She Leads

April 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Through lyrical text accompanied by facts on each page, this book celebrates the strength and leadership of an elephant matriarch. She is a powerful and nurturing figure responsible for many important tasks: passing down knowledge to younger generations about gathering food, finding water, and caring for the orphans of other elephants. Soft illustrations in muted colors accompany the text. The narrative is well told and offers enough information to educate readers without overwhelming them. The focus on female leadership is powerful and timely and presents opportunities to draw connections with other animal societies (including human ones). However, what is noticeably lacking is any sort of back matter-in particular, a list of sources or suggestions for further reading. While the illustrations are lovely, they simply mirror the facts that are shared on the page without adding much to the overall reading experience. VERDICT Recommended for additional purchase due to the lack of sources or other back matter.-Lauren Hathaway, University of British Columbia

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Starred review from March 15, 2020
Leading her herd, a majestic elephant teaches, guides, and inspires. An elephant group or family is a matriarchal society, usually led by the eldest female among them. The matriarch's most important jobs are to lead the group to food and water, to teach new mothers how to care for their young, and to protect her family from enemies and threats. She comforts and helps care for orphaned calves and keeps a watchful eye over the youngsters as they grow. Under the matriarch's expert tutelage, group members learn all the skills they need so a new "queen" will be able to assume leadership after her death. This fascinating, fact-filled look at an awesome elephant matriarch shepherding her family will fill readers with wonder and, not so coincidentally, will likely inspire human girls to feel empowered about their own leadership abilities. The text is presented twofold: as a sweet, simple story on double-page spreads and, in a smaller font throughout, as rich factual information. The illustrations, near-photographic in their realism, are exceptional. With gentle, muted background colors to enhance the elephants' gray hides, the artwork provides true, endearing depictions of these marvelous animals in their habitat (Africa, judging by their ears). Illustrations presenting young elephants are delightful; one heart-rending scene depicts a tearful elder beside a deceased matriarch. This leads the way among lovely books about elephants for young children. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2020
Preschool-G Employing two levels of text (brief, with a large font suitable for young listeners, and more detailed for older children or caregivers, in a smaller font), Smalls introduces the matriarchal society of African elephant herds. She details how the lead female helps her group to find food and water, care for the young, and avoid danger, and how she transmits specific knowledge that will be needed by a new matriarch after her death. The information is accurate, although the strident message of female empowerment ("Open your eyes, princess. One day you will lead.") may be off-putting for some readers. Shimokawara's naturalistic illustrations offer realistic depictions of these mammals involved in many different activities, ranging from foraging to frolicking to trumpeting important messages. Particularly evocative are the scenes portraying an encounter with a lion and mourning the dead. Gray tones predominate, set off with touches of green, brown, yellow, and blue, and the omission of most background details helps to focus attention on these magnificent land animals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)