Tennessean.Com
Nov. 19, 2006
By Robin Smith
(Robin Smith is a second-grade teacher at Ensworth School in Nashville.)
Original Article
JUST FOR ELEPHANTS By Carol Buckley,
with photographs
from the Elephant Sanctuary,
Tilbury
House ($16.95) 32 pages
Situated
in the nearby town of Hohenwald, Tenn., the Elephant Sanctuary may
be one of the most unusual nonprofit organizations
in Middle Tennessee. Serving as a haven
for elephants who have become too old, sick or otherwise in need
of care to continue their lives in zoos and circuses, the 2,700-acre
habitat is the largest of its kind in the United States.
The Elephant Sanctuary made headlines
earlier this year when one of its beloved
caregivers, Joanna Burke, was killed
by an elephant in a tragic accident. More recently, though, the
facility has been the subject of good news. There was the announcement,
earlier this month, that it would welcome Dulary, a retired elephant
from the Philadelphia Zoo.
Then there was the publication, earlier this week, of "Just
for Elephants," written by Elephant Sanctuary co-founder and
executive director Carol Buckley. In
this newly published volume for readers ages 8-12, the author brings
us the story of one elephant and her adjustment to her new home.
The plot follows an older elephant, Shirley,
who has lived in zoos and circuses for
a long time and is now moving to the
sanctuary where she will be allowed to
roam freely and to make friends with other elephants.
Carol Buckley and Scott Blais
founded the Elephant Sanctuary
in Hohenwald
to provide a home for sick, old and needy elephants.
(COURTESY OF THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY)
It won't take long for readers to become
attached to Shirley and to experience
the pain she must have felt as a circus
elephant and the joy she feels at being
reunited with Jenny, who had been a baby in her circus years
ago.
"The two elephants trumpeted and cried big elephant tears
of joy," Buckley writes. "They were very happy to be
together again for so many years."
Shirley's first day in Tennessee is lovingly
shown through words and pictures. As
she looks with tired eyes right at the
camera, we see her torn ear, damaged in
a fight with another circus elephant, and
her scarred skin, burned in a circus ship
fire in Nova Scotia. Later, we see her
lying down with Jenny, snoring contentedly
in the sunshine.Though targeted at elementary
and middle school students, the book will appeal
to all but the most hard-hearted of readers.
Informative endnotes offer lots of information
about elephant habits, the Elephant Sanctuary,
and Shirley and Jenny.
Buckley is the author of another children's
book, "Travels With Tarra," which recounts the beginnings
of the Elephant Sanctuary. For more information about the facility,
visit www.elephants.com. •
