Exposing children to a diverse range of literary and informational texts, the Core Concepts program helps develop important literacy and cognitive skills necessary to meet many of the Common Core State Standards.Gold Light and Gold Ray are the only known pair of elephant twins in the world! Photojournalist Richard Sobol has masterfully captured the twins' playfulness, as he shows the twins feeding, bathing, napping, and learning with their trainer Pai. Elephant Twins transports readers to Ban Tha Klang, Thailand, to play with the baby elephants and meet this unique pair of brothers!Elephant Twins covers the concept Animals.
Richard 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
This was a rather decent introductory book to the world of Asian elephants in captivity. Although the book is more focused around the twin calves that were born and what types of training they go through - both elephant and human - and the differences between the two there is still enough information for children to be able to learn about elephants in general that it works to educate children on two very different yet interconnected points.
The writing is a bit heavy and there is no pronunciation guide so children will most definitely need the help of an adult, especially if they are just beginning to read. At the same time the font size is smallish thus allowing more words to fit on the page so it can be a bit of a struggle for those who have problems with viewing the writing. And although reviewing dates it is a bit unclear as to their claim on elephant twins - are these the only known two male twins, the only known set of male Asian elephants or the only known set at the time of the writing although a pair appeared in South Africa later on in the year?
Fortunately the book makes up for the unclearness by doing a great job with using photographs for illustrations. They are bright, colorful and capture the details of both the Thai village, its people and of course the elephants. Readers are able to see the mother and sons doing what comes natural to elephants and their babies as well as what it is like to be a captive Asian elephant.
All in all a decent introductory read to the world of the captive elephant and specifically to a set of rare twins. With adorable pictures that will remind children of their own siblings this is a good book to be shared by families.
First sentence: Have you ever seen a baby elephant? In the village of Ban Ta Klang, Thailand, you can see two! There, elephants live in people's backyards and homes, and walk around the town freely. The people care for their elephants as if they are part of the family.
Premise/plot: Sobol tells the story of Gold Light (Thong-Tang) and Gold Ray (Thong-Kum), elephant twins born to Double Gold (Thong-Kun). He describes what life is like for elephants and villagers alike.
My thoughts: I love elephants. I do. I always wanted a pet elephant. This is the second elephant book by Sobol that I've read. And his two books have only made me love elephants all the more. Definitely recommended if you're looking for nonfiction books to read with children.
Text: 4 out of 5 Photographs: 5 out of 5 Total: 9 out of 10
The pictures and story relayed are super cute. I am not sure how it pertains to Common Core as I have not done any examination of the standards, but the book in of itself is cute. I don't really care about common core, particularly since I'm in Texas, a state that chose not to adopt the standards, and since my family homeschools.
Summary: readers get to meet a pair of elephant twins, Thong-Tang and Thong-Kum. The readers get to experience these elephants eating, napping, and playing. The setting is Thailand and Pai their trainer shows how the elephants learn through play and from his commands.
Review: The book features real photos of the elephants, their surroundings, and the trainers that care for him. I like that the book is for a 5th grade reading level but this book interests young children to adults. I learned a lot from this great informational text.
possible uses: lesson on Thailand, lesson about elephants