Elephants Can Paint, Too! by Katya Arnold

Elephants Can Paint, Too! by Katya Arnold

Rating: 5 stars

I bought this book without checking it out from the library first.  I knew I would love it.  I knew Lorelei would love it, and I knew Ben would love it.  And, amazingly, I was right about it all! 

Who knew that elephants could paint flowers?!

Why do I love it?  As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand I've traveled to the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand, to see the elephants perform, show off what work they can do, to watch them paint, and to ride them.  It was one of my most memorable tourist activities of my life--riding an elephant made me feel like I was 5--it was so exciting and fun and different!  Plus I was there with my best bud Caitlin, who makes everything hilarious and memorable.  Anyway, I was so excited that a children's book had been written/created to highlight a really neat animal that almost all children think is cool.  I'm always on the prowl for nonfiction books, and this one was a well-timed find.

Why does Lorelei love it?  Lorelei starts preschool in just about a week.  She's ready.  I'm ready (mostly).  Last week she received a letter from her teacher, who introduced herself and told her a little bit about herself and what Lorelei should expect in the upcoming school year.  The letter was so thoughtful and unnecessary--and it was written in such an appropriate tone--I just felt like it assumed Lorelei was an intelligent, thoughtful little girl capable of great things.  I know, I read into it a bit.  Well, it turns out that Lorelei is in the elephant class at school!  So I just had to buy this book.  Lorelei loves it and is excited to show it to her teacher when she first meets her.

Ben loves this picture of the author.

Why does Ben love it?  The book is written so well--it is a simple little story for kids Ben's age, with parallel lines for Katya Arnold's two different lives: in one she teaches little humans in Brooklyn, in the other she teaches big elephants in Thailand.  Some eat grass, some eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but they all love cookies.  And all of her students love art class.  She shows how each student holds a paintbrush (some with fingers, some with their trunk).  In addition to this simple story, there are inserts with tons of interesting facts about elephants, which are great for older kids like Lorelei.

I'm so happy this book will stay on our shelves and not have to be returned to the library next week!