Publisher's Synopsis
Early morning arrives in Africa. The sun makes its daily climb up the sky, birds send musical notes in every direction, and patches of grey emerge as an elephant herd slowly advances across the savannah. Alice the grandmother elephant, also called the matriarch, competently leads the herd of females and calves. In time, when the male calves reach maturity, they will leave the pack and roam either alone or in bachelor groups. Alice is 65-years-old; she knows where she and her group can find nourishment and a safe place to sleep. Her cues are followed seamlessly; when she stops, the herd stops. Times of jubilance and excitement for the elephants prompt waiving of their ears; however, when the elephants feel threatened, heads raise high as they simultaneously spread their ears out to the sides. This heightened caution could lead to the use of their tusks. There are also four large molars which slide when the elephants eat. Their food is well-accounted for as an elephant can weigh up to six tons, the equal weight of a hundred people, and they live until they're 65-years-old. Characteristic of any elephant herd, the matriarch announces her final decisions through her body language and very deep, trumpeting rumbles - sounds which the human ear can hardly perceive. These sounds are used throughout the herd and can communicate messages over vast distances - at times spanning several kilometers. Tato the small calf is getting tired and lagging behind. He trumpets to tell the bigger elephants to slow down. The herd halts, and Tato bustles to his mother Nadine to be nursed. The calf has begun to navigate the use of his trunk to breathe, manipulate objects, and eat. Just as with trumpeting, elephants also use their trunks to drink. He has not yet become accustomed to his trunk, so he sometimes trips over it. He has learned to pull the delicious grass up to his mouth. When he is thirsty, he sucks up water and squirts it into his mouth. His favorite way to use his trunk is to suck on it like a child sucking his or her thumb, and Tato continues to find comfort in his mother sticking her sable into his mouth. Two of the young and spritely male elephants, Charlie and Massudu, play together, romping on the Savanna. The pair orchestrate their own version of football, throwing pieces of wood up into the air and having other elephants catch them. They love to play catch-me-if-you-can, rumbling around in the grass and climbing on top of each other. Toto's big sister and cousin greet each other cordially by lifting their trunks and wrapping them around one another, each touching the other gently. They stick their sables into one another's mouths to say hello. On the river bend, another set of young, male elephants play joyously beneath the rays of sun, but in a moment, the two are locked in combat. Back and forth, they push each other while wrestling with their trunks. Quietly preparing to pounce, a hungry lion is hiding behind some bushes. It creeps slowly toward Toto, who is playing with his friend. They are both unaware of the danger. With a roar and twist of its tail, the lion bounds forward after Toto charging through the air like an explosion. Toto shrieks and trumpets loudly for Nadine. Growling and lashing its tail, the vicious animal was now terrifying to the calf. Valiantly, Nadine rushes to her baby's side ready to take up the fight with the lion. With a tramp of her feet, she could easily crush the lion. The herd reacts immediately to the danger, as they all feel threatened. They lift their heads in rage and furiously shake their big ears from side to side. They march forward towards the lion, shrieking and trumpeting ready to attack their enemy. Even the powerful lion knows when he is outnumbered. In shock and defeat, the lion gallops away to the plains, securing a hiding place behind a bush until the elephants left the savannah.
