My love for elephants began when I was four or five years old. We were living in Thailand then, Bangkok, to be precise. The family moved to London shortly after this time.

We had a gardener who was a great storyteller and would entertain the children with traditional tales from his province in the north-east of the country. One day he told a story of a baby abandoned in the forest. I don’t remember the reason for this abandonment, but I do remember being upset, my heart went out to the poor baby. The story continued with a herd of elephants coming upon this little infant, saved him and reared him as one of their own.

At this point I started crying uncontrollably. I was overwhelmed by the elephants’ kindness. I was sobbing so hard I had to be taken away. I never found out the ending of the tale, but to this day I’ve never forgotten how my child’s mind was filled with wonder, awe and love for these great animals. Through the years this love has grown to encompass all the natural world.

Of course, it was a local tale: the elephants saved the baby, not wolves as in the legend of Romulus and Remus, Mowgli in The Jungle Book, nor great apes as in Tarzan. We were after all in Thailand where elephants have always figured in history and culture.

The book, ‘An Adventure of San Suk, the Elephant Baby’, is a fully illustrated, gentle tale for young children which I hope will inspire an interest and a love for animals and the natural world.

I hope also that elephant lovers of any age and grown-ups who read to those who still can’t quite manage it on their own will enjoy the story of San Suk’s first adventure and the illustrations.

Please contact me with questions and comments. I would love to hear from you.

Pranai