This is the first book for the new season of my Treehouse Book Club. It's the story of a family of refugees and their companion, a Canadian airman, from the bombing of Dresden near the end of World War II. What makes this story a bit different is the presence of a friendly elephant, once a resident of the Dresden Zoo, who travels with the family. The mother, a zoo employee, rescues the elephant from certain death when the animals were slotted for death to prevent their escape if the city was bombed. The story is told by the oldest daughter who, as an old woman, becomes a patient in a nursing home. Keeping the secret of the airman's identity while he aids the family in their escape adds tension to the story. Morpurgo, author of War Horse, created this novel after hearing a true story about a zookeeper in Northern Ireland who saved an elephant from the zoo during WWII.
No comments:
Post a Comment