{"product_id":"singing-with-elephants-isbn-9780593206690","title":"Singing with Elephants","description":"\u003cb\u003eA powerful novel in verse from Newbery and Pura Belpré Award-winning author Margarita Engle about the friendship between a young girl and the poet Gabriela Mistral that leads to healing and hope for both of them.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCuban-born eleven-year-old Oriol lives in Santa Barbara, California, where she struggles to belong. But most of the time that’s okay, because she enjoys helping her parents care for the many injured animals at their veterinary clinic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American winner of a Nobel Prize in Literature moves to town, and aspiring writer Oriol finds herself opening up. And when she discovers that someone is threatening the life of a baby elephant at her parents’ clinic, Oriol is determined to take action. As she begins to create a world of words for herself, Oriol learns it will take courage and strength to do what she thinks is right—even if it means keeping secrets from those she loves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA beautifully written, lyrically told story about the power of friendship—between generations, between humans and animals—and the potential of poetry to inspire action, justice, and acceptance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e* \"Replete with lovely, nearly magical imagery...Brilliant, joyful, and deeply moving.\" –\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e* \"Employing \u003cb\u003eimmersive free verse\u003c\/b\u003e that conveys themes of compassion, friendship, justice, and vulnerability, Engle captures how inexplicable Oriol’s grief feels, encasing it in a powerful, charitable, and brave young voice\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\" –\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e* \"A novel written in verse that sings in your heart.\" –Pura Belpré Award-winning author Marjorie Agosín\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“In her tender, funny, far-reaching new novel in verse, Margarita Engle...expands our notion of who gets to do the rescuing in children’s animal stories…Via elegantly efficient narrative poetry, Engle weaves themes of longing and belonging, of communication and the sorts of attachment that are too deep ever to be communicated with words.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Employing immersive free verse that conveys themes of compassion, friendship, justice, and vulnerability, Engle (\u003ci\u003eRima’s Rebellion\u003c\/i\u003e) captures how inexplicable Oriol’s grief feels, encasing it in a powerful, charitable, and brave young voice.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Replete with lovely, nearly magical imagery...Brilliant, joyful, and deeply moving.\" \u003cb\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“This is a book that readers won’t want to put down until the last page.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMargarita Engle \u003c\/b\u003e(she\/her) is the Cuban American author of many books, including the verse novels \u003ci\u003eYour Heart, My Sky\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eRima’s Rebellion\u003c\/i\u003e; Newbery Honor winner \u003ci\u003eThe Surrender Tree\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eForest World\u003c\/i\u003e. Her verse memoirs include \u003ci\u003eSoaring Earth \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eEnchanted Air\u003c\/i\u003e, the latter of which received the Pura Belpré Award and a Walter Dean Myers Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among other honors. Her picture books include \u003ci\u003eDrum Dream Girl\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDancing Hands\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Flying Girl\u003c\/i\u003e. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePOETRY IS A DANCE\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eof words on the page.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese poems are a story\u003cbr\u003eabout the summer\u003cbr\u003eI learned\u003cbr\u003ehow to twirl\u003cbr\u003eand leap\u003cbr\u003eon paper.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was the summer when I met a famous poet\u003cbr\u003eand a family of musical elephants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUntil then, all I could do was wish\u003cbr\u003elike a caged songbird\u003cbr\u003e wordless\u003cbr\u003e wistful\u003cbr\u003e wishful . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e~ 1947 ~\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMUSICAL ELEPHANTS ARE LIKE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003emountains with windy whispers,\u003cbr\u003ethe sea when it roars or chants a lullaby,\u003cbr\u003etree branches that clack like maracas,\u003cbr\u003eand every animal that opens its mouth\u003cbr\u003eto howl, bark, or chant\u003cbr\u003eabout the freedom\u003cbr\u003eto walk, walk, walk,\u003cbr\u003erejoicing in the sheer joy\u003cbr\u003eof touching\u003cbr\u003egreen earth\u003cbr\u003ewith rhythmic feet\u003cbr\u003eand dancing\u003cbr\u003eminds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE DAY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m rhythmically walking, walking, walking,\u003cbr\u003ewith various creatures on comically tangled\u003cbr\u003eleashes, when we reach the garden of a cozy-looking\u003cbr\u003ehouse\u003cbr\u003eright across from the high school, and there, kneeling\u003cbr\u003eas if in prayer\u003cbr\u003eis a stranger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe’s old, but her face looks strong.\u003cbr\u003eI wonder if my own dark eyebrows\u003cbr\u003eare as winged as hers\u003cbr\u003eready to rise\u003cbr\u003eand fly\u003cbr\u003elike feathers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePleased to meet you, I say in English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe glances up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is my giant wolfhound Flora\u003cbr\u003eand my miniature goat Fauna, but the piglets\u003cbr\u003eand ducklings are just temporary patients\u003cbr\u003efrom our veterinary clinic\u003cbr\u003ewhere my parents are the doctors\u003cbr\u003eand I’m almost a sort of eleven-year-old nurse\u003cbr\u003ebecause I feed, clean, pet, cuddle, walk, walk, walk,\u003cbr\u003eand sometimes I even help with unusual animal\u003cbr\u003esat a wildlife zoo-ranch\u003cbr\u003ewhere adventurous movies\u003cbr\u003eare often filmed.\u003cbr\u003eI’m going to be a healer one day . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy voice\u003cbr\u003etrails away\u003cbr\u003ewhen I see her frown\u003cbr\u003eand glance down at her notebook\u003cbr\u003eand realize—\u003cbr\u003eI have disturbed her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI DON’T BELONG HERE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe stranger studies me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is she thinking?\u003cbr\u003eIs she wise?\u003cbr\u003eCould we be friends?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wonder\u003cbr\u003ewhether\u003cbr\u003eI’ve said\u003cbr\u003etoo much,\u003cbr\u003emade\u003cbr\u003etoo many\u003cbr\u003emistakes\u003cbr\u003ein inglés.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wonder . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWould this woman care\u003cbr\u003eif I told her\u003cbr\u003eabout the girls at school\u003cbr\u003ewho make fun\u003cbr\u003eof me for being\u003cbr\u003esmall\u003cbr\u003ebrownish\u003cbr\u003echubby\u003cbr\u003ewith curly black hair barely tamed\u003cbr\u003eby a long braid?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWould she care that the girls at school\u003cbr\u003ecall me\u003cbr\u003ezoo beast\u003cbr\u003ewhen my clean clothes\u003cbr\u003esmell a bit like animals?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWould she care that the boys call me\u003cbr\u003eugly\u003cbr\u003estupid\u003cbr\u003etongue-tied\u003cbr\u003ebecause my accent gets stronger\u003cbr\u003ewhen I’m nervous, like when\u003cbr\u003ethe teacher forces me to read\u003cbr\u003eout loud?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wonder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIF ONLY THE WRITER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ecould speak my true language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe does!\u003cbr\u003eTe gusta la poesía, she says,\u003cbr\u003etelling me that I like poetry\u003cbr\u003eHer español is rhythmic like a song,\u003cbr\u003eslower than mine, and fancier,\u003cbr\u003ewith words that sound like they\u003cbr\u003ebelong in a book, which is what\u003cbr\u003eshe says she’s writing—\u003cbr\u003ea volume of verses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVoy a adivinar, she says—I’m going to guess.\u003cbr\u003eVienes para aprender a escribir la poesía.\u003cbr\u003eYou’ve come to learn how to write poetry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShould I answer honestly?\u003cbr\u003eI simply shrug, embarrassed to admit\u003cbr\u003ethat I came for many reasons,\u003cbr\u003eto see who\u003cbr\u003eshe is\u003cbr\u003eand what\u003cbr\u003eshe’s doing,\u003cbr\u003eand because I’m\u003cbr\u003elonely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePERHAPS SHE CAN SEE\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003einside my heart.\u003cbr\u003eBecause she doesn’t tell me to leave,\u003cbr\u003ejust says\u003cbr\u003eI will teach you\u003cbr\u003elike I haven’t bothered her at all,\u003cbr\u003elike it’s no big deal I’m here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI tell her my classmates say\u003cbr\u003eI ask too many questions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAy, no, she insists—no importa,\u003cbr\u003eshe will teach me a bit about writing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePoetry is like a planet, she says,\u003cbr\u003eeach word spins\u003cbr\u003eorbits\u003cbr\u003etwirls\u003cbr\u003eand radiates\u003cbr\u003ereflected\u003cbr\u003estarlight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you want to write, you have to observe\u003cbr\u003emovements, and absorb\u003cbr\u003estillness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe smiles, and reaches to pat Flora’s\u003cbr\u003ehuge head, which only encourages my sloppy dog\u003cbr\u003eto lick her hand, while Fauna just does what goats\u003cbr\u003ealways do, nibbles on the edges of the notebook,\u003cbr\u003eand the hem of la poeta’s dress, and a button\u003cbr\u003eon her blouse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI pull all the animals away\u003cbr\u003ebefore they can start eating her hair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eME ENCANTAN TODAS LAS BESTIECITAS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love all animals,\u003cbr\u003ethe poetry teacher says.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI smile, because animals\u003cbr\u003eare my family’s whole life,\u003cbr\u003enow that my grandma\u003cbr\u003eis gone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wonder if the poetry teacher\u003cbr\u003ewould like to see my parents’ clinic\u003cbr\u003eafter my poetry lesson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDo you write in English or in Spanish?\u003cbr\u003eI ask.\u003cbr\u003eI tell her I’ve been trying to\u003cbr\u003epractice English for school,\u003cbr\u003ebut Spanish feels like home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUna mezcla, la poeta suggests,\u003cbr\u003elet us mix our languages together\u003cbr\u003elike emotions that swirl and blend\u003cbr\u003ein a pot of paint, azul y rojo\u003cbr\u003ebecoming purple, amarillo y azul\u003cbr\u003eturning to green.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLANGUAGE IS A MYSTERY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a whole year in California,\u003cbr\u003eespañol is still the only way of speaking\u003cbr\u003ethat feels completely natural to me,\u003cbr\u003eletters like \u003ci\u003eñ \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003err\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ehidden inside my island-mind\u003cbr\u003ewhere words are so much more alive\u003cbr\u003ethan in my incomplete\u003cbr\u003eimmigration-mouth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe poet switches to inglés\u003cbr\u003ejust to help me—but animals\u003cbr\u003edon’t recognize my effort\u003cbr\u003eto make senseof letters like a \u003ci\u003ey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethat sounds like my\u003ci\u003e ll\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand an \u003ci\u003eh\u003c\/i\u003e that is not silent\u003cbr\u003eand a \u003ci\u003ek\u003c\/i\u003e that does not even exist\u003cbr\u003ein Spanish—sotodas las bestiecitas\u003cbr\u003ebegin to bark, bleat, quack, and grunt\u003cbr\u003ea humorous animal opera\u003cbr\u003eso ridiculous and endearing that for the first time\u003cbr\u003esince Abuelita’s funeral, I actually chuckle\u003cbr\u003eand laugh out loud—a genuine \u003cbr\u003ecarcajada, a guffaw!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow wondrous it feels\u003cbr\u003eto remember that laughter\u003cbr\u003ehas no language, and can cross\u003cbr\u003eany boundary line,\u003cbr\u003eeven the wavy ones\u003cbr\u003ebetween species.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viking Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299779891429,"sku":"NP9780593206690","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593206690.jpg?v=1767736671","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/singing-with-elephants-isbn-9780593206690","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}