A Baby Elephant in the Wild by Caitlin O’Connell (review)

Elephant scientist Caitlin O’Connell briefly describes the activities of a baby elephant in Namibia, while also incorporating information on elephants and elephant society in general. The selected information has immediate kid appeal, and it’s presented in accessible, child-friendly terms: Liza’s learning curve when it comes to walking, for example, is compared to that of a humans, and the way elephants greet each other with their trunks is described as “shaking hands.” A few vocabulary words (such as “matriarch”) and pieces of information (“elephants belong to the order Proboscidae”) may require a bit of adult guidance for younger readers, while other information that kids will likely want to know (What happens to male elephants? Why don’t they live with the female families?) is inexplicably absent. O’Connell’s and Rodwell’s photographs are generally clear and compelling, and the large font of the text makes it accessible; it is often difficult to distinguish baby Liza in group shots, however, and a couple of photos in the end matter would have benefited from descriptive captions. Despite its flaws, this is still a solid and useful introduction to basic facts of African elephant life for elementary-aged readers, and it’s pretty darn hard to resist baby Liza; pair it with Jenkins’ Grandma Elephant’s in Charge (BCCB 10/03) for even more educational elephant entertainment. Additional facts about elephants and an author’s note are included.