What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein

Eric Dinerstein is a researcher who has spent many years in Nepal and his fluency in the native tongues and the culture of the region (and love for it) is apparent. This book seems almost like  love letter to the people and culture of Nepal.

Nandu is a young apprentice who is trying to work his way up to mahout, an elephant jockey basically. his job entails feeding and cleaning up after the elephant. His father is a shuba sha, a very well respected mahout who has an uncanny connection with the great beasts and is a teacher and medicine man.

Then one day an order from the king threatens to turn their world upside down-their stable may close and if so their livelihood will be gone.  Nandu and his friends come up with an outrageous plan they they hope will save the table.

Their remote area is far from the law and bandits run wild. One group of them called the Maroons is rampant and deadly and Nandu and the other elephant trainers must always be on the lookout for these miscreants who can strike at any time .

Dinerstein's novel touches on a variety of topics such as conservation, gender relations, education but not in a heavy handed way. The topics remain accessible to young readers. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up. The publisher has also provided a handy discussion guide as well.

Books to ease the transition back to school

So the summer is over and the kiddos are about to go back to school. Books are a great way to ease the fears and anxieties little ones have about going to school. This week's blog has a few good ones that cover the topic of back to school.

Dinosaur vs School is another one in the Dinosaur vs series by Bob Shea. In this book, our favorite dinosaur hero finds himself in school. He can usually defeat most challenges but for this one he just may need a little help...

                                           

Teachers are in need of all the positive reinforcement they can get and Todd Parr does this with his wonderful book, Teachers Rock.

                                        

Adam Rex's School's First Day of School is a novel take on the beginning of the school year. A new school is built and it finds itself learning about exactly what goes on inside it when the school year starts. There's so much to learn!

                                        

For a good nonfiction look at those awesome folks who educate the next generation, try Meet the Teacher by Joyce Jeffries. Using big text, bright pictures and shirt sentences this is a quick read that does a wonderful job of describing what teachers are and what they do.
                          
                                        

For those of us whose school year is already underway there are some books which deal with some of the day to day happenings. Mike Thaler's The New Kid from the Black Lagoon shows us what occurs when the teacher announces that a new kid is about to join the class. The students' imaginations run wild as they try to figure out where the kid is from and what they look like.

                                  

Anica Mrose Rissi The Teacher's Pet introduces us to Mr. Stricter and his choice of a class pet which turns out to be a terrible idea and it is up to the students to help solve the problem.
                   
                               

These are just some of the many. many books out there. Feel free to suggest yours in the comments below. Have a wonderful school year!