I adore elephants, so naturally I had to track down today’s picture book.

I AM ELEPHANT is the second poem book (after I AM POLAR BEAR) written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Miriam Nerlove.  It is one poem that winds through the book filled with gorgeous watercolor illustrations.  While this book has been described as lyrical, I would describe it more as a call to arms.  It is NOT intended for very young readers, as it looks very bluntly at preserving these fantastic creatures and ends on quite a disturbing note.  It felt a bit heavy handed, especially after the last page, and yet I cannot disagree with the message: a world without elephants would be a sad one.

I chose one page out of the book that I thought was an example of the type of writing and illustrating within the book.  Each page looks at a different aspect of these wonderful creatures and their abilities.  I have long known what amazing emotional creatures elephants are and marvel at that.

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!  Thank you for stopping by!