Book Review: How to Be An Elephant by Katherine Roy

Title: How to Be An Elephant

Author: Katherine Roy

Publisher: David Macaulay Studio

Copyright Date: 2017

Age Range: 7-11 yrs

"The savanna is not an easy place to live, even for African elephants, the largest land animals on earth. If it's a challenge for these 7,000-pound giants,w hat's it like for their newborn babies?

An infant elephant has precious little time to learn the incredible array of skills that are necessary to keep up, from projecting her voice across a 10-octave range to using the 100,000 muscles in her trunk to stay hydrated. But this giant-to-be has the perfect classroom--a family herd made up of her mother, sisters, cousins, and aunts. With their help and protection, she'll learn how to survive, how to thrive, and how to be an elephant." -- How to Be An Elephant summary.

This book is an excellent example of narrative nonfiction. It follows a newborn elephant as she learns the skills that she needs to survive in the savanna. It contains interesting information conveyed through beautiful illustrations.

I've chosen these two examples from the book to show the beauty of the illustrations, as well as the information they give. The image above is a creative way to show readers how an elephant uses their trunk to smell. The image itself is different and dynamic, especially when compared to the image below.

The image below shows the realistic application that the author also uses. There's something calm and engaging about the art style used.

Readers who are interested in animals (elephants, specifically) will fall in love with the beautifully crafted illustrations as they show what a young elephant must do and learn to survive and grow. This book has been lovingly researched by the author herself, and she has also done all of the illustrations.

While this book hasn't won awards, there are many favorable, reputable reviews. This book would be a good addition to any library's collection because it is engaging, educational, and well written.