Starred review from August 1, 2023
Gr 4-8-Young conservationist Chang is ready to try her hand at rescuing Asian elephants in Vietnam after finding success in helping sun bears (notably a sun bear named Sorya) escape the mistreatment of humans. In addition to being poached for their ivory tusks, Asian elephants are also captured by locals who use them to earn a living by offering elephant rides to tourists. In order to subdue the elephants enough for them to perform this harmful labor, their handlers, or mahouts, break their spirit through abuse that starts when the elephants are very young and separated from their mothers. Chang and her fellow team members at Yok D�n National Park work diligently to free as many elephants as they can, including 60-year-old H'non, from these harmful conditions so the elephants may live out the rest of their lives as wild animals untethered from humans. Based on the story of real life elephant H'non, this fastidiously made visual narrative offers optimism for the plight of Asian elephants alongside the stark reality of conditions they face. The story eschews traditional paneling for much of its content, offering a snapshot of journal pages that supply numerous intriguing facts about elephants and their habitat, as well as pages jam-packed with a medley of images in muted earth tones. These provide a striking contrast to ornate spreads and bursts of lively color that are distributed throughout. An author's note is included in the preface. VERDICT An exceptionally well-done story that is informative, intricately and delightfully detailed, and brimming with jaw-dropping art. Highly recommended.-Alea Perez
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from August 28, 2023
The creators of Saving Sorya—Vietnamese collaborators Nguyeˆ˜n, a conservationist and activist, and comics artist Zdung—employ richly detailed prose brimming with fascinating STEM facts and scientifically accurate illustrations to produce a standout, heart-tugging work. Chang, a young Vietnamese wildlife conservationist, joins the animal rescue center at Yok Ðon National Park in Tây Nguyên, Vietnam, to learn about elephants through the Animals Asia Foundation. Nearby tourist attractions offer experiences with the animals, but many of these operations are owned by mahouts, or elephant trainers, who mistreat the elephants. When Chang encounters H’non, a 60-year-old captive that suffers from multiple injuries, she endeavors to rescue H’non and deliver her to a kind mahout who can help rehabilitate elephants that have endured lifelong captivity. Wat, a mahout’s son, shows promise, but incidents from his past make Chang reluctant to entrust him with H’non. Flashbacks and Chang’s field notes are rendered in graphite against parchment pages, while present-day events burst with vivid color; the resplendent images’ texture and lighting deliver breathtaking results. Part wildlife journal, part adventure story, this epistolary graphic novel presents a propulsive, intensely researched read. Author notes conclude. Ages 8–12.
November 1, 2023
Chang, the plucky wildlife conservationist from Saving Sorya (rev. 1/22), returns with a new animal-rescue mission near Yok Don National Park in Vietnam. In this volume, Chang and her colleagues rescue and rehabilitate H'Non, a sixty-year-old Asian elephant -- voi in Vietnamese. H'Non was captured when young and made to work in an "elephant-riding" business where the creatures are exploited for profitable interactions with tourists (graphic illustrations portray the violent mistreatment that H'Non and the other voi experience). Chang works for a nonprofit foundation that offers an alternative "elephant-friendly" experience where nature-loving tourists can observe rescued elephants in more natural settings. The emotional story of H'Non's recovery is conveyed through detail-packed illustrations: dynamic comic panels; delicate, multipage paintings of elephants; and field notebook-style doodles and anecdotes. Chang details her encounters with animals and plants throughout the National Park, the people in her organization and the nearby communities, and the voi, building a complex portrait of the sometimes destructive, sometimes harmonious interactions between humans and nature. Appended notes provide further details. Danielle J. Ford
(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
August 1, 2023
In this graphic novel translated from Vietnamese and based on conservationist Nguyễn's own experiences, a creature subjected to a lifetime of abuse finds relief and restoration. Chang, a young Vietnamese animal lover who volunteers at Yok D�n, a national park in T�y Nguy�n, encounters H'non, an elderly elephant who has suffered in captivity for 56 years. Beaten by her owner and forced to give rides to tourists, H'non has endured injuries to her spine and legs. Chang and her boss are determined to rescue the elephant and bring her to the park's animal rescue center--but it will take time for H'non to learn to find food on her own and live among her own kind. The connections H'non eventually forges with the other elephants at the sanctuary are playful and tender, each a healing spectacle brought to life by brilliant use of color and perspective. Meanwhile, Chang also works to educate children, locals, and tourists on proper interactions with wildlife. The manga-esque illustrations--including Chang's notes about the flora and fauna of Yok D�n--are lush and informative, rewarding close examination. Fans of Saving Sorya (2021) will be gratified to see Chang continue to fight for the animals she loves. The empathy and perseverance on display make this as beautiful an animal rights book as readers will ever see. Stirs the mind and heart the way an elephant quakes the earth. (words of thanks from Jeet Zdũng) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)
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Starred review from October 15, 2023
Grades 3-7 *Starred Review* Open any page here and be instantly transported to another world in which the elephant-and-human relationship is vividly presented. The titular H'non was a real Asian elephant in Vietnam: at 4, she was stolen from her mother to perform hard labor, pulling timber at 8 and then concrete electric poles by 20. At 50, she was too old and weak to work at construction sites but was further brutalized as a tourist attraction. At 60, she was emaciated with a damaged spine and a broken tail and leg--until she was finally saved by Animals Asia Foundation and spent her last few years peacefully at Yok Đ�n National Park before she died in 2021. H'non's story arrives on the page, wondrously produced by the same award-winning author-artist team for Saving Sorya (2021). Nguyễn is a young globe-trotting conservationist who volunteered at Yok Đ�n and, with the help of other conservationists, assisted in Saving H'non--as in Sorya, Nguyễn's stand-in is again feisty, tenacious Chang. Zdũng is a stupendous creative partner, his golden-hued, intricately detailed panels underscoring the plight of the elephants. Most notably, Zdũng's anthropomorphized expressions of the beleaguered pachyderms are an empathic, desperate plea for humans to reengage our humanity and help all wild animals live free. Elucidated and enhanced with inspiring facts and sobering figures, this is a must-have acquisition for all libraries.
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