An Elephant within the Backyard: Impressed by a True Story

Heartwarming
This book was like a good dessert. I looked forward to when I could rest and enjoy the story. I enjoyed all of the characters.

A YA WW2 Story with a truly unique POV
The American book market is, its fair to say, absolutely saturated with WW2 fiction for both children and adults. There are many good stories out there – starting with Anne Frank, of course, and moving on through contemporary classics such as Number the Stars and The Book Thief. This sweet tale deserves a junior status alongside the greats.Based loosely on the dual true stories of zookeepers who saved their charges during the war and the Feb 1945 devastating fire bombing of Dresden, Germany by Allied forces, The Elephant in the Garden delivers the shattering history of the Allied destruction of Dresden with the sweet touch of an elephant named Marlene. Marlene, orphaned during the war and looked after by “Mutti,” comes home to the spend the evenings in the family garden to help the young (4yo) elephant cope with the loss of her mother. Her handler, known only as Mutti, has two children and has been working at the zoo to help make ends meet while her husband is fighting at the Russian front.Marlene, with her elephantine wisdom and kindness, brings much joy to the family as 1945 begins, and through a series of events, unwittingly helps her adopted family escape the firebombing of Dresden over the weekend of Feb 13-15, 1945. Now homeless and without any resources, the family begins an astonishing journey across southern Germany as they first try to escape the Dresden attacks and then decide that they would do anything not to fall into the clutches of The quickly advancing Soviet Army. Their flight westward is filled with unexpected adventures, a bit of suffering, and encounters of the most unexpected kind. All along, Marlene provides comfort, friendship, and transport for the youngest child, Karli, who suffers from asthma and a leg deformity.All in all, this is a sweet but not saccharine tale that introduces a horrific event of the Second World War for which the “good guys” are entirely responsible, offering middle grade students an opportunity to think about the costs of war, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether and how to label “good guys” and “bad guys” even in the midst of the last “good war” America fought. Definitely worth a read and discussion. I do wish there had been more specificity regarding events and timelines – to show where the family traveled and when events occurred would have been helpful – and really brought home the fact that the family fled a great distance fearing not only the bombing runs but also the actions of the Soviets as they advanced towards Berlin, setting up the historical context for understanding some of the key factors that explain how and why the US and the Soviets went from wartime allies to bitter enemies in less than two years.A well written and engaging tale. Perfect for early middle grade students or those who really want to learn about the war but can’t handle the death and destruction that accompanies most sources; The Elephant In the Garden has a feather light touch when it comes to key moments of death and destruction, which I know will be greatly appreciated by my own middle grade reader.

Fall into an amazing story.
… and hear story of war from totally different perspective. Innocent lives destroyed, unexpected heroes & fate.I listened to the novel in my kindle, off & on, for 2 days.Will go look for more by this amazing author.

Terrific!!!
Wonderfully gifted & skilled fiction Writer / Author for the “PG” readers!Read this to our 12/13 year old girl. She very much so enjoyed this story & learned some period history w/ a valuable lessons.

An Elephant In The Garden by Michael Morpurgo is a powerful dual timeline novel that I just could not put down. It is perfect for ages ten years and over. Whatever your age, this is a beautiful novel that will educate and entertain.The story is set in present day in a nursing home and also looking backwards to Dresden in 1945.An old lady is dismissed as having dementia when she talks about the elephant in her garden. Only a young boy recognizes it as true and longs to hear her tale.We witness the dreadful destruction of Dresden by the Allies. Michael Morpurgo writes powerfully about the fires of hell that engulf the town. Like the story of Lot in the Bible, the family must move forwards and not look back.Families come in different shapes and sizes. This family is a mother, two children and a baby elephant. The elephant is an orphan and views the human mother as her mother. The baby elephant brings out the mothering instincts in the human mother.Along the way there are dangers in the form of the landscape of winter, the Russians, the Nazis, soldiers and civilians. The band of four must work together in order to survive.We see that not all Germans are Nazis. Young men fighting on both sides are battle weary and just want to go home.A mother’s love is all encompassing. I found this quote very powerful. “She [mother] took me into her arms then, and hugged the anger out of me.”I always enjoy Michael Morpurgo’s novels. An Elephant In The Garden is a very powerful and entertaining read.

An unusual setting, the story features a German family during World War II. We don’t often read things from that perspective but you will instantly like these characters and be drawn in to their hardships, family relationships and unique war experiences (which include an elephant!). It is historical and educational but not dry with moments of sadness, humour, danger and love. I highly recommend it for tweens and adults alike.

Una historia de supervivencia en la Alemania del final de la 2ª GM, de mantener los valores por encima de la locura de la guerra y de como salvar a un elefante puede ayudar a salvar a otros. Me ha encantado.