Elephant Child

by Mary Ellis

Shola was 5 when she was found by scientists in the Bakuli National Park in Africa. Exhausted and half-starved, she had been kept safe by a family of elephants who had treated her as one of their young. Shola goes to live with the scientists and their son, Leo, who is thrilled to have an older sister. But when Leo's parents are killed in a plane crash, Leo is sent back to live in England. Returning to Africa some years later, Leo is shocked to find that Shola hasn't spoken since the tragic accident and that a growing number of the elephants are being killed for ivory. He and Shola set off to find "their" elephants, despite the danger of the poachers, and Shola soon finds her voice. This is Shola's story, told by Leo, about the idyllic life they lead in Africa surrounded by wildlife—an idyllic life that is cut short by danger and death. It's a novel of adventure and family ties crossing two cultures—African and European, and two kingdoms—human and animal.

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Mary Ellis grew up in Switzerland and at the age of eleven came to school in England. Following teacher training, Mary taught for ten years in London primary schools. The idea for The Arctic Fox came to her when transforming her classroom book corner into the Arctic -- complete with toy seals, polar bears and paintings by the children! Mary loves reading, poetry, picnics, walking in hills and dancing with her husband -- the illustrator Andy Ellis -- and daughter, Mathilda. This is her first book. Her second, Lily Dragon, is set in China and will be published by HarperCollins Children's Books in November.

Reviews

[Maren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elephant Child is a fast paced, moving story. The characters are believable and I found myself caring about them. The tale has a moral - or several - but they're not intrusive, and there are some observations about life that may make the reader pause to think a while.
The text is enhanced by beautiful charcoal drawings showing the people and the African animals, by Kady MacDonald Denton.
Unfortunately the cover images used in the paperback editions were not by MacDonald Denton and are in a completely different style.