Tua And The Elephant

tua and the elephantWhile looking around the Night Market in her hometown of Chiang Mai, Thailand, ten-year-old Tua (Thai for “peanut”) sees an elephant being mistreated and knows she must rescue her from the abusive mahouts (elephant trainers) who own her. Tua is a clever, courageous, and big-hearted girl who bonds with the elephant she names Pohn-Pohn. The villains are evil, but also inept and Tua repeatedly outsmarts them. Other characters include her loving and hard-working single mother, the funny Auntie Orchid (the finest actress in Thailand –at least in her eyes), and many lively and colorful family members, farmers, and Buddhist monks who help Tua on her adventure. All ends well as Tua finally gets Pohn-Pohn to the sanctuary of an elephant refuge. Charcoal, linoleum block print, and photo- shopped illustrations in golds and purples reveal much about the culture and people of Thailand. mjw
Title: Tua And The Elephant
Author: R.P. Harris
Illustrator
: Taeeun Yoo
Publisher
: Chronicle Books. San Francisco, California
Copyright
: 2012
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978- 0-8118-7781-7
Hardcover pages
: 208
Age range
: 8-12
Genre
: Fiction
Book setting
: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Author’s residence
: Shanghai, China
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Korean
Illustrator’s residence
: New York
Subjects
: Adventure, Animal rescue, Animal sanctuaries, Animal welfare, Asia, Asiatic elephants, Elephants, Thailand

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