How To Be An Elephant

Reference book, 48 pages. A beautiful, informative "story" of an elephant's life beginning at birth. Published in 2017 by David Macaulay Studio. Recipient of the School Library Journal Best Book of 2017 and Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2017.

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Book Recap

Over the span of a years, a baby elephant learns from her mother, sisters, cousins, and aunts the skills necessary to thrive, from projecting her voice across a 10-octave range to using the 10,000 muscles in her trunk to stay hydrated.
and aunts.

If I could purchase only one book about elephants, this one is it! The illustrations and information are extraordinary and will engage children of all ages.

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Katherine Roy

Roy's work is impressive! The first book she wrote and illustrated, Neighborhood Sharks, earned an incredible number of accolades in 2014:

• Robert F. Sibert Award Honor Book,
  
• John Burroughs Association Riverby Award,
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year,
• Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year,
• Orbis Pictus Recommended Title,
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year,
  
• Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year,
• Junior Library Guild Selection, and
• an ALA Notable Children’s Book.

Learning Suggestions

Family Read Aloud Time
This is quite a long book to use as you would a traditional read aloud -- it's fascinating, but there is so much information to absorb before falling asleep.  If reading to young children, perhaps sharing just the illustrations would be a good place to start.

Learning at Home
How To Be An Elephant is a great book for upper elementary or early middle school children who want to learn more about elephants.  There is an excellent list of additional resources -- scientific articles, books, films, etc., - at the back of the book if you are interested in developing a longer study series for your child.

Classroom Options
It is estimated that the African Elephant will be extinct in 50 years at the current rate of population decline. The World Wildlife Organization has put together a substantial Elephant Conservation Toolkit for elementary classrooms.

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