We'd like to share two children's books written about elephants by elephant-lovers — and part of the proceeds go towards elephants!
Harper and The Elephant.
Harper and The Elephant is a story of a young girl who wants to bring home an elephant more than anything in the world. On a journey to find one of her own, Harper and her dog Gus go on a search, but along the way, she learns some incredible things about elephants and why they belong in the wild.
“I wrote it with my 5-year-old daughter, Harper. Ever since she was born, she has loved elephants,” says author Amber Kuipers. “For years, she has wanted to go see an elephant in the wild after she realized that having them in captivity isn't the best thing for them. And as her understanding of our planet has grown, she's beginning to learn more about what it means for animals to be endangered, poaching, and other things elephants in the wild face.”
Written by the real Harper with the help of her mom, Amber Kuipers, the children’s book is full of fun facts about elephants and how we can help them and their habitats. Harper and her classmates have participated in two of our Distance Learning programs, and she still talks about the experience today! “Our hope with the book is that others will learn some awesome things about elephants and start to love them as much as Harper does.” Says Amber.
All the proceeds from the book will be put aside for Harper to one day visit a real elephant in the wild. The book is available at all major retailers. To watch an interview with Harper and Amber, click here.
Eka and The Elephants: A Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Story for Young Movers.
As part of the Dance-It–Out book series, Eka and The Elephants is a delightful story by author Leah Irby, and illustrated by Cristian Gheorghita, which celebrates dance, art, and creativity, along with a love of elephants and gardening! The story follows Eka and her family, who are excited to start a new garden. But as vegetables grow, Eka realizes some start to go missing. However, when playful elephants visit, Eka and her family work their way through gardening together.
The book invites young readers to tiptoe, leap, roll, squat, and jump, among other physical activities, through ballet positions.
“Eka the Elephants is a great book that encourages children to use their imagination and body while learning about conservation, plants, and animals. Stories like this are great because of different curriculum standards for young kids that are still learning about using their body and fine motor skills, so the dance components are so beneficial,” says The Sanctuary’s Education Manager, Laura Roddy.
To learn more, visit www.onceuponadance.com.