Yukio Tsuchiya

"Faithful Elephants" is a heart-wrenching story about the effects of WWII bombing in Tokyo on poor innocent animals in the zoo. The Scholastic Readability Level for this book is 4th through 6th grades. This book falls under the historical fiction category because it highlights a real time period in history. A zoo in Tokyo makes the decision to poison/kill all of their animals, just in case war bombs are dropped and the animals escape their cages. Most of the animals are either poisoned in show more their food or injected with substances that will kill them. However, three elephants will not eat the poisoned food and their skin is to thick for the injection. The zoo makes the decision to starve the animals to death instead. The animal trainer can't stand to face the starving elephants as they perform their tricks in order to get some food. Their death is long and drawn out, which highlights yet another effect of war. I would use this story in my classroom to examine the effects of war on animals. I would allow students to share how the story made them feel. I would also ask them to hypothesize why the author had the elephants die in the position of their famous trick. This is such a powerful story with gorgeous pictures and a heavy message. show less

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is the most depressing book I have read in quite some time. Originally, I heard of it when Young et al. listed it in the back of Chapter 13 (p. 184). I figured that since I like elephants, I would read a lighthearted story about the bond between these creatures and their owners; boy was I wrong. Having never heard of the Japanese government ordering the euthanasia of animals at the Ueno Zoo during World War II, this book really tugged at my heartstrings. show more Reading about the slow death of the elephants was sad enough, but it became even more heartbreaking when research I did afterwards suggested that there was no danger to the animals to begin with, and the killings were going to be used as propaganda against the Allied forces. All in all, even though this book’s overall message about the depravity of war is powerful, I would recommend reading it only if you are looking to have a good cry. show less

So I was not expecting to be crying over elephants this morning but here I am.

Because of the mature subject matter please be sure before you read this book with your children. Picture books can be a good way to introduce hard things.

Much like Betty Doll by Patricia Pollacco I did not go into this knowing what was coming.

This tells the story of desperate choices with no good solutions.

For my family I rated this 13+.

Faithful Elephants is the true story of three elephants' deaths at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo during WWII. With the uncertainty of where exactly bombs would be dropped over Tokyo, government officials ordered all dangerous animals in the zoo be put to death. Lions, tigers, leopards, and other animals were fed poison, but the elephants were too smart to eat the poisoned food. With seemingly no other option, the zoo officials were forced to reluctantly stand by as the elephants slowly starved to show more death. When the war was over, a monument was made to honor the poor elephants who fell victim to the causalities of war.
I'm not going to lie, this book made me cry. Being such an animal lover it was extremely difficult to read and imagine the suffering those poor, gentle elephants had to endure. Although it is a powerful way to shed light on the horrors of war that not many people realize, I'm not sure I would be able to hold it together while reading it to a class. show less