This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
By CARON LEVIS
Illustrated by CHARLES SANTOSO
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The illustrations for this book were made with digital brushes in Photoshop.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4197-6373-1
Text © 2023 Caron Levis
Illustrations © 2023 Charles Santoso
Book design by Natalie Padberg Bartoo
Published in 2023 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
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For Ella, Mason, Silas, and their mighty Mama, my sister, Em —C.L.
For Nicholas —C.S.
With a special trumpet to our editor, Emma
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Enid trumpeted her welcome song— finally, she was a big sister! The world was just a blur to Baby, but, wriggling and smiling, he reached toward his sister’s bouncing sounds.
Mama Echo named him Ely. “Eee—liii,” Enid sang. “Tah-tra!”
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But when the sun rose,
Ely did not. His legs were bent and stuck. Mama looked worried. Enid stopped singing.
Auntie Em said that once in a while, babies are born with injuries.
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Gently, she explained that to live and stay safe, baby elephants must stand to drink milk and walk to water right away.
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But every time Ely tried, he slid and fell.
Enid’s welcome song crumpled like dry leaves inside her.
Newborns are so heavy, even the strongest elephants can’t pick them up. So Mama hugged and tugged Ely with all her might.
But there was nothing a big sister could do. The air grew dangerously hot. Still, Enid shivered and felt very small.
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Until she remembered she could breathe in and steady her body like the mountain. She could roll rumbles, blast trumpets, and shower Ely with her mighty sounds!
With his sister’s calls curling around him, Ely grunted, stretched, and found his rhythm.
All day, thirsty, tired, and trembling,
he pressed, pushed, fell.
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Pressed, pushed, fell.
stood!
His legs tingled, but the sharpest pinches stopped. Up felt great.
Enid cheered. “Now we’ll race-chase and snorkel-splash, WAROOO!”
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Mama Echo rumbled with joy but said Ely’s legs were still fragile.
She didn’t know if they would strengthen quickly, slowly, or enough. He’d need extra protection and care.
“Don’t worry, Mama,” said Enid. “Ely will stick with me!”
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Wobbly, tired, and determined, Ely reached the water hole with Enid by his side.
She made sure he didn’t slip in and carefully—splashily—cooled him off.
“We are MIGHTY MUDDY US!”
Ely tried copying her words—squeakily!
They made silly brave sounds together.
“Too-wee, too-wee, too-weeeee!”
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Everyone said what a special helper Enid was. She liked being important! Still, sometimes she missed having Mama to herself and felt squeezed out.
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With every smoother step, gulp of new food, and goofy loop the loop of Ely’s trunk, aunties cooed and cousins floppy-danced. Mama trumpeted, “Look at you grow!”
All the attention made Ely feel warm and smiley. Still, sometimes he wanted fewer kisses and felt squished.
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But being with Enid always felt just right. She was the best pillow,
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the silliest trunk twirler, and she turned dust-baths into hide and . . .
“Now we are mighty dusty us!”
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On Ely’s first birthday, everyone celebrated how much he’d grown. Nobody noticed Enid had, too.
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“Won’t getting bigger hurt his legs more?” she asked, grouchy and worried.
“That’s a caring question,” Mama cooed.
“Ely’s muscles get stronger every day. He needs to be careful. But I’m watching.”
Mama told the cousins that race-chase was too rough.
Ely grumbled. He was a big elephant now!
So Enid picked a gentler game. “Silly-Trunk Time for birthday brother! Warooo!”
Ely giggled. Then he squawked his very first word, “Eeny!”
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After that, while Ely still wobbled and tripped, he got up quickly, and saw adventures everywhere! But Enid saw the dangers. Taking charge of Ely helped her feel less shaky and more mighty. She stopped him from wandering too far, too fast,
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and into trouble!
“You have to stick with me,” she bellowed.
“When I call ‘Too,’ you call back!”
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“Weee!”
With his Eeny close by, Ely felt extra brave and sure.
Birthday after birthday, Ely grew even sturdier. When he ached, he took breaks.
If he stumbled, he caught himself. So when the cousins called them to snorkel-splash, he rumbled with excitement—
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but Enid shooed them away. She wanted to splash in, and maybe Ely could do it, but she wasn’t sure.
“You could sink,” she said.
“I can swim!” Ely squawked. He was bored of bubbling in the shallows. He felt ready to dive!
“Soon,” she said.
But soon, all the streams and swamps dried up. The drought made everyone hot and thirsty.
Then Auntie Em said there was always water somewhere underground to sniff out and dig up.
“What if it’s too deep or not enough?” whispered Enid.
“Let’s find it!” Ely raced off with the cousins.
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Digging, scooping, and helping felt great.
So when Enid called, “TOOOOO!”
Ely didn’t answer.
And when she cried, “Wait, slow down, you can’t—”
“I can!” Ely trumpeted.
“I’m a mighty elephant!” He knew it was true.
And wished Enid did, too.
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“But Ely’s supposed to stick with me!” she told Mama. “His legs are shaking!”
“That means his muscles are working hard,” Mama cooed. “He’s become a big, sturdy elephant with a helpful heart, just like you.”
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Enid felt mixed up.
She was glad Ely could run, play, and help. But now he wouldn’t need his special Eeny anymore.
This new worry whooshed in with the wind, suddenly blowing fast and fierce.
“Dust storm,” Mama roared. “Stick together!”
The ground was in the sky, sand stung Enid’s skin, her stomach twisted. She didn’t know how to move.
But Ely would.
When it was hard, when it hurt, he always pressed on.
“Elyyyy . . .” she called, but her voice scattered in the swirl.
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Still, Ely heard her. His sister was scared. So was he.
And because of Enid, he knew what to do.
Toooo
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-we
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When the sand settled, Ely brushed the dust out of Enid’s eyes. The nervous knots inside her untangled.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You really don’t need me anymore.”
“I only need your help sometimes.” Ely beamed.
“But I love you all the time!”
“Sometimes and all the time.”
Enid glowed. “Me too, mighty brother.”
Smiling, they drank.
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Day after day, the family dug for more water.
Enid joined Ely’s rhythm. Brush, dig, scoop.
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When the heat rose, they flapped their ears to make breezes.
“Eeny, you’re my coolest sister!”
“And I’m your biggest fan.”
When cousins called, they built sand-mountains—
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and caught the drops of rain finally starting to fall!
There were sprinkles, splatters, then showers for days, and at last, the swamps filled up.
The siblings stood on the slippery, steep bank. His legs shook a bit; her tummy did, too, but together their voices were steady and sure.
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“Ready?” asked Ely.
“Ready!” blared Enid.
“We are . . .”
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To create this story, I blended real-life information with my imagination. I was inspired by kids I’ve known, being an older sibling myself, and of course, real-life elephants!
Elephant siblings Ely and Enid, their mother, Echo, and their extended family—the “EB family”—have been observed and documented extensively by Dr. Cynthia Moss, filmmaker Martyn Colbeck, and the amazing team at Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Kenya. In 1990, Echo gave birth to Ely, who arrived unable to stand, a life-threatening situation for a newborn elephant. Researchers think that when Ely was a fetus, his front legs got folded too tightly inside Echo’s uterus. Staying so long in the extreme heat was dangerous for Enid and Echo’s bodies, too. Still, they supported Ely until he could shuffle to safety. He and Enid shared a special bond that continued as Ely’s injury lessened and he developed into an active elephant. Echo, an especially skilled matriarch, successfully led the EB family through many challenges until she died of natural causes in 2009. As of the writing of this note, research reveals that around age ten, Ely moved away from the group, as males typically do. Many years later, he was observed during a joyful and noisy reunion with the EB family. Enid, a mother of eight and a grandmother, was seen in September 2022 guiding the EB family as her revered mother had taught her. The devoted team at ATE continues to follow the EB and other families as part of their research.
Elephants are extraordinary. I am grateful for the work of researchers Dr. Cynthia Moss, Dr. Joyce Poole, Katy Payne, and others who have discovered and provided us with abundant information about the magnificent elephants we share the Earth with, have much to learn from, and must protect so they can survive and thrive. I hope you will explore their work!
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Every elephant is unique, with different birth stories and relationships. Just like us! As we grow, navigating changes in ourselves and each other may feel challenging. Listening and sharing can help us splash into a delightfully new and mighty us!
Too-weee, Caron Learn more about Echo, Ely, Enid, and how to support the elephants and the team at Amboseli Park at ElephantTrust.org.
Find activities and explore emotions at CaronLevis.com