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  • How to Be an Elephant by Katherine Roy book cover
  • How to Be an Elephant by Katherine Roy book cover
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How to Be an Elephant

by Katherine Roy

Growing up in an elephant herd

$17.71 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    The Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2017

    Named a Best Book of 2017 in The Horn Book Fanfare.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Growing up in an elephant herd

Set on the African savanna, this nonfiction picture book traces an elephant’s development from newborn to adult. Its central thread is learning: a young elephant must master the abilities needed to keep up and survive, with her mother and other herd members providing instruction and protection. The account also explores the family relationships within a typical African herd. Watercolor illustrations and detailed diagrams accompany the animal-life narrative, while the description notes that the book draws on scientific research and the author’s expedition to Kenya.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 9–12 interested in elephants and animal life
  • Young readers curious about how animals learn and develop
  • Readers who enjoy nonfiction with illustrations and diagrams

Themes

Elephant developmentFamily herds and social relationshipsAnimal survival and learningAfrican savanna wildlife

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

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

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