World Elephant Day: 12 books children must read to learn more about the pachyderm

Little VinayakMeet a little elephant who is different from other elephants his trunk is very very long and how he learns to accept this differenceKaradi Tales Shobha Viswanath illustrated by Shilpa RanadeThe Elephants who liked to danceThe storyline is about how the sound of a dhol gets elephants to dance while outlining the overall need to create boundaries for animals in the forestPratham Books Munda Writersrsquo Group illustrated by Pradip Kumar Sahoo Sou Kimsan and Sugrib Kumar JuangaSpeaking to an elephant and other tales from the KadarsThis book looks at lesserchronicled folk tales from this indigenous community in South India as well as relays the need for conservation starting from the younger generationTara Books Madhuri Ramesh and Manish Chandi illustrated by Matthew FrameUncle Nehru please send an elephantThis awardwinning book retells the story of how the then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru responded to letters from children in Japan who wanted to see a live elephantTulika Books Devika Cariapa illustrated by Satwik GadeElephants never forgetWhat happens when a little elephant gets lost in a forest and is adopted by a herd of buffaloes Does it behave like an elephant or a buffaloTara Books Anushka Ravishankar illustrated by Christiane PieperFierceFace the tiger and Kari the elephantRead the celebrated story about a captive elephant and a young boy who is its friend and mahout and their adventures in the jungles and big citiesTalking Cub Dhan Gopal MukherjiLai Lai ndash The baby elephantThis bilingual book is a captivating title with stunning visuals by an awardwinning photographer that will invite wonderment for the young reader about not just elephants but the entire forestTulika Books Shekar Dattatri photographs by Shekar DattatriTipu Sultan of the SiwaliksThis memoir by Asiatic elephant researcher Amirtharaj Christy Williams recalls his years of hope and desperation as his team struggled against encroachment and humananimal conflictTalking Cub Amirtharaj Christy WilliamsWhen a forest wakes upThemed on animism this beautifully crafted book will engage your young mind to be curious about the wonders of the forestPratham Books Sudarshan ShawGajapati KulapatiThis is a series of four books with a gentle jumbo Gajapati as the central character and tracks his journeys through the ups and downs of a temple elephantrsquos lifeTulika BooksAshok RajagopalanA pair of twinsA story about a girl Sundari and her elephant Lakshmi who beat all odds and become the first females to lead a Dusshera parade usually led by a male mahout on a male elephantKaradi Tales Kavitha Mandana illustrated by Nayantara SurendranathParvati the elephantrsquos very important dayFollow how a temple elephant has a memorable day during festivities where she meets with royalty and trumps over challenges that come her wayHarperCollins Childrenrsquos Books India Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan illustrated by Tanaya VyasAlso Read Baby Bahadur series Tulika BooksThis forms part of a set of six books with forest animals with Baby Bahadur baby elephant as one of its main characters Ranganna Tulika BooksThis is a story about a nail polishloving baby elephant An elephant in my backyard Karadi TalesThis story is about a little girl who spends the day with an elephant in her backyard but no one else in her family believes there is one at first Why the elephant has tiny eyes Tulika BooksTold in verse this folktale from the Tai Phake people of Indiarsquos northeast is gentle and funny Magnificent Makhna Tulika BooksThis is a story about an iconic elephant who protects the forests from timber traders treecutters and poachers