Richie's Picks: QUEENIE: ONE ELEPHANT'S STORY by Corinne Fenton and Peter
Gouldthorpe, ill, Candlewick, June 2013, 24p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-6375-9


"'We were looking for food,' Ruby says, 'my family and I. But I wandered
off and got lost and went too close to the village.' Ruby looks at me,
eyes wide. 'I was so scared when I fell into that hole.'
"'Of course you were,' I say. 'I would have been scared too.'
"'Me too,' Bob admits. 'And I like holes.'
"'The hole was huge.' Ruby pokes her trunk through the bars and makes a
circle in the air. 'And guess what?' She doesn't wait for an answer. 'The
water was all the way up to my neck and I was sure I was going to die.'
"I shudder. 'What happened then?' I ask.
"'I'll tell you what happened,' Bob says darkly. 'They captured her and
put her in a box and shipped her off and here she is. Just like they did
with Stella.' He pauses to scratch an ear. 'Humans. Rats have bigger
hearts. Roaches have kinder souls. Flies have--'
"'No, Bob!' Ruby interrupts. 'You're wrong. These humans helped me.
When they saw I was trapped, they grabbed ropes and they made loops around my
neck and my tummy. The whole entire village helped, even little kids and
grandmas and grandpas, and they all pulled and pulled and...'
"Ruby stops. Her lashes are wet, and I know she must be remembering all
the terrible feelings from that day.
"'...and they saved me,' she finishes in a whisper.
"Bob blinks. 'They saved you?' he repeats.
"'When I was finally out, everyone cheered,' Ruby says. 'And the children
fed me fruit. And then all those humans led me back to my family. It
took the whole day to find them.'
"'No way,' Bob says, still doubtful.
"'It's true,' Ruby says. 'Every word.'
"'I've heard rescue stories like that before.' It's Stella's voice. She
sounds weary. Slowly she makes her way over to Ruby. 'Humans can surprise
you sometimes. An unpredictable species, Homo sapiens.'
"Bob still looks unconvinced. 'But Ruby's here now.' he points out. 'If
humans are so swell, who did this to her?'
"I send Bob a grumpy look. Sometimes he doesn't know when to keep quiet."

A moving, true story about a beloved zoo elephant in Melbourne, Australia that met a terrible, tragic end. A good book for prompting discussions on animal rights and the humane treatment of those held in captivity. ( )

(On behalf of my 8 year old: humouress)

It's about an elephant. It's a bit sad near the end but it is quite a nice story as well. I liked it because it's interesting and it made me really want to keep reading. ( )

My mother told me stories about going to the Melbourne Zoo when she was a child and riding Queenie, the elephant, was always the highlight of the visit. This is a beautiful and sad story with real connections to my own family history. I love Peter Gouldthorpe's illustrations too. See more info and reviews @
http://www.bdb.com.au/books/index.php?book_id=queenie ( )