A Shoe for an Elephant

The Elephant's New Shoe 
by Laurel Neme; illus. by Ariel Landy 
40 pages; ages 4-6
Orchard Books (Scholastic), 2020   

theme: animal rescue, elephants, engineering

Animal rescuer Nick Marx peered at the injured elephant. 

It was a young male, orphaned and in bad shape. A wire snare had cut off his foot, which meant he couldn’t keep up with the herd. So Nick did the reasonable thing: he camped by the elephant, fed him bananas, and gained his trust. Then he moved him to a rescue center.

Nick introduced the young male, called Chhouk, to another elephant. But when she wandered, Chhouk couldn’t keep pace. Could the rescuers make a foot for Chhouk? 

What I like about this book: I like the way medics work on the problem of building a huge shoe that can take hundreds of pounds. I like how Laurel shows that nothing is easy; it took a few tires to eventually create a prosthetic foot that allowed the young elephant freedom of movement. There is great back matter, with photos and more information about elephants. And Nick, the wildlife rescuer, introduces the book noting that elephants “may look a little different, but they are people, too!”

Beyond the Books:

Chhouk and Nick Marx, courtesy of Wildlife Alliance.

Chhouk is an Asian elephant, an endangered species. You can find out more about them here.

Watch a video about Chhouk and his prosthetic foot here. And check out the posts about Chhouk at the Wildlife Alliance page here.

Chhouk isn’t the only animal to receive a prosthetic. Birds, cats, dogs, horses – many animals are helped by prosthetic limbs or beak extensions, or even a pair of wheels. Find out more here.

Laurel Neme is a member of #STEAMTeam2020. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.