The Problem
We hope that the children who wrote, illustrated and self-published this book have taken a significant step toward becoming lifelong conservationists. We hope that the children (and adults) who read the book will learn about the poaching crisis of endangered forest elephants, and join the fight to save these animals. And because all proceeds from sales of the book go to a special fund within the Wildlife Conservation Society to support further research on Penelope Petunia and her family, we hope that the book will directly benefit these special elephants.
Our Plan
The fifth graders at the P.S. 107 John W. Kimball Learning , an elementary school in Brooklyn, NY, have researched, written and illustrated a book titled "One Special Elephant: The Story of Penelope Petunia." In collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the children worked with wildlife biologist Andrea Turkalo in writing this book about an elephant calf named Penelope, who lives at the Dzanga-Ndoki national park in the Central African Republic. The book is about the elephant families there, how they communicate, their essential role as forest gardeners, the upheaval and poaching in 2013, and the fragile calm that has been restored.
