Elephants Books

The Elephant-Riding General offers, beside some interesting insights about grand strategy and military tactics, a fine selection of the original historical sources (in English). Excerpts from Livy and Polybius enliven the text, and bring ancient life closer to the modern reader.

I stumbled upon this sweet little book and what a nice surprise it was! While it may initially appear to be a small children's book, it is perfect for children and adults alike. The quotes are a combination of some familiar to me -- and some that will become favorites. And the illustrations are beautiful, whimsical and very entertaining. A lovely book to display on a coffee table, look at often for some inspiration, or to give as a gift.

This book was one that my toddler loved to read before bedtime. A cute book.

'Henry and the Elephant' is one of the Junior JellyBean books recently released for preschool readers. While the story itself is charming in the Thomas the Tank Engine tradition, this book's most appealing features are the bright and expressive illustrations that accompany the pages of the story. The always-confident Henry has an unusual task to accomplish...transporting a circus elephant by train! Surprises and obstacles present themselves along the way, but as all Thomas and Friends fans have come to trust, all ends well and a valuable lesson is learned in believing in yourself and working cheerfully with others. The book is quite small, but is very appealing to little readers with little hands. Makes a wonderful gift, and the price reflects the smaller size.

Sieta is told that the new place where she lives with her aunty is her "home now." It's a good place, filled with friendly men, women and children who work hard and care for each other. It is not Sieta's real home as she is an orphan, an African child whose mother and father died.

She cannot help feeling sad as she remembers the happy times that she shared with her parents when they lived by "a green garden in a dry land." Then one day her school class visits the elephant park where orphan elephants are kept safe and protected. She is drawn to the youngest elephant, Satara, and seems to understand his state of loss.

Eventually, as Sieta visits Satara, she is able to make her peace with and find contentment in her new home.

An author's note explains that this fictional story represents the plight of millions of African children whose parents have died of AIDS. "Home Now" is a poignant, touching tale intended to raise awareness of this very real problem in our world.

- Gail Cooke

The book is cute with animation very true to the original Suess book. Half of the pages have outlines for the placement of matching stickers. The other half are create-your-own scene pages. My only complaint is that the "reusable" stickers are really sticky, and we have been unable to remove them from the pages easily (or at all) after they've been placed. My DD (5) is a sticker snob and only likes reusable stickers, so she was not pleased when she could not remove and replace the stickers. Otherwise, she enjoyed it immensely.

This book had a simple theme and easy words with bright and colorful pictures.

This is both my kids' (age 4, age 2) favorite book right now, and has been for over 3 weeks (that's a record at our house). They love to imitate the "party animals" that are integral in the story, including a band of hippos (hippo days are here again!). Just misses on 5 stars because it is not *my* favorite kid book. It's got a cute story with a little lesson and a few chuckles thrown in there for adults (check out cousin Spike's artwork). Even the 2 year old asks for it by name "ubb-ubb-ubb-ov".

My son is obsessed with motorcycles and there aren't many books out there for toddler aged kids with motorcycles in them. I picked up Hugo's Motorcycle Rescue a few days ago, and I've been forced to read it to him no less that 50 times, our son absolutely loves it. It's a fun little story with nice illustrations. The only reason it's not getting 5 stars is that the glue on the cover started to separate from the book on the 1st day we had it, now the cover easily falls off.

In Bed With An Elephant A Journey through Scotland's Past and Present Sir Ludovic Kennedy

Sir Ludovic Kennedy has taken the title from the statement by Pierre Trudeau, former Canadian Prime Minister, who, in a speech in Washington DC in 1969, said, "Living next to you (the USA) is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant: no matter how friendly and even-tempered the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt". The title does not immediately attract readers interested in Scotland's story. A pity, because the book is an insightful exploration of the relationship between Scotland and England from the Ice Age to the present day. Sir Ludovic describes himself as an Anglo-Scot. He is of Scots blood but Eton educated, nevertheless nailing his colours to the mast as a Scottish Nationalist.

The Journey through Scotland's Past and Present proceeds in a series of gigantic leaps linked by snatches of personal recollection. "Bonnie Prince Charlie" is treated with even handed objectivity, first with the romantic version, then an evaluation of his role in Scottish history and the part played by Flora Macdonald. The social effects of the Reformation, Calvinism and The Church of Scotland are examined. A commentary on Dr Samuel Johnson's "A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland" and James Boswell's "The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides lets us "see oursel's as ithers see us". Graphic accounts of the bloody times of King Edward I ("Hammer of the Scots") and the treatment by Queen Elizabeth I of Mary Queen of Scots explain the Scottish lack of respect for England's royal houses.

As his favourite Scots hero, Sir Ludovic picks the philosopher, David Hume, who he describes as The Great Infidel. He credits Hume with causing the scales (placed there by years of religious education) to fall from his eyes, quoting Hume, "It is an absurdity to believe that the Deity has human passions, and one of the lowest of human passions, a restless appetite for applause". Robert Burns is dealt with in a chapter of eight pages entitled The Fornicator, in which the author delights in the irony of The Church of Scotland commissioning a window for St Giles Cathedral in honour of Scotland's national poet who not only had been forced to do public penance for fornication, but who publicly deplored the sanctimonious hypocrisy of the Unco Guid in poems such as Holy Willie.

The story of Scottish patriots who, in 1950 removed The Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland following the dishonouring by England of the promise to do so, is lightly and gleefully told. Detailed consideration is given to the political events leading to and following from the Union of the Crowns in 1603. We follow the trail to the present resurgence of Scottish Nationalism and the moves towards devolution and the re-establishment of a Scottish Parliament. An interlude on the way mercilessly dissects an address delivered (not by invitation) by Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister to the General Assembly of The Church of Scotland .

Unusual in its construction, this book is thoroughly researched and is well and interestingly written. It has sixteen pages of superbly printed and highly relevant illustrations. It is unfortunate that they are all placed together in one section in the centre of the book. There is an excellent index.

This book, in the reviewer's opinion, should be required reading for everyone with an interest in Scottish history. For those concerned with devolution, irrespective of their present viewpoint, it should be on their bookshelf.

(593 words)