Young readers gain a peek at the world of African elephants through the eyes of one endearing baby elephant.
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Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A baby elephant's story about learning how to be an elephant,
By A Customer
This review is from: Elephant Walk (Disney's Animal Kingdom) (Hardcover)
This is a tale of a day in the life of a baby elephant, with fairly detailed information about what it is like to be an elephant, how an elephant herd and its various members will act, depending on their respective roles in the herd, and how elephants communicate. The "narrator" has a particular problem with figuring out how to use his trunk, which he refers to as his nose, and tells his tale in a manner which I suspect will have children laughing. I found it educational and entertaining. Although apparently a single book, it has the apperance of perhaps being the first in a series of books about animals. If so, I am looking forward to the rest.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A book featuring great nature writing. . .and Disney,
By Isabel Harding (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Elephant Walk (Disney's Animal Kingdom) (Hardcover)
An interesting combination here: the blending of a Disney theme park with the exquisite writing of a beloved nature writer. Jean Craighead George, the highly acclaimed author of dozens of beloved books for young readers, wrote a series of picture books that focuses on four kinds of animals that make their homes in the African savanna (at least, it appears to be Africa; they may be living in the Disney theme park, Animal Kingdom). But readers are not to worry, for the animals in the stories are not cutesy, cartoonish critters--Ms. George, even though the style may be a slight departure from that of many of her other books, still manages to present her characters with accuracy and loving detail. In ELEPHANT WALK, a young elephant named Odon takes a walk across his land with his family and matriarch mother, wondering why his mother wants to walk so far, and learning about himself, his home--and his long, cumbersome trunk! During the walk he meets other animals, forms close bonds with his relatives, and loves to play. Then the family meets another group of elephants--and the ending is both endearing and intriguing. This is a good story, with lots of information about this fascinating mammal, and colorful illustrations. In the back Ms. George once again displays her interest and knowledge of animal behavior and language by showing us a chart of elephant talk. She has showed this interest and knowledge in other animal books, such as the recent HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG, HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT, and the Newbery-Medal winning novel JULIE OF THE WOLVES, and its intriguing sequels JULIE, JULIE'S WOLF PACK, and the new picture books NUTIK THE WOLF PUP and NUTIK AND AMAROQ PLAY BALL.
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