Singing with Elephants
Engle, M. (2023). Singing with elephants. Viking. ISBN 9780593206706
Singing with Elephants is fictional novel written in verse that follows eleven year old Oriol, a young Cuban who moved with her family to Cuba after the death of her grandma. In California, Oriol feels alone until she meets and befriends Nobel Prize winner, Gabriela Mistral, who teaches Oriol the importance of poetry and using your words to be the voice for others who do not have a voice for themselves.
I will start off by saying, I am not a fan of poetry, but someone Margarita Engle found a way for me to understand why poetry speaks to some people. In Singing with Elephants, Oriol is learning about poetry from a Noble Prize winner, and the way that Engle explains poetry through Margarita is so simple, but yet so profound. In multiple instance we see Gabriela explain poetry to Oriol as "no better home for emotions / than a poem, which can easily be transformed / into a song" (pg. 27) or "put your sadness into a poem, / there is no better home" ( Poetry is a way to express oneself and in the words of Margarita as Gabriela, "Poetry, / she said, / can be whatever you want it / to be" (pg. 138). That is what I have learned with the recent poetry books I have read, there is no one set template of a poem that represents every poem in the world. Rather, there are countless poems about countless topics, and it is up to us to find the topic and style that best interests us.
Singing with Elephants falls under the styles of poems that bests suits my likes, as it is a novel in verse. When reading Singing with Elephants, Engle does a wonderfully job at writing in first person view as 11 year old Oriol. When you read the book, you can tell that Oriol still has the innocence and childlike wonder that comes with being younger, and you can clearly tell that while she may not be the happiest in California, she truly does love her family, and the animals she cares for. As a recent immigrant to California, Oriol discusses how she is not fully comfortable using English, and as a result the book is written using Spanglish. While some phrases are directly translated in the next line, not every Spanish phrase has a direct translation, but that is not something that takes away from the story, as I do know Spanish, but those who do not, can use features like Google Translate to learn the meaning of what was said. The use of Spanglish is done seamlessly, and so is the inclusion of facts about the Hispanic life. One example of this, and probably my favorite lines from this novel, is in the poem titled Memories Follow Me, Oriol is talking about her life in Cuba and says that she "was never very lonely / because cousins flowed / in and out of our house / like ruffled flocks / of prancing / flamingos" (pg. 27). As someone who is Hispanic, I can verify that that is very true. My childhood is filled with memories of having cookouts at my Grandpa's every Friday with his 8 children (my Tias and Tios) and his what felt like millions of grandchildren (myself, my sisters, and cousins). There was never a shortage of people or love to go around and that part of Memories Follow Me encapsulates it perfectly. That part spoke to me, and made me understand why some people really truly enjoy poetry.
Both Oriol and Chandra the elephant are outsiders in their own ways, and both learn throughout the course of the novel how to overcome difficulties and trust that everything will be corrected. With the help of Margarita, Oriol learns to find her voice through poetry and is able to use that voice to help Chandra get here baby elephant, Dance, back from Blaze, the cruel movie star. Oriol uses her newfound confidence to inspire others to speak up about the wrongdoings happening, and is ultimately able to help Chandra get reunited with her baby. Both Oriol and Chandra want to belong, and it is through the friendships they create that they also create that sense of belonging that they longed for. Each poem flows seamlessly into the next, with uses of brilliant imagery that creates a story that will captivate readers of all ages, fan of poetry or not.
Readers who enjoyed Singing with Elephants may also enjoy In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo, another novel in verse that follows Anna, a young Taiwanese immigrant to America who struggles to find her own place in this new world. Kirkus Reviews calls Singing with Elephants, "brilliant, joyful, and deeply moving." Armineh Manookian from GoodReadsWithRonna says that "Singing with Elephants is the kind of book readers will want to read again and again, catching the pieces of poetry missed from the previous read." Activities readers can do after reading Singing With Elephants is discuss how Oriol's culture differs and is alike to their own culture. What similarities do they have? Differences? Readers may also discuss if they were in Oriol's shoes, what would they have done, and what animal would need to be in Chandra's place for them to gain confidence to speak up for the animals that don't have a voice for themselves. For older readers, encourage them to research animal rescues in real life, and have them learn what it takes to run a successful rescue in real life!
Some of the Many Awards for Singing with Elephants:
- Rhode Island 2024 Children's Book Award Nominee
- Bank Street 2023 Best Children's Books
- Ney York Times Best Children's Book of 2022
- Kirkus Best Middle Grade Books 2022
- School Library Journal - 26 MG Books for Latinx Heritage Month 2022
- Cybils Award Finalist
Engle, M. (2022, May 31). Singing with elephants. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/margarita-engle/singing-with-elephants/
Engle, M. (2023). Singing with elephants. Viking.
Manookian, A. (2022, May 30). Singing with elephants by Margarita Engle. Singing with Elephants by Margarita Engle. https://www.goodreadswithronna.com/2022/05/31/singing-with-elephants-margarita-engle/
Margarita Engle Books. Margarita Engle. (n.d.). http://margaritaengle.com/latambooks.html
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