When Anju Loved Being an Elephant

August 29, 2011
Elephants’ excellent memories come into play in this somber but hopeful story of a former circus elephant who finds refuge at a sanctuary in her old age. Anju, a fictional elephant born in Sumatra and later taken to perform in American circuses, has fond recollections of growing up with her friend Lali, a youth that Henrichs (I Am Tama, Lucky Cat) evokes with languid, descriptive prose (“The rhythmic, lapping waters of the surrounding Indian Ocean and South China Sea were their island lullaby”). Butler’s (A Mama for Owen) soft portraits of Anju and her fellow elephants have a soothing quality that helps gloss over some of the darker chapters in Anju’s story (“Some trainers were kind, but others used the bull-hook”). Despite Anju’s abduction and her hard life being sold from circus to circus, Henrichs doesn’t let the story feel too bleak—it’s clear very early on that Vincent, Anju’s current “mahout” (trainer), is a good guy and that he’s taking her to a better place. General information about elephants’ habits, traits, and challenges closes out this gentle animal tale. Ages 6–10.

August 1, 2011

An elephant's lifelong journey from the island of Sumatra to an American traveling circus, a zoo and finally a sanctuary is recounted in this graceful and poignant story.

Anju's early idyll in her natural habitat is abruptly halted when, at the age of five, she is taken from her family and forced into the demanding life of a circus elephant, then placed within the confinement of a zoo. Now, 50 years later, Anju is being led and coaxed on another journey, one that her mahout Vincent promises will help her retire with dignity and safety. Butler's realistic paintings in acrylic and colored pencil deliver a soft, hazy muted quality that provides balance to the gentle and often lyrical narration, which highlights Anju's flashback memories of her childhood life with fellow young elephant Lali. "The rhythmic, lapping waters of the surrounding Indian Ocean and South China Sea were their island lullaby. Closing their long-lashed eyelids and lying together with their families, Anju and Lali slept in the tall, ticklish grasses, heartbeat-to-heartbeat." Anju enters her new home with trepidation yet is welcomed by a kind mahout and new elephant companion who greet her with encouraging tenderness. An elephant Q&A and information on helping elephants provides background and a means to action for engaged readers.

This heartfelt, humane vignette provides just the right details to appeal to animal-loving children. (Picture book. 5-9)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 1, 2011

K-Gr 3-Taken from her home in Indonesia when she was five years old, Anju has lived in captivity, performing with an American circus for 35 years, followed by 15 years in a small zoo. This story begins when Vincent, her current caretaker, leads her into a semitrailer and takes her to a sanctuary. As they travel, the elephant has flashbacks to her early years in Sumatra with her family and her best friend, Lali. She also remembers the constant traveling with the circus, the "hours chained to one spot," kind and cruel trainers, and how she was always looking for elephant friends. She wonders where Vincent is taking her as she observes the passing scenery depicted in Butler's soft watercolor scenes of misty morning vistas, sleepy farmlands, and peaceful, rolling hills. At last, they arrive at their destination where a woman is waiting to welcome her and the smell of elephants is all around. Vincent tells Anju, "I'll miss you, girl, but now you're free." The author states, "Although Anju is a fictional elephant, her story rings true for the majority of elephants in captivity. Anju's retirement to a wonderful elephant sanctuary is the outcome desired to bring dignity and respect to all captive elephants." A touching, bittersweet story.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.