By Michael Morpurgo
cover image retrieved from
on September 16, 2012
Bibliography
Morpurgo,
Michael. An Elephant in the Garden. New
York: Feiwel and Friends, 2011.
ISBN-13: 978-0312593698
Summary
The reminiscences of an elderly woman frame this charming
tale of a very unexpected result of World War II, the bonding of a zoo elephant
with the German family who attempts to safe her.
Young Karl accompanies his mother to her job in an elder
care facility, where he strikes up a friendship with a reclusive resident. Elizabeth
sees a striking resemblance between Karl and her younger brother during his
childhood. Their common name warms her heart, and leads Elizabeth to recall her
teenage days as Lizzie, who endured the terrors of the War, including her
father being sent off to battle. Lizzie’s mother, a zookeeper, assumes
responsibility for Marlene, an elephant from the zoo who will be put down if
the city is attacked. The adventure of moving Marlene to safety when Dresden
does come under attack, and the accompanying difficulties while seeking safety,
is relayed in a touching recollection.
Critical Analysis
As this story opens in a present-day nursing home, where the
young son of one of the nurses plays while waiting for his mother to get off
work, it is a tale that could be played out in almost any nursing home around
the world. Elderly Elizabeth spends her days reclusively, piping up from time
to time about events she remembers from her younger days. Dismissed as someone
loosing her memory, Elizabeth assures young Karl and his mother that though she
“cannot remember much about yesterday, nor even what I had for breakfast this
morning … I promise you I can remember just how it was when I was young.” This
statement summarizes the mental state of many elderly worldwide, which is a
great unifying factor to connect to the reader. As Elizabeth begins to relay
her memories of how an elephant came to be in her garden, the text turns to a
tale with international flavor.
Elizabeth (Lizzie in her youth) slips into her tale of her
younger brother, whom she calls Karli, her mother, and the father they dearly
love, who is a soldier in the German army, away fighting the Russians. Lizzie
refers to the German names of her parents, whom she called Papi and Mutti, and
sprinkles many other German terms into her tale. Small details, such as the
food they ate or their terms for common items, add to the cultural markers.
Names of the characters reflect German spellings, often ending in i for the final long e sound. A love for
German actresses (Malene Dietrich), music (Bach), and paintings (the work of
Rembrandt) are included as explanations into character’s softer sides.
This book is uncommon in that in tells the everyday story of
a German family during World War II. Mistreatment of the Jews by Nazis is
described briefly, to drive home that point that Lizzie dislikes injustice in
any form. The family’s adoption of Marlene, the elephant who spends nights in
the family garden as a precaution in case the city is attacked during the
night, is an extension of their distaste for the injustice of war. A common
practice during WWII was for zoos to euthanize potentially dangerous animals if
the city was attacked, to prevent the large or carnivorous animals from
escaping in terror and doing harm to innocent civilians. Mutti could not bear the thought of her beloved elephant, whom she
had cared for since birth, being shot. Thus, she began the practice of bringing
her home each evening to watch over her.
Several German terms are used throughout the book, lending
authenticity to the story. When the family stumbles upon a downed Canadian
Royal Air Force pilot during their escape from Dresden, cultural misconceptions
about the foreigner are obvious. The family and the pilot form a tenuous bond,
seeking to help one another survive the trek to safety. Peter, the pilot, is
described as having an accent, which he certainly would have had to a German.
Peter and the family learn more about one anther’s cultures as they explain
little details about themselves.
As Elizabeth retells her story, the book switches fonts as
she goes from present day to the past. This is a fine device to aid the reader
in switching time periods. The story starts of rather slowly, but draws the
reader in to a charming tale. Teeming with historical details, this personal
story is an excellent study in the horrors of war and the determination of the
strong to survive in spite of hardship. I recommend it for upper elementary or middle
school readers, or any lovers of historical fiction.
Reviews
Thom Barthelmess (Booklist, Oct. 1, 2011 (Vol.
108, No. 3))
Alternating narratives tell the story of a family’s remarkable survival
of the Allied bombing of Dresden in
1945. The
occasional interruptions to the story build suspense and add a layer of
resonance to Morpurgo’s poignant and thoughtful exploration of the terrible
impact of war on both sides of the fighting.
Deborah Cooper (VOYA, October 2011 (Vol. 34,
No. 4))
An Elephant is the Garden tells the story of Lizzie, a fifteen-year-old
girl in Dresden, Germany, during the second World War. The author adeptly
balances Lizzie's experiences and emotions with the factual background.
Librarians and educators alike will welcome this semi-factual historical title
as a valuable teaching aide on the subject of war.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2011 (Vol.
79, No. 16))
Lizzie, a frail, aged nursing-home resident, relates to her nurse and
the nurse's son her poignant World War II tale set in Dresden, Germany. A moving but somewhat flawed tale of human—and
animal—courage in the face of
tragic suffering.
Connections
Writing:
·
Journal writing: Students will create a journal
entry for another adventure involving Marlene that the family might have had
during their exodus from Dresden.
·
Reader’s Response: Students will assume the role
of Marlene, to retell one of the events detailed in the novel from her point of
view.
Reading:
·
View video of the author discussing this book
and reading excerpts at http://michaelmorpurgo.com/books/an-elephant-in-the-garden
·
A book quiz and two puzzles related to the book
are available on the author’s website, http://michaelmorpurgo.com/activities/C3
·
This story is uncommon for literature set in the
World War II time period, in that it tells the story of a family of German
commoners and the effect of the War on their lives. Students will read another
story set during WWII, which tells the story of a family affected by WWII from
the viewpoint of someone on the side of the Allies or a Jewish family (see list
of suggested books following.) Students will compare and contrast the stories
told from opposing viewpoints.
Possible novel choices:
Lilly’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle
Students will create a tri-fold graphic
organizer, detailing effects of the War from each novel on the outside panes,
and common effects in the center frame.
Art:
·
Students will create a collage of
pictures/objects from this story that play an important role in the telling of
this story, i.e. an elephant, a farmhouse, a compass, an elderly woman, a
circus, a WWII era plane, a soldier’s uniform, etc.
·
Students will create an elephant mosaic. The
elephant can be constructed from materials associated with the story, such as
fake snow, hay from the stable, flowers from a garden, musical notes associated
with the children’s choir, etc.; or from any material the student associates
with the characteristics of the elephant or of war.
·
Students will paint a landscape of the
countryside Marlene and the family traversed as they sought safety and the
American soldiers.
Social Studies:
·
Students will learn more about the aerial raids
in the European theater of World War II by viewing clips from the History
Channel, such as the London Blitz at http://www.history.com/videos/patton-and-the-liberation-of-europe#history-features-london-blitz
, the Bombing of Hamburg at http://www.history.com/videos/patton-and-the-liberation-of-europe#bombing-hamburg
, or aerial dogfights footage at
·
Students will gain a greater understanding of the effects of World
War II on a US soldier by reading the
Jones Family Letters, which trace the experiences of Joe Jones, a U.S. soldier
in the WW II European war theater. Letters can be accessed through links at
·
Students will construct a timeline of major
events of WWII. The timeline will be an annotated, illustrated product with at
least 10 events.
Other Books by
Michael Morpurgo
▪
It Never Rained: Five Stories
▪
Mudpuddle
Farm: Six Animal Adventures (with Shoo Rayner)
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