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I Marched With Hannibal
A brother and sister help an old man dig for what they think is treasure. As they wait for him to lift the trapdoor to view the find, he tells them of marching as an elephant boy with Hannibal across the Alps to conquer Rome.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 16, 2025
Many interesting parts, but they suffered from some stilted writing. I read it aloud to the kids for history, and the writing isn’t difficult, but it could have maybe used some refining - either varying of some sentence lengths or something else, it wasn’t the most enjoyable reading experience, and I can’t quite put my finger on why.
The story begins when old man returns to his Carthaginian-sacked home to find some kids trying to find a treasure rumored to be buried in the rubble. He proceeds to tell them he knows where the treasure is, and while they wait overnight to discover it in the morning, he tells the kids what happened to this town all those decades ago, and what happened to him. He saw the army attach his town, saw Hannibal at its head. He was found in the rubble by a Carthaginian elephant and its driver. Thus begins his adventure of being brought into the Carthaginian army, is trained at how to ride, drive, and care for Suru, one of Hannibal’s elephant troops. They travel through the Alps, and the boy gets to know Hannibal and some of his advisors. They endure ambushes, treacherous mountain passes, battles with Roman legions, winter cold, summer heat, hunger and exhaustion - all the things likely to befall an ancient marching army, and all told primarily through the eyes of this young boy, so a lot of what you read is how it affected the elephants. It was interesting, my kids enjoyed it, but I wasn’t sorry it was over.
The story begins when old man returns to his Carthaginian-sacked home to find some kids trying to find a treasure rumored to be buried in the rubble. He proceeds to tell them he knows where the treasure is, and while they wait overnight to discover it in the morning, he tells the kids what happened to this town all those decades ago, and what happened to him. He saw the army attach his town, saw Hannibal at its head. He was found in the rubble by a Carthaginian elephant and its driver. Thus begins his adventure of being brought into the Carthaginian army, is trained at how to ride, drive, and care for Suru, one of Hannibal’s elephant troops. They travel through the Alps, and the boy gets to know Hannibal and some of his advisors. They endure ambushes, treacherous mountain passes, battles with Roman legions, winter cold, summer heat, hunger and exhaustion - all the things likely to befall an ancient marching army, and all told primarily through the eyes of this young boy, so a lot of what you read is how it affected the elephants. It was interesting, my kids enjoyed it, but I wasn’t sorry it was over.
August 13, 2018
Accurate description of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. It is almost perfect historical fiction. The very best part about it is the description of elephant behaviour.
March 5, 2011
Because this is an older book, it is not as engaging and action packed as our more modern works. However, it is an interesting story about Hannibal's invasion with the elephants.
August 20, 2013
Enjoyed it at the time, but a bit heavy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews