Review Detail

“Singing with Elephants” by Margarita Engle is a novel in verse that chronicles the friendship that grows between a young girl and a poet. This friendship brings them closer together through a sense of hope and discovery that allows them to find peace and comfort in their lives.

Oriol lives in California. She is having a hard time fitting in socially, but her parents, who are veterinarians, allow her to help care for injured animals that they see, and this is something she finds solace in and enjoys. When Gabriela Mistral, a poet and Novel Prize in Literature winner comes into her life after moving nearby, Oriol begins to see growth in her own desire to be a writer. Her journey isn’t complete, though, as she finds that she must help a baby elephant at her parents’ veterinary clinic that is being threatened.

The book has many themes and morals, not the least of which is taking action and making change. Oriol starts writing and creating words that express herself and her feelings. She finds courage and strength in doing this, in seeking out what is right and pure and true.

The story is a pretty quick read due to the fact that it is written in verse. Oriol’s desire to help the elephant not only leads her to discover more about who she is, but to find that she has the power to affect change, even as the young girl she is during the course of the struggles she endures in the story.