Desert Elephants

by Helen Cowcher

Each year the desert elephants of Mali, West Africa, travel a 300-mile path to search for water. They peacefully pass through the lands of the Tuareg, Dogon, and Fulani people while following the longest migration route of any elephant in the world.  This insightful story with bold, dramatic illustrations shows how people work together to preserve the delicate balance of life in the desert and protect these magnificent elephants.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Picture Books, Cultural, Africa

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2011

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Cowcher skillfully blends the migration of the desert elephants of Mali with with the lives of the Dogan, Fulani, and Taureg peoples who share those lands. The focus is almost more on the people than the elephants, which was unexpected. But, the way the people communicate with one another to help find ways to continue peacefully coexisting with the elephants, despite modern pressures, shows another type of "migration" -- that of ideas. The illustrations are bold and realistic and the map on the end papers is very helpful. Extensive back matter includes further information, acknowledgements, and useful websites: sahel.org.uk and wild.org

At the time of writing this book (2011) only 550 of these elephants remained in the wild. When I looked at this site present-day, it shows only 350. I appreciate the hopeful tone of the book, though it was certainly sad to read what continues to happen today.
https://www.savetheelephants.org/proj...

[Guadalupe Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desert Elephants by Cowcher Helen
Genre: nonfiction Reading level: 1-3 grade Format: good



The books Desert elephants is about Elephants that live in Africa. Also in how important the elephants are to the African people. Throughout the whole book it describes how the elephants move from place to place to find water and how water is a main source for the elephants to survive. Also in how the people in Africa love Elephants and how elephants are important to them. I really enjoyed the color and texture of the picture illustrations because the pictures are really eye appealing and also enjoyed reading the information the book was giving about elephants. Also the text is easy to read and understand which is important for students when they are reading a book. I believe the book was quite interesting because of all the interesting facts the book mentions about elephants and will be a good way for the students to gain knowledge about elephants to share with an adult.

[Mackenzie Hoolihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, mainly because I love elephants, and it taught me more about them. This book is about the elephants living in Africa. It talks about how they travel all over as a herd to find water during the dry months. The book also talks about how the elephants are important to the land of Africa. I think this is a great book to read to children who are curious about elephants. I also think this book could be used as part of a science lesson in school as a way of teaching children about elephants and Africa. Overall, I thought this was a great book.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved the large colorful illustrations. I have read several children's books about elephants, and this is so far my favorite! Well done. The front cover shows a map of the story area, and the migration route of elephants through "The Elephant's Doorway." Find out why the local desert radio is important, about pictures printed on African fabrics, what a "palaver" is and about the Dogon, Fulani and Tuareg peoples. I hate to turn this back in to the library, but I must.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of people and elephants living side by side, with people respecting the animals journeys.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: This is a picture book about the travels taken by a group of Elephants known as the Desert Elephants. This particular group are named as such because they live on the edge of the Sahara Desert. This group of elephants makes over a 300 mile journey during the dry season to find water going through a opening in the mountains known as the Elephants Doorway.


Main Characters:
The Elephants.


I thought this was just a so so book. The story didn't really follow a good line and they author tried too much to include people in the story about animals. I loved the illustrations of this book though. The way the elephants were painted was amazing.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that this book included a map and talked a bout the migration of African Elephants, but I wish the author had gone into greater detail about their journey. As it was, I was a little confused about the process. The storyline didn't seem to follow the cyclical path laid out on the endpaper maps. I enjoyed reading about the native people and the adaptations of the animals, though, and the illustrations were incredible.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story book telling the story of the 300 mile circular route the elephants take every year to follow the rains and water. Villages, elephant rangers and people work together to make sure the elephants are safe and the thousands-years-old path is kept clear for the elephants.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the endpapers which depict the longest migration route of any elephant in the world, to the illustrations, text, and author's notes, the reader comes to understand and appreciate the environmental relationship between the people and the elephants.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and inspiring story about the peaceful coexistence between elephants and local people. More human-animal relationships of this kind are needed in the world!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please see my entire review at http://nancycastaldonaturespeak.blogs...

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would definitely share this when discussing elephant migration/climate but not an amazing title. Interesting just not amazing.

[Rachel S]

I thought this book was interesting because it showed what an animal would do and how far they would travel in search of something to survive. and i loved the art work in the book.

[Ella Zig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for a bit older kids.
but a good read.