Cousins of Clouds — Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer has a long-standing affection for elephants, and it shows. This book is a celebration of these remarkable animals: their huge size, their affectionate parenting, their loyalty to one another and sometimes to humans, their voracious appetites, their amazing trunks, their enjoyment of mud baths. The poems, some in the voices of the elephants themselves, are richly varied in form and tone. Each is accompanied by a brief sidebar explaining, or expanding on, the information it contains. Distinctive illustrations incorporating painting, collage, and found objects are a rich and playful counterpart to the text and may inspire young readers to create their own visual and poetic tribute to their favorite animals.