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An Elephant in the Backyard
Describes how special elephants are in the village of Tha Klang in Thailand and looks at the life of one particular young elephant named Wan Pen.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2004
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Richard Sobol
18 books7 followersRichard Sobol, an author and award-winning photographer, is the creator of the Traveling Photographer series of children’s books. When not traveling, he is home in Massachusetts with his family.
"Though my fashion choices usually center around denim, I was intrigued by the process of silk-making. I was fascinated when I learned that some of the world’s most expensive clothing comes from a worm!" — Richard Sobol
"Though my fashion choices usually center around denim, I was intrigued by the process of silk-making. I was fascinated when I learned that some of the world’s most expensive clothing comes from a worm!" — Richard Sobol
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 10, 2011
Reason for Reading: I am reading the author's entire backlist with my son and discussing the life of a photographer/photojournalist as a career option while doing so.
This was my son's and my favourite book by Richard Sobol to date and we only have two more on his backlist to go. A wonderful story of a village in Thailand called Tha Klang, which has domesticated elephants roaming freely. It is not unusual for each family to have their own elephant. While elephants are plenty in Thailand, Tha Klang is unique in its domesticated elephants. The book follows one family, specifically the brother and sister, and their elephant Wan Pen, along with her trainer Choy. She is 4 years old now but when she is older she will help earn money for the family by giving visitors rides on her back and performing tricks. This will help the family earn money for food and pay for school for the children.
A delightful story where we learn so much about the life of a domesticated elephant who is loved as dearly as a Westerner's pet cat or dog. We watch as Wan Pen is trained, plays with her family, plays soccer with the neighborhood children and loves to be hosed down. While it is a simple story, there is an amazing amount of information about elephants imparted through the telling of the story. The photographs are to-die-for, absolutely wonderful, cute, funny and majestic. My son was trying to explain to me why this book was different from all the other Sobol books and one of the reasons he enjoyed it so much, when I finally realized he was telling me in his own words that this book was written in the third person, while Sobol's other books are usually written in the first person! Wonderful book! While copies are still available at amazon.ca, the book otherwise appears out of print. Definitely time for a reprint, I'd say. Doesn't look as if it's been released in paperback so that would be the perfect way to go.
This was my son's and my favourite book by Richard Sobol to date and we only have two more on his backlist to go. A wonderful story of a village in Thailand called Tha Klang, which has domesticated elephants roaming freely. It is not unusual for each family to have their own elephant. While elephants are plenty in Thailand, Tha Klang is unique in its domesticated elephants. The book follows one family, specifically the brother and sister, and their elephant Wan Pen, along with her trainer Choy. She is 4 years old now but when she is older she will help earn money for the family by giving visitors rides on her back and performing tricks. This will help the family earn money for food and pay for school for the children.
A delightful story where we learn so much about the life of a domesticated elephant who is loved as dearly as a Westerner's pet cat or dog. We watch as Wan Pen is trained, plays with her family, plays soccer with the neighborhood children and loves to be hosed down. While it is a simple story, there is an amazing amount of information about elephants imparted through the telling of the story. The photographs are to-die-for, absolutely wonderful, cute, funny and majestic. My son was trying to explain to me why this book was different from all the other Sobol books and one of the reasons he enjoyed it so much, when I finally realized he was telling me in his own words that this book was written in the third person, while Sobol's other books are usually written in the first person! Wonderful book! While copies are still available at amazon.ca, the book otherwise appears out of print. Definitely time for a reprint, I'd say. Doesn't look as if it's been released in paperback so that would be the perfect way to go.
February 25, 2015
Personal Reaction: This book was awesome! I really enjoyed learning about elephants as well as the culture of Thailand. This book makes you feel like you're there with them, exploring their village. The photographs are real pictures, so it gives it a life like feeling.
Purposes: This book has a few good purposes. One is to read aloud for enrichment/ enjoyment for students 2nd through 5th grade. Almost any age will enjoy this book.
Another purpose would be for cultural reasons. This book gives some background on Thailand culture, especially the Tha Klang village which Jak and Muay live in. This could be read during a lesson on different countries and cultures.
This book could also be read if the students were doing a unit on animals, typically the younger grades. The book is very descriptive of elephants and different facts about them. The students will love learning how kids in this village ride elephants daily, and keep them as pets! I think this book has many good purposes, and the rich language will help enhance vocabulary.
The pictures are real photographs, which give the story a real life experience. You feel like you're right there with Jak and Muay riding elephants, which makes the story that much more engaging!
Purposes: This book has a few good purposes. One is to read aloud for enrichment/ enjoyment for students 2nd through 5th grade. Almost any age will enjoy this book.
Another purpose would be for cultural reasons. This book gives some background on Thailand culture, especially the Tha Klang village which Jak and Muay live in. This could be read during a lesson on different countries and cultures.
This book could also be read if the students were doing a unit on animals, typically the younger grades. The book is very descriptive of elephants and different facts about them. The students will love learning how kids in this village ride elephants daily, and keep them as pets! I think this book has many good purposes, and the rich language will help enhance vocabulary.
The pictures are real photographs, which give the story a real life experience. You feel like you're right there with Jak and Muay riding elephants, which makes the story that much more engaging!
October 17, 2010
I thought that the overall idea of this book was really cute and I really liked learning about another part of the world and how it is different from where I live. I really think that kids would like this book because of how cool it would be to have an elephant in the backyard. Plus, they could relate to the kids that are in the book and imagine their life as one of these children. It was a good book, I just didn't think that it was a great book. The way that the title was presented on the front cover I thought was a little out of place and odd looking. The title looked like it had been scrap booked on the front, making it out of place. I also thought that that way that the text on the inside was placed oddly and sort of unorganized. However, I did enjoy the context of the book.
April 30, 2012
In a small village in Thailand, domesticated elephants roam the streets and this story focuses on one particular elephant named Wan Pen. Wan Pen has an interesting elephant life; she is trained regularly to do balancing acts, plays soccer with the children and is used as a tourist attraction to help families bring in money. I real story about elephants in Thailand, but more to educate an educational read and not very entertaining. I would recommend for an elemetary student, especially if they are interested in elephants. Recommend for early readers, Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Published 2004.
July 9, 2011
We checked this book out at the urging of our local public librarian as Thailand was the mystery country of the week for our 2011 Summer Library Program. Not every child can have an elephant growing up in their backyard, but for children in the village of Tha Klang, Thailand, this is normal. We learned about elephants and how much they eat/drink a day along with training the elephant goes through and other very interesting facts. It was a very good read to learn about other parts of the world.
February 24, 2015
This factual book is full of interesting information on elephants. This book would be great for a read aloud in grades 1-3 within a unit of wild animals or more specifically, Thailand culture. The book includes real photographs which would be very appealing to students. The book is full of rich vocabulary and complex sentence structure. Overall this is a great read and would be of great benefit in a lesson on wild animals.
January 12, 2011
Wonderful story of a young Asian elephant in a Thai village.
July 1, 2014
super cute photos and interesting, informative text. I learned a lot I didn't know about both elephants and Thailand!
Want to read
April 27, 2015Cute book about life in a Thai town that live side by side with elephants. The book is full of pics and info on living with elephants and the care of them. Quick, cute read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews