Moses: The True Story of an Elephant Baby

K-Gr 2—At the core, this is a tremendous story about the Jumbo Foundation, an organization devoted to caring for large wild animals until they can be released back into the wild. The author rescued Moses, an orphaned baby elephant, and brought him into her family. Perepeczko and her daughter, newly born granddaughter, and visiting grandmother, as well as dogs, a cat, and even a donkey, all interact with the elephant at their wildlife reserve in Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa. Readers will get a sense of the love and tenderness that the author felt for Moses, but the photography, text, and content range from excellent to disappointingly unsatisfactory. The book lacks documentation for the statistics and animal facts mentioned. Further, the profuse use of anthropomorphisms makes it less than credible as juvenile nonfiction ("Oh dear, she is a bit grumpy, he thought"). Some of the photographs are crisp and clear and enhance the text, while others are fuzzy, appear posed, or are mere space fillers that don't go well with the narrative. However, the conversational style will make readers feel at home with the family as they care for Moses. There's plenty of inspiration here for animal lovers. This is a touching rescue story, despite a sad ending (the last image features Moses strolling outside, but the author's note states that Moses died after an operation), though the flaws make it problematic.—Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA