Haji of the Elephants

by Don Miller (Illustrator), Willis Lindquist

Haji's greatest wish is realized when he is given a mighty elephant to ride, but then he enters a terrifying period where he is threatened by both animals and humans.

147 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1976

About the author

There is more than one Don Miller on Goodreads

Don Miller: Dark fiction and epilepsy
Don Miller: Historical Fiction
Don Miller: Elementary Math and Problem Solving
Don Miller (1927-1983): Film history and Hollywood
Don Miller: Former high school coach
Donald Miller ("Don", 1971-): Religion and marketing

Reviews

[Heidi_2811 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haji had risked his life to recapture the mighty Majda Koom from a herd of wild elephants he was leading. Haji's skill as a handler of elephants had been recognised and he had been made an oozie, as the brown-skinned elephant riders of Burma were called. Not only had he been made an oozie, Haji's greatest wish had been realized when he was given Majda Koom to ride. Majda Koom was the lord of all elephants, and his fame had spread to the far corners of Burma and even beyond the borders into India and Nepal and China.
But Haji's happiness is shortlived when a new inspector of the Rangoon Lumber Company arrives and declares Haji is too young to be an oozie. A period of test and trial starts for Haji, which sees him caught up in the terror of the jungle, a charge of wild elephants and an even more terrifying threat, when he is trapped in a plot set by humans who want to abduct Majda Koom.

I liked this a lot. It was interesting to read about different kinds of life and culture compared to mine. But still there's something that we, I and Haji share: love and respect for animals and nature.
For Haji Majda Koom is not just any elephant nor could any other elephant be compared to be as magnificent. For Majda Koom is part of Haji's family. Majda Koom's previous oozie was Haji's father who had been crippled by an accident.
With Majda Koom, Haji had learned to take his first steps as a toddler, swim in the river when holding to the end of elephant's trunk and explore the wild jungle and enjoy its ripe fruits.
I can't tell how accurate this story is to the real life of elephants and their caretakers, but it was very interesting.

[Rhonda Gingerich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read-aloud for storytime with 2nd and 3rd grade

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a kid. Don't know what happened to my copy.