“It is,” agreed Martine, “but we can do anything if we face it together.”
Ben smiled at her. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
They lay there in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of Sawubona’s night creatures and breathing in the sweet fragrance of the frangipani and mango trees. Above them, the white giraffe was outlined like a silver statue against the night sky, his head quite literally in the stars.
Ben checked his watch. “Hey, Martine, it’s one minute past midnight. It’s Christmas morning! We made it. Against all the odds, we made it.”
Martine laughed. She jumped up and gave the white giraffe a Christmas kiss and he lowered his head to nuzzle her back. “Yes, we did, but Jemmy, we couldn’t have done it without you.” ❧
Author’s Note
One of my clearest childhood memories is going to a farm close to ours in Africa to see fifty baby elephants. They’d been orphaned in a cull and were on their way to zoos across the world. I’m not a fan of zoos and wasn’t then, and I’m dead set against culling—the practice of killing elephants “for their own good” if there are too many in a particular area. But, though I feared for the future of the babies, I was entranced by them. I sat on the corral fence and watched them tussle and play and rush around their enclosure on ungainly legs, little trunks swinging, and thought they were beyond adorable.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to have many opportunities to be around elephants. I’ve rubbed their rough, prickly hides, cooed over their long eyelashes, watched them wallow joyously in muddy water holes, ridden them, and been charged by them in safari vehicles. But like Martine in The Elephant’s Tale, I’d never really given much thought to the intelligence and astonishing natural gifts of elephants until I discovered how their acute hearing means they are able to pick up communications from other elephants from as far as six miles away. Or that their family bonds are so strong that youngsters orphaned by culls wake up screaming with nightmares. Then I remembered the babies I’d seen on that farm and felt devastated.
On a more positive note, while I was writing The Elephant’s Tale I was able to spend months researching elephant behavior. What I learned convinced me that we have to do everything in our power to save these magnificent creatures, with their intricate and loving communities. We can’t do that unless, like Martine, we learn to understand them.
Another part of my research was traveling to Namibia, the setting for this story.It is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful countries in Africa, but its existence depends on a limited source of rainfall, which is increasingly being affected by global warming. Other desert regions, such as the Australian Outback, are in the same position. My own father, a farmer in the Southern African country of Zimbabwe, often tells me of the catastrophic changes in climate that he has witnessed in his lifetime. We’re now using the resources of 1.4 earths. When those resources are gone, there’ll be none left.
The best part about writing the Legend of the Animal Healer series has been living with characters whose mission is not only to heal and save animals but to make their lives better. There are nearly 6.8 billion people on earth. Imagine if every one of us did one small thing to help wildlife or the environment, the earth would soon begin to recover and we’d all benefit by having a more beautiful planet to enjoy.
The wonderful thing about the world now is that it has become a much smaller place. We’re all connected. Don’t ever feel that you’re too far away to make a difference. The smallest action, whether it’s stopping to be kind to a dog or cat on your way to school, or not dropping litter, or perhaps doing a school project on the endangered species of Africa, makes a difference, although you might not realize it at the time.
In the meantime, follow your dreams, follow your heart, and consider conservation.
Lauren St John,
London 2009
Acknowledgments
I’ve loved writing this series, but it would not have been possible without the faith and wisdom of my Orion editor, Fiona Kennedy; my agent, Catherine Clarke; and my Dial editor, Liz Waniewski. One of the best things about writing the books has been having Jon Foster, Antonio Javier Caparo, and David Dean bring them to life with their stunning illustrations. I’m immensely grateful to everyone else at Orion and Penguin for their support, hard work, and passionate commitment to children’s publishing, especially Alexandra Nicholas, Helen Speedy, Sally Wray, Kate Christer, Jessica, Killingley, Pandora White, Victoria Nicholl, and Lisa Milton.
A special thank you to Ruth Wilson for doing me the huge honor of reading the audio books of The White Giraffe and Dolphin Song. Andjoa Andoh also did a fantastic job on the unabridged audio books. Last but definitely not least, thanks to Kellie Santin, for the faith and support, to my mum for her elephant research, to my dad for the Matopos road trip, and my sister, Lisa, for the Namibian adventure. Can’t wait for the next one!
Lauren St. John, The Elephant's Tale
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends