Singing with Elephants

Starred review from April 11, 2022
In 1947, 11-year-old Oriol and her family live in Santa Barbara, having migrated from Cuba to seek treatment for her grandmother’s diabetes. After the treatment fails and Abuelita dies, Oriol tries to process her grief while feeling isolated at school and being bullied for her accent and love of animals. Now on summer vacation, she finds solace by helping the many animals at her parents’ veterinary clinic and appreciating their “humorous animal opera.” Oriol struggles to express her feelings in both Spanish and English, until she befriends a neighbor—Engle’s imagined version of poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature—who teaches Oriol how to express herself through poetry. And when a baby elephant is separated from its family for a rich actor’s entertainment, Oriol uses her voice to petition for their reunification. Employing immersive free verse that conveys themes of compassion, friendship, justice, and vulnerability, Engle (Rima’s Rebellion) captures how inexplicable Oriol’s grief feels, encasing it in a powerful, charitable, and brave young voice. Back matter includes an author’s note and resources on Gabriela Mistral. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency.

May 15, 2022
Grades 3-6 Newbery Medal and Pura Belpr� Award winner Engle enchants young readers with a novel in verse about a Cuban-born girl discovering her voice. It's 1947 when Olivia, her sister, Catalina, and her veterinarian parents move to Santa Barbara. Life in a new country isn't easy for them, and it is full of racial taunts. Still mourning the death of her abuelita, Olivia befriends famous poet Gabriela Mistral, who encourages her to write and express her emotions. Lacking confidence, Olivia finds solace in her cheerful animal friends, who, like her, speak their individual, poetic language. Before long, she befriends two baby elephants, one of whom is taken by an actor and made into a spectacle. Full of anger, Olivia learns to stand up for herself and for those who don't have a voice. Engle's writing style encourages young readers to fall in love with poetry. The reader learns along with Olivia about grammar and literary terms (noun, verb, onomatopoeia, etc.). Our young friend comes to discover that language shouldn't be used to hinder but to create beauty.

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June 24, 2022

Gr 3-7-Both engaging and heartrending, this is a beautifully told story of fifth grader Oriol who lives with her older sister, Cat, and her parents, who are veterinarians. The family emigrated from Cuba to California in order to help Grandma find better treatment for her diabetes-alas, there was nothing to be done, and she passed away. Now lonelier than ever, Oriol, along with her pet wolfhound and miniature goat, seeks solace from a neighbor who happens to be a famous poet. Inspired, Oriol begins to write as well, learning a lot from the Nobel Prize in Literature winner. Much to her dismay, a Hollywood actor, who owns an elephant and her twin calves that Oriol's parents are caring for, decides he is going to separate one of the babies and raise it as if it were an orphan in hopes of forcing it to "talk." Oriol must use her newfound writing ability and courage to rally support for reunifying the family of elephants. Sure she can feel the pain of the mother elephant through the singing and humming sounds she makes, Oriol knows she must act fast. Written in poetic verse, this is a book that readers won't want to put down until the last page. VERDICT A strong purchase for all libraries. Compassion and love abound in a tale of animal activism and personal growth.-Tracy Cronce

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Starred review from March 1, 2022
Inspired by her friendship with a famous poet, an 11-year-old attempts to rescue a baby elephant. Oriol is homesick for Cuba, bullied at school for her Spanish accent, and mourning her Abuelita, who died after their family moved to California to help her receive a diabetes treatment that failed. Set in Santa Barbara in 1947, this novel in verse follows Oriol, who finds comfort in caring for animals at her parents' veterinary clinic and at a nearby wildlife ranch where movies are filmed. She also befriends an elderly neighbor, later revealed to be a fictionalized version of a real historical figure: Gabriela Mistral, the Chilean poet of mestizo Incan and Basque heritage and the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in literature. Mistral teaches Oriol to write poems as a way of coping with her emotions and later encourages her to write a petition to help free a baby elephant cruelly separated from her mother and twin sibling. The book is replete with lovely, nearly magical imagery: In one scene, the mother elephant uses her trunk to swoop Oriol off her feet for a hug. In another, elephants and humans march together for justice. Throughout, the power of words--both to help children find where they belong and to make the world a kinder place--profoundly resonates. Brilliant, joyful, and deeply moving. (author's note, poem by Gabriela Mistral, further reading) (Verse historical fiction. 8-12)

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