How to Be an Elephant
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
The savanna is not an easy place to live, even for African elephants, the largest land animals on earth. If it's a challenge for these 7,000-pound giants, what's it like for their newborn babies?
An infant elephant has precious little time to learn the incredible array of skills that are necessary to keep up, from projecting her voice across a 10-octave range to using the 100,000 muscles in her trunk to stay hydrated. But this giant-to-be has the perfect classroom--a family herd made up of her mother, sisters, cousins, and aunts. With their help and protection, she'll learn how to survive, how to thrive, and how to be an elephant.
Award-winning author-illustrator Katherine Roy's How to Be an Elephant delves into the intricate family dynamics at play in a typical African herd. Drawing upon the latest scientific research and Roy's own expedition to Kenya, and brimming with lush watercolor illustrations and detailed diagrams, this book vividly portrays the life and development of an elephant from an uncertain newborn into a majestic adult. As informative as it is beautiful, Roy's unique portrait of an elephant's life will captivate young explorers and animal lovers alike.
David Macaulay Studio
This title has Common Core connections.
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2017
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2017
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a richly informative follow-up to Neighborhood Sharks, Roy uses a baby African elephant's efforts to adapt to the world as a springboard to discuss the characteristics that make these creatures so distinctive. Roy's forceful watercolors convey a sense of movement and energy, with sweeping lines in violet, gray, brown, and pale blue. Interspersed diagrams help readers get a better sense of elephants' anatomy (including whimsical touches such as comparing a trunk to a Swiss army knife outfitted with a snorkel, trumpet, shovel, and more), while the central narrative dives into how the animals communicate, stay cool, and more. Immersive illustrations and careful attention to detail in both the text and art combine to create a rewarding study of a remarkable animal. Ages 7 11.
