How to Be an Elephant

Growing Up in the African Wild

Book cover with the title How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild in large white text that features a painting of a baby elephant eating grass beside a large, curled trunk.

The savanna is not an easy place to live, even for African elephants, the largest land animals on earth. If it’s a challenge for these 7,000-pound giants, what’s it like for their newborn babies?

An infant elephant has precious little time to learn the incredible array of skills that are necessary to keep up, from projecting her voice across a 10-octave range to using the 100,000 muscles in her trunk to stay hydrated. But this giant-to-be has the perfect classroom—a family herd made up of her mother, sisters, cousins, and aunts. With their help and protection, she’ll learn how to survive, how to thrive, and how to be an elephant.

Roaring Brook / David Macaulay Studio, September 19, 2017. Age 7+

BUY NOW
For a signed copy please place your order with Grass Roots Books.

Critical Praise for How to Be an Elephant

  • Roy’s dynamic illustrations of the elephants are masterful: bold strokes that provide definition to the wrinkled skin of the elephants also skillfully convey movement, and the perspective is mostly from the level of the young calf, low to the ground and close to the towering legs of protective adults. The back matter includes an author’s note detailing Roy’s visit to Kenya to learn about elephants and threats to their existence (with appended map) as well as selected sources, both print and film. ✭

    — The Horn Book (starred review)

  • Roy’s skill in bringing meaningful nonfiction to a young audience was recognized with her Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks (2014). Her outstanding new offering allows readers to walk alongside the newest addition to an African elephant herd and learn just what it takes to be an elephant. Stylized watercolors and scientific diagrams mingle on the page as Roy reveals a baby female elephant’s journey to adulthood through a mixture of simple narrative and more detailed, scholarly text. An exceptional and arresting resource for the primary grades. ✭

    — Booklist (starred review)

  • In a richly informative follow-up to Neighborhood Sharks, Roy uses a baby African elephant’s efforts to adapt to the world as a springboard to discuss the characteristics that make these creatures so distinctive. Roy’s forceful watercolors convey a sense of movement and energy, with sweeping lines in violet, gray, brown, and pale blue. Interspersed diagrams help readers get a better sense of elephants’ anatomy (including whimsical touches such as comparing a trunk to a Swiss army knife outfitted with a snorkel, trumpet, shovel, and more), while the central narrative dives into how the animals communicate, stay cool, and more. Immersive illustrations and careful attention to detail in both the text and art combine to create a rewarding study of a remarkable animal. ✭

    — Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

  • Roy follows her masterly Neighborhood Sharks with a stunning look at how a newborn elephant matures into a capable member of the herd... The young elephant cuts a cuddly figure, but Roy never anthropomorphizes. Her deftly shaded, earth-tone illustrations effectively bring to life everything from the dusty African savanna to the wrinkled skin of the elephants. In-depth back matter lists age-appropriate websites, films, and books. The scientific articles Roy cites and her author’s note about her trip to Kenya are a testament to her meticulous research. VERDICT Though materials on pachyderms are plentiful, this stellar addition stands out from the crowd; a must-have for collections serving elementary school students. ✭

    — School Library Journal (starred review)

“My students can attest to the quality of information in Katherine Roy’s author visit. They still talk about the author that talked about elephant poop.”
— John, School Librarian, Oklahoma

Author Visits with How to Be an Elephant

Author Katherine Roy posing with a group of elementary school students as they all hold up their arms like they have elephant trunks.
“Best author presentation I have seen! Everyone was totally engaged!”
— Third Grade Teacher, Illinois
Painting by Katherine Roy of a herd of elephants surround one female elephant who is about to give birth at dawn.
Painting by Katherine Roy of a herd of elephants crossing a dusty African plain with huge purple and orange clouds overhead at sunset.
Painting by Katherine Roy of a newborn baby elephant walking next to its mother in a herd.