This is a wonderful book for learning about and appreciating elephants. How to Be An Elephant: Growing up in the African Wild by Katherine Roy is all about a baby elephant learning to be an elephant in the Savanna. It’s not an easy place to live, but the baby elephant learns how to survive through the family herd, made up of her mother, sisters, cousins, and aunts. After a 22 month pregnancy, the her spreads the news that the baby elephant will soon be born “with flapping ears and whiffling trunks.” The baby elephants starts out wobbly, but the her protects her and teachers her. The baby must learn to project her voice over a 10 octave range and learn to use the 100,000 muscles in her trunk to stay hydrated. This is a beautiful book with lush watercolor illustrations–it’s a keeper. You and your child will learn a lot from the story of the growing baby elephant, diagrams, illustrations, and interesting facts about elephants. The book is 48 pages and recommended for ages 7 to 11.
Today's Kidlit Book 