Books Like To Follow Elephants
Elephants are the largest land animals still in existence, but unfortunately, due to loss of habitat as well as poaching, they are endangered. Despite their size, elephants are highly social and very intelligent animals capable of forming strong bonds. Humanity's fascination with these massive animals meant that they have featured in folklore, art, and even religion over the ages. Of course, this also means that elephants have often appeared in the pages of novels. For example, in To Follow Elephants by Rick Hodges, a young elephant learns the way of the world from his herd's matriarch. For more stories about elephants whose lives are changed or intertwined with those of humans, check out the following books like To Follow Elephants.
The Elephant of Belfast: A Novel
by S. Kirk Walsh
The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh is based on the harrowing true story of a young zookeeper named Hettie Quinn. The twenty-year-old's life changes in October 1940 when a three-year-old elephant named Violet arrives on the Belfast docks. Violet was transported from Ceylon and is destined for the Bellevue Zoo, where Hettie becomes the elephant's dedicated zookeeper. Hettie throws herself into her work to cope with the recent loss of her older sister as well as the abandonment of her father. However, scarcely six months later, in April of 1941, thousands of civilians were killed when more than six hundred bombs were dropped on Belfast. It is among this chaos that Hettie fights for the survival of her elephant.
The Elephant's Journey: A Novel
by Jose Saramago
The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago was first published in 2008, before receiving an English translation in 2010. The novel is set in 1551 and sees King João III of Portugal giving Archduke Maximilian the unusual wedding present of an elephant named Solomon. Saramago based his tale on actual events and chronicled the epic journey of Solomon the elephant. It is a journey that stretches from Lisbon to Vienna and had to be done on foot across Europe. Solomon, accompanied by his keeper, the Archduke, his new wife, and the royal guard, journeyed through northern Italy, the Alps, and across the Mediterranean Sea.
The Memory of an Elephant
by Alex Lasker
The Memory of an Elephant by Alex Lasker is a moving novel about the cruelty of ivory poaching told from an elephant's perspective. It chronicles the tale of "Ishi," an elephant whose mother and the rest of his herd are slaughtered when he is only two years old. Ishi is the only survivor and is helped by a young Kenyan teen who takes him to a wild-animal orphanage. It is here that Ishi is nursed back to health and given his name, "Anishi," which means "He lives." From here, Ishi's story spans three continents, five decades, and a perilous journey of more than 1,000-miles as he returns to his birthplace. Interwoven with Ishi's narrative is the story of the family who raised and then lost him, but seeing the world through the eyes of an elephant is what makes this book so unique.
Hide The Elephant
by Jonathan Dunne
Hide The Elephant by Jonathan Dunne is 2015, combining humor and heartbreak. It is the tale of Mick Munroe, a forcefully-retired zookeeper, and Sinbad, a 42-year-old Indian elephant. Mick has been working at the Dublin Zoo for 45 years but struggles after the death of his wife. When he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, he tries to keep it a secret from his coworkers, but the truth comes out when his favorite elephant, Sinbad, gets out due to Mick forgetting to lock his cage. Mick still visits the Zoo every day to see Sinbad but quickly discovers that the elephant is being abused by his new keeper. This prompts Mick to try and rescue Sinbad, and the pair end up on the run from the Zoo as well as the police.
The Elephant Letters: The Story of Billy and Kani
by G. A. Bradshaw
The Elephant Letters: The Story of Billy and Kani by G. A. Bradshaw is aimed at younger readers but can still be enjoyed by adults too. Billy and Kani are two African Elephants that were born on the same day. However, while Kani roams the Kenyan savanna with wild elephant herds, his cousin Billy lives in a zoo after being orphaned and taken from Africa. As Kani struggles to survive the onslaught of poachers and other humans, Billy deals with loneliness and hardship. While the book is written in the form of letters between the two elephants, they provide insights into the very real issues faced by elephants in the wild and in captivity.
Four Nails: History's Greatest Elephant and His Extraordinary Trainer
by G. J. Berger
Four Nails by G. J. Berger is a fiction novel based on actual events that were reconstructed from ancient writings. The protagonist, Ashoka, is a young elephant trainer from ancient India who ends up enslaved by the empire of Carthage. Due to his skills working with elephants, Ashoka is swept up into Hannibal's army and ends up befriending a special elephant. Together with this elephant, Ashoka is tasked with leading Hannibal's elephant army over the Alps and down the back of Rome. It is a perilous journey, and the book offers a unique view of the Second Punic War, where elephants were used for warfare.
Delta the Dancing Elephant: A Memoir
by K. A. Monroe
Delta the Dancing Elephant by K. A. Monroe is the story of an Asian elephant whose family was killed in the 1930s. Delta's tale is told in first person as she narrates the events of her life. After the death of her family, Delta was captured and sold into the entertainment history. Her account of her time as a performing animal reveals the harrowing details of what this means for animals such as elephants. While the story is aimed at young adults, it is filled with details and references to also draw in older readers.
