Natumi Takes the Lead: The True Story of an Orphan Elephant Who Finds Family

by Gerry Ellis, Amy Novesky

Overview

After losing her mother, shy Natumi is rescued by a team from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an orphanage for baby elephants. At the shelter, Natumi hides behind keepers' legs to watch the other elephants at the shelter. But soon, she meets several other orphans, and the eight of them play together in the surrounding bush. 

As the babies become closer and more like a real family, they need a leader, someone they can trust. Can Natumi grow into this role? 

Join the herd to find out what happens when they travel back into the wild. This sweet story, with its heartwarming photographs, explores the challenges and joys of family, love, and growing up, and is a perfect bedtime tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426325618
Publisher:	National Geographic
Publication date:	11/08/2016
Series:	Baby Animal Tales Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	NC690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

GERRY ELLIS is an award-winning wildlife photographer, whose work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, The New York Times, Ranger Rick, and many more. Gerry is also the author of more than a dozen nonfiction and children's books.

Photographing nature for more than 30 years around the world inspired him to found GLOBIO, an educational nonprofit that aims to inspire children to protect the diversity of all life on earth. Gerry is currently working on a multi-year project to document the challenges the world's remaining great apes face today.
 
AMY NOVESKY is the award-winning author of Me, Frieda, Georgia in Hawaii, and many other titles. When she's not writing picture books, she works as an independent children's book editor for Chronicle Books, Pixar, and other publishers.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Set on the "African savanna" (the back matter clarifies that the location is Kenya), this is the true story of a baby elephant named Natumi who is separated from her herd when her mother is shot and killed. A kind farmer rescues her and takes her to an elephant orphanage. There, shy Natumi hides behind her keepers' legs and is cared for and raised along with seven other orphan elephants. Over the years, the eight "elies" grow and form a family of their own. Kids will have already gleaned from the title that Natumi will be the leader of this new herd, but the tale is nonetheless enjoyable. While the text is light on details, the back matter is quite extensive, including a map of Natumi's home (in Kenya) and where elephants live in Africa, a "Facts About Elephants" section, a paragraph about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (the orphanage), a note on how the design of the book was inspired by the area and "local cultures," and more. VERDICT A fine addition to collections to inspire and teach young readers about African elephants and conservation efforts.—Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2016-07-26
At an elephant orphanage in Kenya, a rescued baby grows from shy girl to leader of her pack.Wildlife photographer Ellis documents the growth and ultimate release of the calf that keepers name Natumi and seven other orphaned baby elephants raised with her at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust until they are no longer milk-dependent. His clear images will help readers visualize their daily routine: bottle feedings, bathing in mud puddles, and both soothing and playful activities with their human keepers. An early photograph shows the tiny, shy calf hiding behind a keeper's legs. In most of these pictures, the eight are indistinguishable. Natumi’s transformation to pack leader happens offstage; readers have to take the author's word that she lags behind and later leads. A simple, expository text leaps over nearly three years of growth to describe their return to the wild. (Actually, the elephants are released to a rehabilitation unit, a protected area within a national park, but neither text nor endnotes deal with the transition from keeper-dependence to keeper-independence.) Thoughtful design sets legible, large white text on a dark-color background graced by images of local flora in a lighter color and often bordered by a Samburu-inspired pattern. A guide to pronouncing the animals’ names appears early on. Pleasing photographs with a slight story to encourage aspiring animal rescuers. (map, facts, further information, photographer’s note) (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Review

"Glossy, high-definition photos of the baby elephants growing up, playing in the mud, and snuggling with their keepers are beyond adorable, and extensive endnotes add extra information about African elephants and wildlife centers.... The narrative glosses over the events that left Natumi parentless—although the back matter mentions the problems of poaching—making this tale of confidence and family suitable for even younger readers." — Booklist

"His clear images will help readers visualize their daily routine: bottle feedings, bathing in mud puddles, and both soothing and playful activities with their human keepers…. Pleasing photographs with a slight story to encourage aspiring animal rescuers." — Kirkus

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From the Publisher