Customer Reviews

Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I've read this book in English and recently in Japanese with the help of a Japanese friend. The Japanese version I read was the same story, but written and illustrated by different people (a man named Mamoru Tanabe was the author of the version I read). At any rate, the Japanese version made mention of something that I don't think is included in this English translation. The official reason from Tokyo for killing the elephants was that in the event that Tokyo was bombed, the cages could be destroyed and the animals might be let loose upon the city. But the book also says that although that was the official reason, the underlying reason that government officials probably had in mind was to show the people of Japan that in this war, they would have to be ready to sacrifice anything for their country. If it was necessary, the lives of animals or even other people would have to be given up for the good of Japan. A previous reviewer mentioned the same thing, but as far as I remember the English version of the story doesn't address that idea at all. So for all those people wondering why the elephants had to die in such a cruel way, there's your answer: to show the Japanese people the true horrors of war, and make them feel ready to sacrifice anything in order to bring that war to an end.

I have just read the French version of this book (Fideles Elephants) which won a Governor General's Award in Canada, and was checking to see about buying the English version. I just read all the reviews here and must agree with all of them... even the one stating it is propaganda. It is propaganda: anti-war and anti-cruelty propaganda. And I also have no idea why they did not just shoot those poor elephants... illogical and very humanly cruel behaviour.

As a result of people's fears (we never do learn if indeed the zoo was ever damaged) that damaged cages would result in rampaging wild animals, all the "dangerous" ones are killed, and the elephants end up being starved to death, while they faithfully attempt to extract food from their keepers (captors? torturers?)by repeating the entertaining routines they have been trained to do.

I would not recommend this book for small children and am astonished to see this in the picture book sections... I would have had nightmares for years as a child. As an adult, I find the image of these elephants attempting to carry out their routines when they are too weak to stand absolutely indelible and horrific. I cried reading the book, I cried in a coffeeshop trying to tell a friend about it, and thinking about it now makes me want to lock my arms around my torso and cry. I don't know if it is an indictment of war, or perhaps of zoos, or of human inaction ("easier" to let something die of neglect than actively shoot it... so many of our tragedies in life result from this sort of inaction).

A book I want to recommend to everyone, and at the same time protect them from. And then I think, no, that is just protecting them from a true story, reality. And reality even this poetic is just appallingly sad. Read and weep.

I also am a 22 year old college student who read this book in my adolescent reading and writing class and I am responding to the negative remarks left by the 21 year old college student. Not only is this book a great read, it teaches a lesson and does not portray America as the enemy, but rather war in general. There in no mention of the US in the entire book. Yes, it will bring a tear to your eye and it should. This book does not graphical illustrate the death of these elephants, rather it tells of the tremendous pain felt by the zookeepers. These elephants loved the zookeepers and they loved them and this book shows how war not only effects soldiers but the lives of many, including elephants. I highly recommend sharing this book to your kids, classroom or to read for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya, translated by Tomoko Tsuchiya Dykes and illustrated by Ted Lewin, is a very moving picture book story. It describes how during World War II three elephants at the Tokyo Zoo were euthanized by starvation, because of concerns that they might escape during an air raid and become dangerous. I plan to use the story with my 4th and 5th grade reading group as part of a unit about WWII, but one thing that troubles me about using such an emotional story, is that I do not understand where fact and fiction meet here. The subtitle reads "A True Story of Animals, People and War", and the introduction also describes it as a true story. I can't help wondering though why the animals had to be killed in such an inhumane way. Did the army forbid the use of an elephant gun because they did not want to "waste" ammunition? Aren't there ways to drug even animals as large as elephants? How do veterinarians treat elephants? And what happened at zoos in other parts of the world where there were air raid attacks, and similar risks that wild animals might escape and cause problems?
After writing this review two weeks ago, I discussed the book with other teachers in my school and decided that to use it with 4th and 5th graders would be committing a kind of emotional highjacking. We read a number of books together during our WWII unit and I plan to finish up with another zoo story - Hannah's Winter of Hope by Jean vna Leewen, which tells how the people of Budapest saved their hippo from starvation during the occupation.

As an educator, this book is a real lesson on the impact that a war can have, even on animals! As you read this fantastic book you will be moved to tears as I was when reading it to my class. All adults and children will gain knowledge on the impact of war has on all of us!

The Faithful Elephants is one of the most heart-wrenching stories I have ever read. I use this book to introduce another book -- Hiroshima -- to the high school sophomores that I teach. Adolescents sometimes have difficulty displaying emotion when it comes to others, but that difficulty is gone when animals enter into the picture. Those kids who don't flinch at the thought of the suffering endured by other humans can scarcely hold back tears when it comes to innocent animals. The illustrations have stuck in my mind since I first read it. If you're going to be reading it to others -- read it to yourself first -- it's guaranteed to bring out tears in the least demonstrative of all of us! I highly recommend this book to everyone -- but it may bring out a little too much sorrow in the very young.

First let me apology for my bad English.

I notice that some of reviewers wonder that why the elephants are not killed by gun.
Actually it is the same question I had before.
I like this book so I checked the background of this story.
One reviewer in here wrote that �gOther animals are killed by gun�h.
I�fm afraid to say it is wrong information.
Mr. Saburo Fukuda, who was in charge of Ueno zoo, was commanded to eliminate all the beast of prey in the zoo IN SECRET by Japanese military. Therefore gun was not allowed to use because it would make gun shot noise. However gun was strictly forbidden for normal civilians anyway. The elephants were not only animal who were killed cruelly. Many animals didn�ft eat poisoned food, so some of them are killed by rope, by knife, by any means but not gun.

I notice that some reviewer also says it is a propaganda to hide the cruelness of Japanese military.
I don�ft take that point. In my opinion, this story is strong censure against war and Japanese military itself. The cruel and unreasonable decision was maid by Japanese military and it is mentioned in this story. I agree that Japanese military did horrible things to many people and other countries, and this story is one of the examples of the cruelness.

I strongly recommend any people who against war.

My 8th grade English teacher bet us that we couldnt read this book to someone else without sheading a tear. It was true. Do NOT judge it by the size and cover please!..ONE GREAT BOOK OF ANOTHER SIDE OF THE HORRORS OF WAR!!!!

The author, Yukio Tsuchiya, stated that he wrote the book "to let children know about the grief, fear, and sadness war produces. And that war effects not only human beings, but also innocent and lovely animals...". This book was recommended to me by an excellent teacher who reads it to her class every year. The more we know about the true effects of war the less likely we will be to glorify it.

I read this after reading Roland Smith's Elephant Run, an excellent childrens/young adult book involving elephants in World War II. While that book was even-handed, I found this book to be just plain gut wrenching for adults and even worse for children who often have such a special bond with animals. This bond may be, as my children's lit professor suggested, due to the vulnerability animals and children feel at the hands of bigger and stronger (in most cases) adults. If that idea is true, then the premise of this book is even worse.

Although the author attempts a tenderness in the writing style and the illustrations are well done, the deaths of the elephants seem so cruel and pointless even in war, a war I might add, where the Japanese were aggresors as often as victims. I'm probably more of a pacifist than most (two years in the Peace Corpse should count for something!), but I think there are a lot more effective books to be used to promote peace. There are also a lot more effective books to promote courage and hope against all odds.