Elephant by Suzi Eszterhas

Elephant by Suzi Eszterhas
Buy Elephant by Suzi Eszterhas at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Summary: A baby bull elephant shares a touching bond with his family and eventually grows to be a majestic animal, ready to branch out on his own in this 'coming of age' story.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: July 2014
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
External links: [www.suzieszterhas.com Author's website]
ISBN: 9781847805034
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Elephant is part of the wonderful Eye on the Wild series by award-winning wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas. The book follows the journey of a young bull elephant calf from birth through adulthood. The vivid full-page photographs show heartwarming snapshots of life in the herd; a purely matriarchal society where strong females form a close family bond and work hard rearing and protecting their young.

The bond between the calf and his family is perfectly captured in each picture. The first image in the book is a double-spread featuring mother and son walking along the savannah. Mother ambles along in front, with her baby trailing a short distance behind, looking tiny in comparison. In another image we see mother and calf in an 'elephant hug', trunks intertwined in a scene reminiscent of Disney's Dumbo.

My favourite images in the book were of the elephants in the water. Elephants absolutely love water and when they get the opportunity to indulge, they roll around in the mud and spray water in the air with their long trunks. They really seem to be having fun in the picture and the calf is covered from head to toe in a thick layer of cool mud.

The family photos stand in stark contrast with one of the final, poignant images in the book, when the bull elephant has to leave his family and wander alone in the savannah. The image of this majestic animal all alone against the golden background is touching and beautiful in its simplicity.

The pictures are accompanied by a simple narrative that tells the story of the elephants in an educational way, teaching young readers plenty of interesting facts about these well-loved animals.

This is a lovely book for parents and little ones to share and will hopefully instil in children a lifelong love and appreciation of the natural world.

Enjoy more of Eszterhas' stunning photography in Tiger

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