The Search for Panush

Book excerpt: This is the story of an African elephant named Tingle, born into the great herd led by Bolthar. You will follow her adventures and family life as she grows to young adulthood. But there is more to the story, as there always is. She befriends an endearing but odd couple of monkeys named Uncle Chukkor and his nephew Whizzer, who seems to think it doesn't really take wings to fly. Then she encounters a philosopher with a forked tongue and no legs named Ha-Ssuu, and finally a timid Gorilla named Gorbash, who talks to flowers. But then comes a dramatic change in her life, when she learns one day that she has a sister named Panush, long since banished from the herd by Bolthar. She makes the decision to leave her family and herd to search for her sister, which will take the reader and her through an odyssey that will leave you uplifted but emotionally drained. This is a great read-aloud story for children, where you can all take this journey of the heart with her.