Ella: A Baby Elephant's Story [With DVD]

by Kathleen Duey

Book & DVD. Ages 3 to 9 years. This book takes young readers on a journey through the eyes of Ella, a baby elephant who lives in Africa with her family. When a new baby elephant is born in the herd,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824955846
• ISBN13: 9780824955847
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Smart Kids Publishing
• Length: 31 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.3" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A cool book with a DVD

Reviewed by Sophia McElroy (age 6) for Reader Views (5/09) I really liked this story about Ella, a baby elephant. She lives with her mom, brother and grandmother. Ella's aunt was having her first baby, it arrived in the night. Ella was nice to the new elephant; she helped the baby pick up grass and tried to teach her how to do it too. The hyenas started barking in the darkness. Ella wasn't afraid because the elephant herd was together. The next day Ella smelled the hyenas as they were out in the clearing. This time she was scared because the baby elephant had left her side. A cool DVD comes with the book, "Ella: A Baby Elephant's Story" by Kathleen Duey. It has a movie all about Ella and her family. They like to go to the river to cool off and they like to roll in the mud to help with the fly bites. They love to eat green grass, they don't eat meat! I learned that the elephants grab food with their trunk and put it in their mouth. They also use their trunks to wash themselves and suck up water and spray it in their mouths to drink. I liked seeing all the baby elephants playing with their families.

WHAT A WONDERFUL LEARNING TOOL!

Ella, A Baby Elephant's Story is one of a number of works published in a series "My Animal Family." This is the story of a baby elephant growing up in her natural environment as seen through the eyes, and told by Ella, a baby elephant. This 31 page book has been meticulously researched and is extremely accurate as to the facts presented. Each animal, each situation is new and the writers have been able to convey this newness to the reader. The paintings of the various animals and plants are completely anatomically correct. If felt that one of the strongest aspects of this story was in interaction between members of the herd, in particular the Grand mother and the aunts of the young elephant and their role in raising this young creature. The text is simple and easy to follow and fits perfectly with the illustrations. And speaking of illustrations; the artist has used soft colors which blend perfectly and give the reader the feeling of actually being their, yet has not crossed the point where they seem to be actual photographs. This had made the work much more effective in my opinion and has enabled the story to be told without the constraints of having to follow pictures taken in the wild. Please note that these paintings are completely child appropriate. There is no tearing apart of other furry creatures, no upsetting images of the sudden death that is usually presented in this environment. The critters portrayed here actually seem to be getting along quite well, but not in the cartoonish sort of way we often see in such works. There is little to no anthromorphizing here. I find this refreshing. If the illustrations are examined closely, it would appear that the actual art work has been superimposed digitally over the actual photographed back ground in several frames, and done so quite effectively. It is difficult to tell...you have to look closely. This book is great, but that is not all you get! Included with this work is a wonderful DVD filled with shots of actually elephants in the wild. A child's voice narrates the elephant's story. These films and shots are actual BBC footage and also consist of original songs which are also loaded with elephant facts and trivia; this DVD alone with worth the price of the book. You also get a card which contains a secret pass word that allows you to enter a wonderful interactive web site which is loaded with various educational games. Again, the footage on the DVD and the games on the web site are completely child appropriate. They are fun and extremely educational. I am one of those people who simply cannot stand computer games of any sort, yet I found myself fascinated with some of the offerings here. The book itself is very well made and is sturdy enough to take quite a beating. The boards and paper are of high quality and have the look and feel of a much more expensive book. Reading level for this one is from pre-readers through beginning readers (3-9). This is a perfect