate of early learning, Hiller believes even the very young are receptive to the joy of wordplay, and this book proves it.
Nabila Adani’s richly layered illustrations, painted in watercolor, oil pastel, and digital media, bring the lush Thai landscape and its elephants to vivid, textured life. Warm golds and greens bathe the daytime riverbank scenes. As evening falls and more elephants gather to listen, the palette shifts to deep, velvety blues lit by glowing orbs of light.
The Elephant and the Piano is one of the best picture books 2026 has to offer — a perfect choice for books for grandchildren that also connects them to a real elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
As someone who loves elephants deeply, this book touched my heart. I know you and your grandchildren will feel the same way. After you read it together, don’t be surprised if your little ones ask you to read it again and again. And when they do, tell them the story is real. Then show them these:
To learn more about Paul Barton and the elephants, visit his YouTube channel, PaulBartonPiano, and watch the documentary Music for Elephants on Amazon Prime Video. To learn more about Elephants World — the self-supporting rescue facility and retirement sanctuary on the River Kwai where Barton plays for the elephants, visit elephantsworld.org. For an immersive, hands-on elephant experience, visit the Phuket Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.
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