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Child Of Africa #0.5
The Avoidable Orphan: Can saving one small elephant help mend and unite a grieving family?
Recently widowed Rodger de Jonge is losing his bond with his daughters. He’s a man of the African bush, and coping with ‘girlie feelings’ was always Helene’s department, not his. When an orphaned baby elephant is found, Rodger sees an opportunity that might help him reconnect with his children. But interfering with the orphan goes against his usual conservation methods. It will require a new approach to save both the baby and his family.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2015
58 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
T.M. Clark
15 books85 followersT.M. Clark
Zimbabwean-born T.M. Clark combines her passion for storytelling, different cultures and wildlife with her love for the wild in her multicultural books. Writing for adults and children, she has been nominated for a Queensland Literary Award and is a Children’s Book Council Notable. When not killing her fans and hiding their bodies (all in the name of literature), Tina Marie coordinates the CYA Conference (www.cyaconference.com), providing professional development for new and established writers and illustrators, and is the co-presenter at Writers as Sea (www.WritersAtSea.com.au). She loves mentoring emerging writers, eating chocolate biscuits and collecting books for creating libraries in Papua New Guinea.
Visit T.M. Clark at tmclark.com.au
Her books include My Brother-But-One, nominated for a Queensland Literary People’s Choice Award in 2014. Shooting Butterflies, Tears of A Cheetah, Child of Africa, Nature of the Lion and Cry of the Firebird. Her children’s picture books include Slowly! Slowly!, which is a 2018 CBCA Notable Book, and Quickly! Quickly! which are companion books to Child Of Africa.
Her new novel, Song of the Starlings is out now.
Zimbabwean-born T.M. Clark combines her passion for storytelling, different cultures and wildlife with her love for the wild in her multicultural books. Writing for adults and children, she has been nominated for a Queensland Literary Award and is a Children’s Book Council Notable. When not killing her fans and hiding their bodies (all in the name of literature), Tina Marie coordinates the CYA Conference (www.cyaconference.com), providing professional development for new and established writers and illustrators, and is the co-presenter at Writers as Sea (www.WritersAtSea.com.au). She loves mentoring emerging writers, eating chocolate biscuits and collecting books for creating libraries in Papua New Guinea.
Visit T.M. Clark at tmclark.com.au
Her books include My Brother-But-One, nominated for a Queensland Literary People’s Choice Award in 2014. Shooting Butterflies, Tears of A Cheetah, Child of Africa, Nature of the Lion and Cry of the Firebird. Her children’s picture books include Slowly! Slowly!, which is a 2018 CBCA Notable Book, and Quickly! Quickly! which are companion books to Child Of Africa.
Her new novel, Song of the Starlings is out now.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 30, 2016
When his friend Leslie phoned him, Rodger was reluctant – but his wish that the orphaned baby elephant Leslie and Stephen’s son Joss had found would help reunite him with his daughters meant he agreed to head over to their reserve with his girls to help with the baby. Past experience had shown the percentage was high that she wouldn’t survive – he knew his daughters Peta and Courtney would love the baby elephant Joss had named Ndhlovy so they would all do their best.
The death of their mother and wife had hit the family hard; Helene had been such a loving presence for them all that their grief was shattering. But Rodger was determined to succeed at his new role – his children meant the world to him. What would be the outcome for Ndhlovy? And would Rodger and his children reconnect?
The Avoidable Orphan by Aussie author T.M. Clark is a beautiful and heart wrenching short story which I absolutely loved. Set in Africa the descriptions of the countryside; the wild animals; the conservation of the wild – all shows the knowledge and love this author has for the area. Highly recommended.
The death of their mother and wife had hit the family hard; Helene had been such a loving presence for them all that their grief was shattering. But Rodger was determined to succeed at his new role – his children meant the world to him. What would be the outcome for Ndhlovy? And would Rodger and his children reconnect?
The Avoidable Orphan by Aussie author T.M. Clark is a beautiful and heart wrenching short story which I absolutely loved. Set in Africa the descriptions of the countryside; the wild animals; the conservation of the wild – all shows the knowledge and love this author has for the area. Highly recommended.
May 27, 2023
Solid Story
I didn’t realize this was geared more to young adults, but I liked it. It felt a little rushed in the beginning and didn’t lay a foundation for the story, but I enjoyed it more as the story continued. This was a short quick read, and I enjoyed learning a bit more about elephants and life in Africa.
I didn’t realize this was geared more to young adults, but I liked it. It felt a little rushed in the beginning and didn’t lay a foundation for the story, but I enjoyed it more as the story continued. This was a short quick read, and I enjoyed learning a bit more about elephants and life in Africa.
January 20, 2018
This is a short story that I thoroughly enjoyed, who doesn’t love a baby elephant who needs saving and when children are involved in saving this baby your heart will swell with joy and happiness, set in Africa this is a story that shows how families stick together whether human or animal through thick and thin, I highly recommend that you get to know Ndhlovy, Joss, Courtney and Peta as well as their families.
Joss is a young boy who lives at a safari lodge with his parents he has found a baby elephant who needs saving, he and Bongani who helps at the lodge get her home and Leslie, his mother calls in their friend Roger to help with the elephant. Roger arrives with his two daughters Peta and Courtney who is Joss’s best friend and together they all work so hard to save Ndhlovy.
Roger has recently lost his wife Helene and his eldest daughter Peta is having a hard time coping she is studying to be a vet and is home for the Christmas break, Courtney is much younger but together they are a family. This trip to help with the elephant helps them to become even closer and talk about the loss of their mother and wife and open up about their feelings and their family so beautifully.
I loved this story it is beautiful, so well written and as I have read and loved MS Clark’s Child of Africa which is the follow on from this story years later, it was fabulous learning more about Ndhlovy and the families. MS Clark writes captivating, moving and gripping stories set in Africa with strong characters and the animals are such an important part of the stories, truly I cannot highly recommend her stories enough, Elephants are very special to me, thank you MS Clark for another keeper.
Joss is a young boy who lives at a safari lodge with his parents he has found a baby elephant who needs saving, he and Bongani who helps at the lodge get her home and Leslie, his mother calls in their friend Roger to help with the elephant. Roger arrives with his two daughters Peta and Courtney who is Joss’s best friend and together they all work so hard to save Ndhlovy.
Roger has recently lost his wife Helene and his eldest daughter Peta is having a hard time coping she is studying to be a vet and is home for the Christmas break, Courtney is much younger but together they are a family. This trip to help with the elephant helps them to become even closer and talk about the loss of their mother and wife and open up about their feelings and their family so beautifully.
I loved this story it is beautiful, so well written and as I have read and loved MS Clark’s Child of Africa which is the follow on from this story years later, it was fabulous learning more about Ndhlovy and the families. MS Clark writes captivating, moving and gripping stories set in Africa with strong characters and the animals are such an important part of the stories, truly I cannot highly recommend her stories enough, Elephants are very special to me, thank you MS Clark for another keeper.
May 11, 2023
Wow! What a great (short) story.
I loved the baby elephant and the human characters so much I’d love to read the following novel Child Of Africa despite the (too many in my opinion) typos. Unfortunately only this short story is available in the German Kindle/Amazon shop so I hope very much this will change in the future as I’d love to read more of T.M. Clark’s books. As soon as the novel will be available in Germany I plan to buy and re-read this short story as well.
I accessed this story via the Kindle Unlimited program (using it to check out new authors whose books look very promising). After a bunch of grave disappointments I’m no more willing to buy books by new-to-me authors.
I loved the baby elephant and the human characters so much I’d love to read the following novel Child Of Africa despite the (too many in my opinion) typos. Unfortunately only this short story is available in the German Kindle/Amazon shop so I hope very much this will change in the future as I’d love to read more of T.M. Clark’s books. As soon as the novel will be available in Germany I plan to buy and re-read this short story as well.
I accessed this story via the Kindle Unlimited program (using it to check out new authors whose books look very promising). After a bunch of grave disappointments I’m no more willing to buy books by new-to-me authors.
December 15, 2020
The saviours
A great story by this author hence the 5 stars. How to bring families together after tragedy in humans and animals definitely worth a read.
A great story by this author hence the 5 stars. How to bring families together after tragedy in humans and animals definitely worth a read.
February 25, 2021
YA African Story
Great story for teen or young adult readers about the rescue of a baby African elephant. Inspiring look at elephant family relations.
Great story for teen or young adult readers about the rescue of a baby African elephant. Inspiring look at elephant family relations.
December 18, 2021
A difficult subject, beautifully told. I love how families and community are central to Tina's stories.
January 29, 2025
Beautiful short story filled with a reminder of the love a family has and how we can make it through the darkest of days together.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews