Mother to Elephants follows the life of Daphne Sheldrick and her journey from caring for orphaned animals to rescuing elephants and becoming a conservationist. What inspired you about her life that made you want to tell her story?

My wife and I spent many weekends on safari and could not get enough of the Kenyan wildlife – especially the elephants. I guess it was meant to be that I heard about the elephant orphanage and decided to check it out. Little did I know that my visit to the Sheldrick orphanage would start the seeds for this book project and a book launch many years later! Through the years, I participated in the adoption program, the organization, and still receive regular updates (field notes) about a particular elephant’s progress. I learned that this instinct to nurture wild animals started at a young age for Daphne through her various books and film footage. Although there is a lot of coverage and material for adults, I couldn’t find anything for kids to read, and I felt that the younger generations should also have a chance to learn about the work of this remarkable lady. In addition, the determination Daphne showed in facing some setbacks was inspirational to me. Daphne was the first to develop a formula suitable for milk dependent elephants. Sadly, before Daphne’s discovery, unfortunately many of the youngest orphaned elephants didn’t make it.

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Kateryna Rohotova?

I was lucky to find an illustrator such as Kateryna. In my search, I was primarily looking for 2 things: An artist who is familiar with painting elephants and uses colors that suit the Savannah landscape of Africa. Kateryna’s work stood out right away to me, and when I learned that she was also a great animal lover, I knew this would be a good fit. As this was to be a biography picture book, it was important that the scenes be authentic. Kateryna researched her drawings so that even the plants and smallest creatures were native to Kenya where the story takes place. The process with Kateryna went very smoothly. She would first make a sketch based on my description of the scene, before painting in watercolor by hand, and finally scanning and retouching the scene.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

The main ideas I wanted readers to come away with is through love and determination, many things are possible. Daphne grew up in Africa, not only surrounded by wild things at an early age, but she was given the task by her parents to also care for them. Little did she know then that this would eventually lead to her adult mission in life in rescuing and rehabilitating orphans. I took the word her dad told her that ”If you truly love a wild animal in your care, you must one day set it free when nature calls,” to frame the book. Daphne takes this to heart upon founding her elephant orphanage with the goal of returning these same elephants to the wild. The idea that these marvelous, intelligent animals were born free and should one day be able to live freely in the wild again is another major idea I hope readers take away from the book.

Are you working on other biographies to share with children? Will this be the start of a series?

Thanks for this question. Yes, I have another book started about a young hero who discovered trash in the ocean and is now doing something about it. It was actually kids who brought this issue to my attention during my teaching awhile back. Before that, I am sad to say, I wasn’t aware of areas such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I love it when I, as a teacher, learn through my students. In fact, I have thought about the possibility of having a series about kids who, early on, show that they care for the environment enough to do something about it.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Website | Amazon