Book 9: Tua and the Elephant

The Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee List is loaded with novels this year.  I love a great chapter book, but my only concern is that students won't be able to read as many of the nominees because it takes a bit longer to read novels.  That is not the case with this next book, though. Tua and the Elephant by R. P. Harris is a short novel that keeps the reader engaged with it's fun subject, a stolen elephant.

Tua, named for the Thai word meaning peanut because of her small size, is a young girl growing up in Thailand.  Her mother works long hours, which gives Tua lots of time on her own.  While out and about on one of her many excursions around town, Tua sees a small elephant that is being mistreated by the two men handling her.  Feeling that the elephant is calling to her, Tua frees the elephant and sets off on a mission to find this young elephant a better living environment.  With the help of many people along the way, Tua achieves just that.

Tua and the Elephant is a book that all students will enjoy.  It is based on some of the author's own experiences, which makes for a very engaging story.

Tua and the Elephant by R. P. Harris