THE ELEPHANT'S NEW SHOE

A true, heart-tugging tale about an injured baby elephant.

Animal rescuer Nick Marx first encountered Chhouk (Khmer for “lotus”) wandering in a forest in Cambodia in 2007. A wire snare had cut off one of the tiny animal’s front feet. The elephant was brought to Nick’s rescue center, where the humans faced two daunting problems: Would Chhouk ever walk normally? And what about the orphan’s loneliness? The second dilemma was easily solved: Lucky, an older female elephant, accepted Chhouk as her own. But Chhouk’s foot hurt when he tried to walk with her. Clearly, something needed to be done. Nick called doctors and makers of animal prostheses in Thailand and Cambodia to no avail. Finally, the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics, established to serve human victims of armed conflict, agreed to try. After several attempts, Chhouk was successfully fitted with a new, durable, comfortable shoe. Today, a teenage Chhouk requires and receives a new shoe every six months. This sweet, simply told story will capture animal lovers’ hearts and sympathy. The endearing, cartoonish illustrations depict a sweet-faced, often smiling Chhouk; his injured foot is presented without gore. Nick presents white; the rescue and medical team members have brown skin. Marx himself contributes a foreword; the backmatter includes elephant facts, photos of Chhouk, and an author’s note.

A captivating story.