Discover the unbreakable bond between a baby
elephant and her keeper in this heartfelt narrative set against the
backdrop of World War II.(goodreads summary)
This is a beautiful story that is based on actual true events about a young zookeeper, from the Belfast Zoo during World War II, named Denise Weston Austin. She forms a special bond with Sheila, a baby elephant, comforting her from the scary sights and sounds of the bombings around them. But as the war intensifies nightly, Denise vows not to leave Sheila alone and each night sneaks her out of the zoo taking her to her own home. It was not easy keeping an elephant a secret but with perseverance Denise manages to do so for a while. The story is told from Sheila's perspective and shows a bit of humor while adjusting to Denise's "enclosure". The end pages have newspaper articles retelling the story of Denise also known as the Elephant Angel. A beautiful name fitting for her as she protects the baby elephant from a very challenging time in history. This is a heart-warming story of kindness, love, courage and hope. I enjoyed learning about their story and I think this is a "just right book" for ages 5-7.~
Title: The Secret Elephant
Author: Ellan Rankin
Pub. date: March 2023, Wren & Rook
Genre: picture book, historical
Hardcover, 33 pgs.
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