How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild

How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild
By Katherine Roy
David Macaulay Studio, Roaring Brook Press, 2017. Picture book.

This beautiful nonfiction picture book is getting some attention. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the information is presented in such a way that even young children can learn more about elephants and what it takes for an elephant to survive in the African savannah. The book starts out with the birth of a baby elephant. Then it goes on to explain all of the various things that the baby elephant will have to learn before she can become a capable adult elephant that is part of the herd.

Some of the pages are beautiful double page illustrations of elephants (the baby in particular). Other pages not only have an illustration but also have a full page of details about a specific elephant topic and are often accompanied by a diagram or additional illustration that clarifies the information discussed. This is a great introduction on elephants. And it is pretty enough that I think it could win a potential Caldecott Award medal. And I am crossing my fingers that the Siebert Committee will seriously consider this book.

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