Heartwarming and interesting, this slim nonfiction book gives a wonderful look into the lives of elephants and killer whales to explain how smart and compassionate they are.  Author Carl Safina embedded himself with researchers at Amboseli National Park in Kenya to simply learn to observe without judgement how elephants interact within their family groups, how they protect one another and how they teach their young.  While poaching remains a true horror for the elephants in the region, the herds are making some comebacks due to years of drought-free weather and better protections by conservancy groups. Elephants have distinct personalities and can often be seen as silly, joyful, irritated, tense or sad.  While it is easy to use our human emotions to understand their behaviors, researchers point out that it is important to respect these animals in their own magnificent way. Though an unlikely pairing for a book, the author next heads to the Pacific Northwest to view killer whales, members of the dolphin group, who also live in pods, train their young and work together in a highly intelligent way.  Threatened due to live capture by Sea World and other tourist centers in the 1960s and 70s and now facing inhospitable waters to fish and thrive, killer whales remain an ancient presence in the ocean. All the more fascinating is that killer whales are playful and tender when encountering humans. They have been known to save stranded boats and kayakers by encircling them and guiding them back to safe waters.  While a truly fascinating addition to nonfiction animal collections, this is a book for inquisitive and deep thinkers.  

Reviewed by Suzanne Dix, Westbrook Middle School