T.A. on Inspiration:
“The conjunction of elements real and fantastic is my inspiration: they co-exist and are in harmony if you allow them to be. Elephant and Rabbit are in the magical forest where all roads meet – all roads – and creatures of every kind find themselves, however briefly, in that place. The magical forest exists. The visits and durations are up to us. By the way, I love these characters.”
T.A. Young is the author of another book, The Fairy Tale Book of Bifford C. Wellington, which also takes place in a magical forest.The Preface to that book contains the best description of the forest. And the stories? –
“They have lessons in ‘em, the more hidden, the better: that mistakes can be good things, the imperfect can be better than perfect, and that sometimes stupidity is better than smartness.
The difference between the approaches of the two books?
“The Fairy Tale Book is about TIME; Elephant and Rabbit is about PLACE.”
Elephant and Rabbit have been called “the greatest fictional duo since Tom and Huck”. Who are they, really?
“They are Sancho and Don Quixote, Laurel and Hardy, Androcles and The Lion, Vladimir and Estragon, Hope and Crosby…friends, brothers, hosts to all visitors to the magical forest; tour guides to eternity…”