Elephants Books

"Hussein" is a wonderful old-fashioned adventure story that will delight teenage readers as well as adults who have kept an open mind, a sense of humor and the improbable, and curiosity about an alien culture. O'Brian wrote this book under his real name (he was English not Irish) long before he began to write his Aubrey/Maturin novels. "Hussein" already shows his talent as a story-teller. He calls his tale "an entertainment" because he fabulated it largely based on his readings about India. "Hussein" is a romantic rags-to-riches story that runs coherently from Hussein's boyhood in a family of elephant handlers through his years as a fugitive until his unexpected fortune as a young man.

As a new devotee of the author's later work ( the Aubrey and Maturin series) it is sheer pleasure to read O'Brian's first published work. It reveals the early wit and budding appetite for detail and character development he later hones to such perfection in the Commander series. As a novel, or more properly "an entertainment," this work stands nicely on it's own, sans the author's later reputation. The background for the story is exotic East India at the historically pivotal time of its British occupation. The plot lovingly chronicles Hussein's (our hero) journey through youth to adulthood intertwined with a love story as sweet as ripe mangoes. Possibly O'Brian's own biographical story is mirrored here but we are not privy to that by his admission. A fine fast paced read even with the slightly halting style, as the writer discovers his craft. This aspect is endearing rather than off putting, as it blends so well with the young hero's discoveries. In his adventures Hussein proves to be wise beyond his years, learns to keep his head in some very bizarre situations as he respectfully, if somewhat un-orthodoxically attempts to honor his family tradition, that of mahoot to a decidedly unusual elephant. A most excellent "entertainment".

I have read several of Patrick O'Brien's naval stories, which are simply outstanding. I was curious to see this, one of his earliest writings, from dozens of decades ago. Also, being an elephant lover, the topic sounded interesting.

The book is quite good. It reminds me a bit of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Hussein is a book of fictional tales about a boy who becomes an elephant mahout (rider/trainer) and has many adventures in India. It gives you a good taste of the early 20th century Indian culture, and is quite entertaining. Each chapter is pretty much a different story, and could be read by anyone from age twelve and up, I would guess. I thought about recommending it as good stories to read children, but a couple of the chapters include killing and violence and deceit by the young man Hussein, so it is not exactly a children's role model.

Still, adults will like it. I found most of the stories to be believable and interesting, but it is not the equal of O'Brien's later works. As a first publication it is a great book, but not the five star quality that his later works achieved.

O'Brian was one of my favorite writers of English prose. But every master has to start somewhere and not all starts are worth the preservation. I think this 'entertainment' is a demonstration why 'selected works' are usually preferable to 'complete works', unless one wants to make a living out of studying somebody's life work.
O'B wrote this when he was a student in Dublin in the 30s. He had no own first hand knowledge of the subject, but knew his Kipling and Arabian Nights etc very well. On that basis he fabulated an unoriginal story, which is far from charmless, but far from worthwhile too.
Actually I did like the first few chapters on the mahouts' lives quite a bit.
P.S. I have learned since that POB may not have been a student in Dublin after all, this may have been part of his active imagination or of his strategy to confuse his public.

We love this book! The premise is that a pet owner doesn't quite "get" that his cat is really an elephant. My 4 year old daughter thinks the illustrations are hysterical and can't stop cracking up when she sees the "cat" sleeping in the laundry! Very whimsical and fun book!

I have this in the original French, and I love it. It is hilarious. Like foreign films, it may not be exactly what most Americans expect from a children's book, but it is great for encouraging alternative ways of looking at the world.

I bought this book for a college course analyzing children's books. We came to the consensus that the author must be a few colors short of a full crayola box.

I bought this book for myself even though it is aimed at children. It is beautifully illustrated. Very lighthearted. The owner of the "cat" never seems to realize that his pet is not a cat at all. I have shared this book with friends and family, and everyone has loved it. I highly recommend it as a gift for cat lovers of all ages.

Natural Enemies is about environmental terrorism and manipulation. Almost every character in the book is a victim of some kind. All are struggling to find a way out but none of them can succeed without leaning on others for help. There's a interesting parallel between the dependency of human lives and the lives of the elephants Cameron portrays. It is possible to read the book superficially, just for the action, but there are also profound undertones.

I read it in one go. Couldn't put it down. The character of Silvia was really well done. She has done really terrible things but you still feel sympathy for her. The elephant descriptions are very powerful. The whole book is fast moving. You never know what is coming next.

Natural Enemies provides a dramatic portrait of elephant life, behaviour and communication in the context of a fast-paced action thriller. The writing is vivid, conjuring strong images of Africa. "The wind blew across the Amboseli Pan drawing up small twisters of white dust that the Masai call "women's tempers" because they flare up out of nothing so easily..." The characters are powerfully drawn, especially the assassin Silvia and the Kikuyu detective Wangai. "Natural Enemies" won a Turner Tomorrow Award (judges included Nadine Gordimer, Wallace Stegner, William Styron, Ray Bradbury, Carlos Fuentes, Peter Mathiesson among others.) It also won the Edward Abbey Award for Eco-Fiction. I recommend it to anyone who loves elephants AND a good book.

Previous to reading the novel Natural Enemies by Sara Cameron, I did a little research on the author. It came to my attention that previous to writing this novel she had conducted research on the Amboseli Elephants with the Amboseli Elephant project. I for one believe, that because of this, the novel could have been and should have been, written in a new light. Not the negative light, that outsiders observe. Cameron only focused on the negative of the ivory trade. When infact there are some positive things and progresses that are being made. Another bothersome quality about Cameron is the simplicity in her use of words. A novel of this caliber should challenge the mind, and send the reader running for his dictionary. Her writing style is that of a fourth grader. There is no order to it what so ever. I suppose this is why some regard her as a great novelist. I would not reccomend this book to someone who is looking to expand his or her horizons.

I received more comfort from the "Rainbow Bridge" poem than from this book. Some of the illustrations look like they were cut and pasted from a child's book and the verbiage was not all that comforting.

I cry every single time I read this book, probably because I'm still mourning the loss of my dog this past December. The book speaks from the perspective of the animal - saying the things that I would most like to hear if it were possible. It's comforting for someone having a hard time coping with a loss that not everyone can fully understand. Now when someone in my life loses a pet, I know just what gift to pass on to them during the difficult time. I only wish I had found it 2 months ago!

This book written by Alexandra Day touches your heart and soul. I believe, as she believes, that our animals are always with us in spirit. Great love like that lives on forever. And yes, we will all be together someday again. When it is our time to pass over, our animals will be with us. I have given "Not Forgotten" to many friends who have lost their precious companions. Every person who received it loved this book. All I can say is, thank you Alexandra, for your heart full of love.

Somewhat overwhelmed by the intensity of the pain I was experiencing, I happened across "Not Forgotten" in a local book store the day after I had to have my 14 year old "puppy" put to sleep, and with it's wonderful, comforting sentiment the book was the perfect random find I desperately needed on that very dark day.

Much like a children's book and only 24 pages long, the warmly done water color illustrations we're perfectly matched to the elegant, simple text, the combination of which gave me hope when I felt hopeless, and release when I couldn't fathom the depth of my sadness, much less that it might ever be eased. The book should be a great comfort for pet owners of all kinds who are suffering, confused and possibly alone with the feelings of loss only we as pet owners can fully understand.

"Not Forgotten" was so beautifully done that I bought this copy as a gift for a close friend who had just suffered a similar loss, and they, too, were deeply touched by it, deriving as much comfort as is possible from a book at such a broken hearted time. In the future I won't hesitate to give it to others similarly wounded and in need of hope.

I had known for almost a year that the eventual and inevitable death of my long time best friend and "girly girl" would be difficult, but even I was surprised at just how difficult it was. Thanks to it's message of hope at just the right time "Not Forgotten" now sits on our shelf as part of the family memorial to our "dog of a lifetime", next to her picture, her collar and her ashes.

Thank you, Alexandra Day.

On the first page, there is foreshadowing for all the future animals you will find in the "jungle" - for example, the lion's tail peaking out. My two-year-old has caught on to this, which is great. EXCEPT, part of a giraffe's neck is clearly visible on the first page, but there is no page with a giraffe on it! My two year old drives us crazy trying to "find the giraffe" and we just explain that the makers of the book must have been over budget so they cut out the giraffe page from production (and forgot to get rid of him from the first page). What cheapskates!

I got this book for my 15-month old daughter. It's very bright, colorful with simple pop-ups - a monkey that swings, a crocodile that opens and shuts it jaw... I could not find anything this nice in the usual bookstores. My daughter is very attracted to it but has a tendency to tear off the pop-up features, so it might be better suited for a slightly older child.

Children just love the pop-up pictures. This helps to keep their attention during story time!

My daughters have loved this book since they were about six months old. They get so excited when I grab the book and say that I hear "a rumble in the jungle." The pictures are bright and lively and the rhymes are very catchy. The animals pop out at you and move when you open and close the book slightly. My girls grab at the pages as the lion roars, the boa constrictor hisses, the crocodile laughs about the animals that come to the river to drink, etc. We read this book every day and it never gets old. They love it.

this is the second babar book, still written by the author (and i include brunhoff's wife who is babar's true creator.) there is much in it that might offend today - i see versions of the book with those sections edited out and maybe that is wise in this day and age. however, we find those sections good leadins to deeper matters of prejudice and ignorance and therefore the book, intended as light humorous reading, serves a much more valuable purpose. with this in mind, i would advise parents to read the book before buying, not on account of the book's quality, but because of the content. It has served as a read-to book, and is read by our kids 4 - 6. It's sturdy, has taken much use, and is still looking good on the shelf!

Loved this book, as did my children. Great use of vocabulary. Every child is sure to love it.

I loved the Babar books when I was little and my son is coming to love them, too. They have fun stories and a great use of vocabulary. I was excited when I found this book for a quarter in the discard sales rack of our local library. However, my happiness at purchasing it turned to dismayed shock when I read about Babar & his new wife encountering "savages" on their trip. The savages portrayed are offensively stereotyped Africans - big lips, sub-human, stupid leers on their faces, mindlessly violent... it's been a long time since I saw such blantant bigotry in a child's book. I trashed the book immediately. It's offensive enough that I can't believe it's still in print.

Enjoy the other Babar books, but stay far away from this one if you don't want your child absorbing hurtful racial sterotypes.

Babar is one of the most endearing characters in children's literature. This volume is a classic that belongs on any child's bookshelf. The story of Babar and Celeste's hot air balloon ride and subsequent adventures in interesting locales fascinates kids, while broadening their cultural horizons. Some mature themes that may disturb kids (war, cruel treatment by a circus ringmaster), but provide a change from the pastel bunny and kitty story genre. Thought provoking for kids mature enough to handle it.

A very detailed description of what happened that day. It's a strange story, but it fascinated me fro beginning to end.

I once spent about two weeks in Erwin, Tennessee, while hiking on the Appalachian Trail, which passes right through Erwin. I was with a group of charity hikers, and we were forced to stop in Erwin because one of our hikers got severe tendonitis in both feet and had to see a series of doctors there.
While we were in Erwin, everything that could go wrong did. Our hiker's feet, for one. A friend of ours broke her knee and had to go home. Another friend got a call that both his parents had been killed in a car wreck.
It made us all suspicious about the town, and when we asked around, we discovered that back in 1916 a circus passed through town, and had a parade through the town's main street. During that parade, the elephant's "caretaker" prodded the elephant too severely, and the elephant reacted by trampling the man to death. Members of the town formed a jury, had a trial, and sentenced the elephant to death. First they shot it repeatedly. That didn't work. Then they hung it. They hung the elephant from a crane mounted on a railroad car. The chains it hung by snapped, the elephant fell, and it broke its hip. Then they hung it again. Then they buried it. Then they dug it up to cut off its tusks. Then they buried it again. Then, years later, they built an Ace Hardware on top of it. It's still there, as is "The Hanging Elephant" antique store where you can buy photos suitable for framing and copies of this book.
Most of the town's ashamed of the incident, though one slightly malevolant town resident told me: "We used to hang elephants. Now we hang queers."
A bad feeling lies over the town still, and whether it's from traffic, nearby experiments with radiation, modern day hate crimes, or the 1916 incident, I don't know. But the feeling is there. It's almost tangible, and if I ever hike the Appalachian Trail again, I won't be going into Erwin.
This book is concise, clear, and contains several good photos of the incident, the place it happened, and the people who were there. It also contains good information on the history of the town itself. I read it while hiking, and then gave it away, but I still have the photo of the hanging elephant above my desk. It's an unbelievable story, worth looking into.

When I first heard this tale I found it hard to belive. Without knowing the story, and the time when the hanging took place, it would be impossible to think that an elephant hanging could take place in the U.S., but it did.

Charles Price does an excellent job of telling this story using the very few deatils that exist regarding the hanging. By tracking down the last known living eye-witness Mr. Price was able to recreate the scene of the hanging in his book using first-person testimony. Through his research and interviews Mr. Price has successfully documented this strange moment of history thereby taking a piece of Southern folklore and creating a fact-based document before before all witnesses to the execution had passed away.

The book is illustrated with ink drawings in several places and the famous photo of elephant Mary hanging from the gallows is included as well.

ISBN 1556614055 - For ages 7-10. I'm not a fan of Christian childrens' book, but I read them when I come across them. This one has a nice story; the Christian aspect isn't excessively over-done, just one little preachy lesson in the beginning and one at the end, but I'm still not sure how appealing this series will be to non-Christian readers.

Timothy, Sarah-Jane and Titus are cousins who enjoy solving mysteries under the name the Three Cousins Detective Club. Timothy's church is auctioning "white elephants" (a term which is explained in the text) and Mrs Foster has brought an actual white elephant - in the form of a cookie jar. The kids really like it and want to show it to Timothy's parents, but when they return to the table, it's gone! Worse, it turns out to be valuable! Can the kids find it before the auction starts?

The back of the book says ages 7-10, which might be a better fit than the 9-12 you'll find on most websites. This book is just too little-kid-ish for the older ones. The first issue I had with the book is that it is #1 in the series, but the book keeps referring to older cases - a little confusing.

Second, Murphy seems to have a problem writing in full sentences. For example: "It was hard to calm down and explain. But if the cousins had learned anything about telling exciting things to grown-ups, it was that you had to take it slow. Otherwise, grown-ups would just make you take a deep breath and start over. And that was an even bigger waste of time than going slowly in the first place." That should be two sentences, not four! Murphy does this throughout the entire book and it's really bad writing. Perhaps she doesn't think children can read long sentences, or perhaps she simply doesn't know how to write. Hopefully, she'll get over this habit in the next book because I do think the series has possibilities.

In The Mystery of the White Elephant was really different from other T.C.D.C. books. It made me feel like I helped Tim, Ti and S.J. solve it. It was Neat-O.

I liked this book because I didn't figure out the solution to the mystery until the end of the book. It kept my attention and I couldn't even sleep because of it. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.

This book helped a five year old child with an unfamiliar time in her life. I would recommend this as a book to read with the children well ahead of starting to pack up the house for a move.

Black and white and "workbook" like. This is NOT for children younger than 7-8. Very disappointed.

This book addresses an often over-looked trauma of childhood -- moving to a new home. It successfully helps children deal with the bittersweet feelings they will encounter during this life-changing event. The text is educational as well as entertaining. The activities are sure to delight. Every preschool, elementary teacher and realtor should have a copy of this book.

My 1st grade daughter (a great reader) enjoyed reading about Robi Dobi and his friends. She told me about lots of animals in the story and all their adventures. She got through it in two longish sittings (one on the bus), so it definitely held her attention!

Beautifully illustrated fable for children following an Indian storytelling tradition. Robi Dobi is a helpful elephant who meets several smaller creatures in various kinds of distress and seeks to help them overcome their difficulties. He succeeds quite well and has strange adventures in the process. I recommend it for children of eight and above to read for themselves and to be read to younger children.

Robi Dobi is a wonderful adventure story with a strong focus on friendship, fellowship, and problem solving. Robi the main protaganist is an elephant with a penchant for helping others. There are no lack of those in need and many strong friendships are built throughout the story. In addition, the breathtaking illustrations by Amanda Hall are an intricate part of the magic.