 |
The story, illustrated by Susan Vandeventer Warner, is geared to children aged 5-12. It tells in rhyme of the two elephants of the title's name. The pachyderms became friends at the Detroit Zoo. They had been taken from their families when they were very young and sold multiple times. In 2005, they left the Detroit Zoo for the PAWS Elephant Sanctuary. McLean was moved to write the story, as well as snatches of biographies of some other elephants, to expose the situations of the mammals as they are captured by animal hunters, sold by dealers, and sometimes rescued. There are sections called "Elephant Talk," which describe the situations not only of Wanda and Winky, but Sue and Missy. These elephants had been working for more than thirty years before their rescues.
McLean makes a straightforward case, easily understood by youngsters, for the necessity of elephants to live in freedom. She describes elephants well in terms of their social, intellectual, and emotional intelligence, as well as their needs to live with other animals and for a lot of natural space for exercise and play. The author states repeatedly for the children that this is a sad story for many elephants, but that, for Wanda and Winky, there were happy endings. There may be happiness and freedom for all elephants if we protest their capture and sale. The book contains many references and websites of sanctuaries, in addition to the PAWS website, where people may read about the famous heroines. Additionally, there are citations of articles about the situations of elephants vis a' vis US zoos, and dedications to Ron Kagen, Executive Director of the Detroit Zoo, as well as to the cofounders of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
RECOMMENDED by the US Review