Elephants: A Book for Children

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An Elephant in the Garden – Michael Morpurgo (2013): (Fiction grades 5-9) Lizzie and Karl’s mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don’t run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead. Elephant Dance- Tammie Matson (2009): From the magic of Bushmanland, to the banks of Chobe River in Botswana, to the civil strife of Assam, India, Elephant Dance takes us to the heart of a conservationist’s fight to find a way for elephants to live peacefully in a world with too many people, too few resources and the increasing threat of climate change.

If you are a traveler, I would strongly discourage you from participating in tourism that involves washing, walking or riding elephants. Many of these programs have very fraught ethics and it’s difficult to tell the good from the bad. Now that she’s twelve, Lex is finally old enough to help with the elephants. But during their first training session, Nyah sends her a telepathic image of the woods outside the zoo. Despite the wind’s protests, Lex decides to investigate Nyah’s message. She gets wrapped up in an adventure involving ghosts, lost treasure, and a puzzle that might be the key to finding her family. Elephants – Rob Laidlaw (2014) : (recommended grades 2-7) 5 Elephants will provide readers with some fascinating elephant facts and figures, as well as introduce some of the serious challenges that wild and captive elephants face. In 5 Elephants, you will read the stories of five famous elephants.Leaving Time- Jodi Picoult (2014): A story about a young girl whose mother mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident at an elephant sanctuary. The story follows the tragedy and the child’s quest to find her mother, but also goes into depth about elephants, their emotions, and their stories, both in the wild and in captivity. Elephant Memories: Thirteen years in the Life of an Elephant Family- Cynthia Moss (2000): Her chronicles of the lives of the elephant members of the T families- a glimpse into their everyday life and what makes them who they are. The remarkable story of James Howard “Billy” Williams. His uncanny rapport with the world’s largest land animals transformed him from a carefree young man into the charismatic war hero known as Elephant Bill

Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity- David Kirby (2013): Death at SeaWorld centers on the battle with the multimillion-dollar marine park industry over the controversial and even lethal ramifications of keeping killer whales in captivity. Following the story of marine biologist and animal advocate at the Humane Society of the US, Naomi Rose, Kirby tells the gripping story of the two-decade fight against PR-savvy SeaWorld, which came to a head with the tragic death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. I received my 3 books today and they are amazing, so well done, thank you so much! Really exciting to finally see them."But as with all things in life, we don’t all agree about some of the books. Some people like some that others couldn’t even finish. Just because the book is on the list, doesn’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Please read a full review before dipping into the stories. Also remember, if you enjoy a book written by a researcher or conservationist, most have other books as well that you can look for. Through the Eyes of Ernest: A Memoir to Honor Elephants- Debbie McFee (2013): A somber but ultimately hopeful tale told from an elephant’s point of view, Through the Eyes of Ernest asks us to consider why we keep such intelligent, social animals in captivity. Elephants of Thailand: The Smiling Elephant – Aston Heath (2017) : (recommended ages 2-8) A touching true story Chang, a baby elephant, and his adventures as he is rescued from captivity. The Smiling Elephant tells a true story of the plight of elephants in captivity. This beautifully illustrated children’s book about elephants in Thailand takes the child through an elephant’s life, starting from the jungle, life in the tourist industry and then being rescued and taken to an elephant refuge park. There is also a category labeled “Other.” This includes books about animals, emotion, and our relationships with them. Please know, while we have personally read many of these books, we have not read all of them. We also went off of recommendations from other “elephant people.” Elephants are memorable giants. They have great memories and are incredibly intelligent. Contrastingly, they can be incredibly gentle with their young, yet are one of the fiercest wild animals out there.

of the profit from the sale of the book will be donated to Born Free Foundation Saving Meru's giants project.I suppose if there were a part of the world in which mastodon still lived, somebody would design a new gun, and men, in their eternal impudence, would hunt mastodon as they now hunt elephant. Impudence seems to be the word. At least David and Goliath were of the same species, but, to an elephant, a man can only be a midge with a deathly sting.

It is absurd for a man to kill an elephant. It is not brutal, it is not heroic, and certainly it is not easy; it is just one of those preposterous things that men do like putting a dam across a great river, one tenth of whose volume could engulf the whole of mankind without disturbing the domestic life of a single catfish. Bohemoth: The History of the Elephant in America – Ronald B. Tobias (2013): A chronicle tracing the elephant’s indelible footprint on American culture, and its 200 year history To the Elephant Graveyard- Tarquin Hall (2001): A compelling account of the search for a killer elephant in the Northeast corner of India, and a vivid portrait of the tribe who live intimately with the elephants. It examines the elephant suffering taking place due to loss of their natural habitat.With no trace of her birth family, Lex grew up at the zoo with Nyah and her elephant family; her foster father, Roger; her best friend, Fisher; and the wind whispering in her ear. Phoenix Zones: Where Strength Is Born and Resilience Lives – Hope Ferdowsian MD (2018): Combining compelling stories of survivors with the latest science on resilience, PHOENIX ZONES reveals the link between violence against people and animals and the biological foundation for recovery, peace, and hope. Jumbo Ghosts: The Dangerous Life of Elephants in the Zoo – Michael Schmidt (2002): Jumbo Ghosts is about both the ancient and mysterious bond we have with elephants, and why/how we’ve broken that bond in our modern zoos. Sections examine the human/elephant bond, what makes life so dangerous for elephants living in modern zoos, and new ideas to mend our broken bonds with them. The Ten Trusts; What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love.- Jane Goodall, Mark Bekoff (2013): Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff have set forth ten trusts that we must honor as custodians of the planet. They argue passionately and persuasively that if we put these trusts to work in our lives, the earth and all its inhabitants will be able to live together harmoniously. The Ten Trusts expands the concept of our obligation to live in close relationship with animals — for, of course, we humans are part of the animal kingdom — challenging us to respect the interconnection between all living beings as we learn to care about and appreciate all species.