Noa and the Little Elephant: A tale of friendship and survival by Michael Foreman

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the fictional story of a young boy who loves to watch the animals around the great river where he lives.

Noa liked to watch the wading birds, zebras and the tall giraffes.But he especially loved to watch the elephants as they came to the river to cool off by playing in the water. Noa watched as a mother elephant played with her baby. The elephants grew accustomed to seeing Noa in his boat.

One day the elephants did not come to the river. Finally, Noa decided to follow the elephant path into the dark jungle. Noa discovers the terrible reason for the elephants absence from the library: the mother elephant is dead and has had her ivory tusks removed by poachers.

Noa comforts the baby elephant and leads him back to his home at the edge of his village. While his mom and little sister Eva helped make the baby elephant comfortable, Noa's dad told him to add water to the goat's milk so it wouldn't make the baby elephant sick.

As weeks go by the baby elephant becomes a part of the village.He even follows Noa to school some days, playing with him. But when the rainy season arrives, the baby elephant returns the favour by saving Noa's life, as the nearby river floods.

Discussion

This beautiful picture book for children, highlights in a gentle way, the effects of poaching animals. The story is told in a gentle way, with beautiful, soft watercolour illustrations by author/illustrator Michael Foreman. Young readers learn that when an adult elephant is killed for its white tusks, the baby elephant is in danger of dying. Like many young animals, it relies on its mother to survive. In Noa and the Little Elephant, the message is one of hope: Noa's family takes in the elephant and Noa is determined to work to save the elephants when he grows up.

Foreman has included an interesting Foreword by Julius Obwona, a ranger at the Uganda Wildlife Authority.Obwona, who grew up near Murchinson Falls National Park saw elephants, antelopes, birds and insects on his walks to collect water. But as he grew up, the elephant population crashed due to poaching. Eventually Obwona began working as a ranger, protecting wildlife around Murchinson Falls.

Noa and the Little Elephant is a delightful way to introduce children to caring for the creatures we share our planet with.

Book Details:

Noa and the Little Elephant by Michael Foreman
London, UK: HarperCollins Children's Books   2021