Wild elephant families are special and unique and this juvenile non-fiction book, “An Elephant Grows Up by Anastasia Suen,” does a fine job portraying them in such a light. 

The illustrators, Michael L. Denman and William J. Huiett, definitely enhance the story with their artistic renderings of the elephants.

While not including the entire life cycle of an elephant, which could be too cumbersome for young readers, and falls outside the purpose of this little book, the author does present the herd’s cohesiveness, habits and traits which make them uniquely elephants! 

A baby elephant is born and welcomed into the family. Yet as the calf grows up there comes a time for separation as well. When adolescent elephants move on from their herds, as males typically do, it is not a time for sadness, as new elephant families form and  “a new journey begins under the hot African sun.” Life goes on.

 

 

 

“An Elephant Grows Up by Anastasia Suen”

 

“Welcome to the world of wild animals!

Follow a baby elephant and her brother as they grow up under the hot African sun.

As they become adults, they separate and have their own families.”

 

 

“Under the hot African sun, a baby elephant is born.

The calf looks small next to her mother, but she weighs more than a refrigerator.”

 

 

 

“A female is called a cow,

A male is called a bull.”

 

 

“Less than an hour after birth, the elephant calf can stand.

She is already taller than your kitchen table!”

 

“The calf is hungry, so she nuzzles up to her mother to drink milk.”

 

 

“Calves are covered in hair when they are born.

Older elephants only have long hair at the ends of their tails.”

 

 

“Mothers and their young stay together in one herd.

Young adult males and older males roam by themselves or join small herds of other males.”

 

 

“The herd stays in one place for several days after the calf is born.

Once the new calf can walk, the herd will move on.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Elephants often walk in single file lines along the trails.

The calves walk behind or next to their mothers.”

 

 

“Looking for food is a full time job for elephants.

They spend about 16 hours a day eating.

They only sleep a few hours a day.”

 

 

 

 

 

“The oldest cow in the herd leads the other elephants.

She traveled these same trails when she was a calf.”

 

 

“The long trail leads the elephants to a popular gathering place, the water hole.

They visit the water hole at least once a day.”

 

 

“At first, the calf uses her mouth to drink the water.

As she grows older, the calf learns how to use her trunk.

She sucks water into her trunk and then blows it into her mouth.”

 

 

“An elephant’s trunk is the elephant’s nose and upper lip.

Some young elephants suck their trunks just like babies suck their thumbs.”

 

 

“The calf grows up fast. 

She begins to eat plants like the older elephants.

She also uses her trunk to grab leaves high in the trees.”

 

 

“The calf uses her tusks to dig for water.

Some elephants use their right tusks more.

Other elephants prefer their left tusk.

It’s just like being right-handed or left-handed.”

 

 

“A new surprise has arrived in the herd.

At four years old the calf now has a baby brother!

When full grown male elephants are much larger than female.”

 

 

“African elephants are the largest land animals.”

 

 

“Calves soon start to use their tusks for more than just digging.

They use their tusks for resting their heavy trunks or ripping bark off trees.

The tusks can also be used as weapons when needed.”

 

 

“The brother and sister have grown a lot but they are still growing.

Most elephants keep growing until they are 30 or 40 years old!” 

 

 

“When the brother is about nine years old, he will join a different herd.

The sister will stay with the cows and calves in her herd and start a family.”

 

 

“Bulls and cows live apart.

At mating time they call one another with sounds that humans cannot hear.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The elephant family continues to grow.

The calf grew up and became a mother herself.

She is now called a cow.”

 

 

“Her brother also started a family in a different herd. 

He is now called a bull.

A new journey begins under the hot African sun.”

 

 

 “A mother elephant always watches over her calf to make sure all is well.”

 

 

 

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images and transcribed from: cc video by Seattle Public Schools, TV “ELA, 1st Grade, 6/15… 6/17… 6/19… An Elephant Grows Up” (1)

 

 

Sources:

(1) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=An+Elephant+Grows+Up&sp=EgIwAQ%253D%253D          cc video by Seattle Public Schools TV yt ch “ELA, 1st Grade, 6/15… 6/17… 6/19… An Elephant Grows Up”

 

 

Elephant Spoken Here Facebook  

 

Elephant Spoken Here twitter now called X @ESHelephants