5 ELEPHANTS

A primer on elephants and a plea to help them.

Writing in easy-to-understand language, with a glossary for unusual words, Laidlaw describes the challenges facing today’s elephants, both those in the wild and those in captivity. Within this overarching theme, he delivers a wealth of elephant-related information: the different species of elephants; where they live in the wild; what they eat; how they communicate; how they raise their young; their social structure; physiological information on skin, tusks, teeth and feet. With so much to cover, at times the organization gets a bit muddled. To give readers a personal connection, the author devotes each of five chapters to a profile of an individual elephant. Their stories range from inspiring to depressing since the author does not sugarcoat the often poor treatment of elephants by humans, whether it is in zoos and circuses, as work animals or as the victims of ivory poachers. It’s a delicate balance, given the author’s obvious passion for elephants and his zeal to protect them, to present the information in such a way that it inspires activism rather than alienates with proselytizing, and for the most part, he succeeds. Part of this success is due to the book’s upbeat design—it’s full of color photos and includes featurettes titled “Good News for Elephants.”

A worthy book that encourages ethical thinking about elephants.