In 2013, people across North America were riveted by the story of Toka, Thika, and Iringa, the last three elephants at the zoo in Toronto, Ontario. Lonely for a larger herd, sick from the cold climate, and weak from standing for long days in a too-small concrete enclosure, the elephants desperately needed a change. The zoo and animal activists agreed that they should be moved to a healthier home, but the best option-the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in distant California-seemed like an impossible dream. In Elephant Journey, leading activist and award-winning author Rob Laidlaw unfolds the journey of how that impossible dream was realized. In clear, straightforward prose, he describes the elephants' experiences on the journey of three days and 4,100 kilometers that brought them to the sanctuary at last. Celebrated illustrator Brian Deines' oil paintings, based on actual footage of the trip, provide an intimate window into the experiences of Toka, Thika, and Iringa as they braved their long road to a new life. Extensive back matter includes an index, photographs, and further information about this miraculous Elephant Journey.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised by the Best Books for Kids & Teens. It was recognised by the Hackmatack Children's Choice Award. It also was recognised in the Silver Birch category by the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Awards. It was recognised by the Red Cedar Book Award.

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 2015 by Pajama Press .

Rob Laidlaw is a Chartered Biologist and founder of Zoocheck Canada, a wildlife protection organization. His book Wild Animals in Captivity was a finalist for the OLA Silver Birch Award, and On Parade won the 2011 Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable Information Book Award as well as a Skipping Stones Honor Award. Rob has spent nearly 30 years campaigning to protect animals in captivity and in the wild. Alma Fullerton's free-verse novels for juvenile and young adult readers have earned her multiple nominations and awards, including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award and the CLA Book of the Year Honour. Her first picture book, A Good Trade, has been a White Ravens Choice, a Bank Street Best Book, and a nominee for the OLA Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award and the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards. Alma lives in Midland, Ontario. Brian Deines is a fine artist and the award-winning illustrator of over 20 children's books, including A Bear in War, Bear on the Homefront, The Road to Afghanistan, and On a Snowy Night. Dragonfly Kites, part of a trilogy written by Tomson Highway, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for illustration and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award. A graduate of the Alberta College of Art, Brian lives in Toronto, Ontario with his wife and daughter.