When Anju Loved Being an Elephant (Sleeping Bear Press, 2011) tells the story of Anju the elephant.
When Anju was young, she loved her life.
She loved living on the Indonesian island of Sumatra with its cool lakes and refreshing mud holes. She loved her mother and herd family and her friends.
That changed when she was sold to an American circus. Anju traveled across the country, entertaining crowds. Then, years later, she moved to a small zoo where she was the only elephant.
By this time, Anju no longer loved being an elephant. She was lonely. And tired. And sad.
But things are about to change again. Anju is going on yet another trip. And it just might be to a better place. Can she love being an elephant again?
Let’s see what today’s guest reviewer thinks.
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Today’s reviewer: Philip
Age: 8
Things I like to do: Climb trees, play with my friends, play outside. I love going outside, but I hate it when it’s raining.
This book was about: An elephant named Anju. She was kept in circuses and tied to posts for hours and she made friends, but then her friends were sold. Finally, Anju was sold and taken to a new place on a long journey. The person there tood good care of her and introduced her to other elephants. There was a pond and grass.
The best part was when: When Anju was sold to that girl and had lots of other elephants to play with.
I smiled when: The lady was nice to him.
I was surprised when: Not much surprises me. I’ve got good reflexes. I am super good at climbing trees.
This book taught me: Elephants don’t like being cooped up. Or losing their friends.
Three words that best describe this book: “Love.” “Courage.” “Elephants.”
My favorite line or phrase in this book is: When Anju remembered her childhood.
My favorite picture in this book is: When Anju meets her new owner, and there is food.
Other kids reading this book should watch for: Anju being loved and how kind and gentle some people are.
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Thank you, Philip!
You can learn more about author Wendy Henrichs by visiting her website. You can also read a review of another picture book written by Wendy here.
You can learn more about illustrator John Butler and see his beautiful animal illustrations at his website.
