ELEPHANTS Birth, Life, and Death in the World of the Giants

Gemma Lawrence narrates this love letter to elephants with self-deprecating charm and wit. The first surprising revelation is that the author sees herself as an elephant of sorts. Mumby also sees parallels between elephants and all humans. Lawrence conveys the awe that Mumby felt in her first close encounter with elephants. Since that internship in Kenya, she has spent a lot of time around elephants in places such as Myanmar and South Africa. While much of Mumby's story is upbeat, there's also sadness as the author expresses the shock of seeing a dead elephant. She speaks out against the ivory trade that has claimed many elephants' lives--lives just like our own. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]