Maggie: Alaska’s Last Elephant

There used to be two elephants who lived in Alaska at the Alaska Zoo. Elephants are herd animals who need the company of friends. When one elephant, Annabelle, died, Maggie was very lonely. Maggie’s keepers tried to keep her happy, and Maggie eventually made friends with an old tire. Everyone knew that Maggie was lonely and that cold Alaska wasn’t the best place for her. There was a sanctuary in California that wanted Maggie to come live there with the other elephants. They had to train Maggie to travel in a crate, get a special Air Force airplane to fly her to California, and a TV star paid for her travel. It was a lot of work to get Maggie to California, but when she got there, her life was so much better. There were other elephants for Maggie to become friends with.

I really like reading books based on true stories. They help me learn about things that have actually happened. I really liked learning about Maggie and her move to California. In this book, I especially love the section at the end that teaches you more about elephants and zoos, and there’s even a Q&A with Maggie’s keeper, Michelle Harvey. I would recommend Maggie: Alaska’s Last Elephant to kids who like learning about animals and to students who may be doing a project on elephants. It makes me happy to know that Maggie is now living a life with other elephants.