My Bibi Always Remembers by Toni Buzzeo (review)

In this companion to Stay Close to Mama (BCCB 4/12), a thirsty little elephant, Tembo, follows the family matriarch, Bibi, as the herd seeks water (“Step-step. Searching for wet”). Tembo, however, is often distracted along the way, several times losing contact with the herd until an elder—her mother, her auntie, her Bibi—gently retrieves her and brings her back to the group. Wise Bibi successfully navigates the family to a long-remembered spot where water lies beneath a sandy riverbed, and the elephants dig until they hit water and can finally quench their thirst. Once again, Buzzeo and Wohnoutka manage a lively fictional tale that stealthily conveys a surprising amount of fact about animal behavior, while the careful structure, lilting patterning, and occasional elephantine sound effects make this an excellent readaloud candidate. The playful art gently anthropomorphizes the smiling elephants but also vividly sets the African scene, employing interesting perspectives to add drama (many scenes look up at the elephants from a child’s eye level). This works equally well as animal story or warm family tale, and it would be a particularly fine grandparent read for those human Bibis honored by the comparison. An author’s note about elephant families is appended.