"Elephant's Story", by Harriett Blackford

The simple, warm and fuzzy illustrations add to the charm of this picture book. "Elephant's Story" accomplishes two things: calms and comforts children with its emphasis on a mother's love, a family's protection and care, and shows children that an elephant herd is a close-knit family. The author's end notes teach kids about the elephant's status as an endangered species and give many facts about the three kinds of elephants. The notes (appropriate for ages 6-8) speak to a slightly older audience than the text of the book does (for pre-k through grade 1).