Tua and the Elephant

Tua and the Elephant

By R.P. Harris

Harris, R. P., and Taeeun Yoo. Tua and the elephant. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2012.

Tua is a young girl living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She spends her days running around the market until she makes a new friend. This new friend happens to be an elephant she rescues from two mean mahouts.  Tua names the elephant Pohn-Pohn.  She and Pohn-Pohn go on adventures as they travel to the elephant sanctuary. Tua wants to keep Pohn-Pohn safe from the bad mahouts.  

Harris writes an enchanting tale about life in Thailand.  The innocence of the characters truly brings the story to life.  Yoo's illustrations help the reader to visualize what Thailand might look like in certain areas.  The pictures reinforce the characters' emotions.  This is a beautiful story of a girl and an elephant that work together to save the day.

"Pure adventure. " - The New York Times

" A charming story sure to capture the hearts of young readers" - School Library Journal

"A gem!" - ReadKiddoRead.com

"A rousing adventure." - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

"Charming" - Education.com

"Enchanting. . . A strong read-aloud choice. " - Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review