Pacing can be tricky in nonfiction picture books. Authors are trying to wrestle all the messiness of real life into a single, coherent narrative. In The Elephant’s New Shoe, Laurel Neme gets the pacing just right.

This true story tells how an animal rescue organization helped a disabled elephant, Chhouk, get a prosthetic leg. We first see how a rescuer found Chhouk. His attempts to build up enough trust so that Chhouk would let him help kept me anxiously turning the pages. The subsequent search for an elephant leg prosthetic and the struggle to shape it just right upped the suspense even more.

The whole story is full of heart. I found myself pulling not only for Chhouk but also for the rescuer and his entire team.

The back matter is full of interesting material about elephants in general and about Chhouk in particular. I loved seeing photos of him in his new wildlife refuge home.

This book will appeal to animal lovers and make anyone feel more optimistic about humanity.

More about the Wildlife Alliance, the group that rescued Chhouk, here.

Another great book about animal prosthetics.

The Elephant’s New Shoe by Laurel Neme, illustrated by Ariel Landry. Orchard Books: 2020.

Advanced reader’s copy provided for my honest review.