The story happens in Germany in 1945. The war is ending and the terrifying Red Army is coming closer and closer to Dresden, the city where Elizabeth, the protagonist, lives. She shares her home with her mum Mutti, her dad Papi and her little brother Karli.Papi is sent to the front and the family has to survive in a time when food becomes scarce. Mutti works in the zoo and her favourite animal is Marlene, a young elephant, named after the singer Marlene Dietrich, When the bombs of the Allies star...

A delightful read of a German family during the end of WWII. Their city of Dresden was decimated in bombing. They trekked through the countryside with Marlene, a four year elephant, who Mutti saved from the city zoo. This journey bonded them as a family in the struggle against the snow, cold weather, hungry, the sounds of bombing and rifle shots in the distance behind them, and other refugees. First making it to Uncle Manfred and Auntie Lottie's farm and finding Peter, the Canadian navigator. Pe...

Inspired by two true events described the afterword, this novel is narrated by an elderly woman (Lizzie) in a nursing home telling the story of her youth in Dresden Germany during World War II. Her mother was a zookeeper, who brought a young elephant home nightly to their private garden out of fear for the mammal's safety. When the bombing begins on a snowy winter night, Lizzie flees with her mother, younger brother, and Marlene, the elephant. They flee to the country, only to find a Canadian na...

I really enjoyed this book where a woman relates her story from during WWII (she was a young woman). They were escaping through the countryside with Marlena the elephant. It was a touching and inspirational stories.

This was a children’s book (probably for ages between 9 and 12) verrrry loosely based on real events during WW2 where an elephant was rescued from a Belfast zoo. It was a sweet story that only lightly touched on the horrors of the war and gave the perspective of Non-Nazi German citizens and their struggles with becoming fugitives in their own country. The characters felt a little flat and the story predictable but then again I am not the target reader.

Lizzie is eighty-two years old and is idly spending her days in a nursing home. But today is February 13th and on this particular day, she has a story to tell. It’s a rather sad story because on this day, in 1945, the bombers flew over Dresden, Germany and set the city on fire. Lizzie, her brother, and her mother are forced to flee their home. The Red Army is coming from the east and the allied forces—the Americans and British—are coming from the west. They would go west, but they would not be g...

I loved this book! It is yet another wonderful example of Young adult genre transcends a specific age category.During WWII Dresden Germany was blasted/bombed unmercifully. This is a tale of an older woman, now in a nursing home, who recounts the story of her brave mother who worked in the zoo and fearing that an elephant she had tended since its childhood would die in the war, brought the animal home.When Dresden was bombed the family left the ruined city and made a trek westward with the elepha...

I own this book. This book is told from the point of view of Lizzie, an elderly woman in a care home who knows nobody but little Karl believes that during the war, she had an elephant in her garden. When Karl's mum allows her to tell her whole story to Karl, she tells a story of her and her siblings and their survival in 1940s German with an elephant in the garden. Like my previous reading of Shadow, this book seems whimsical, but it was actually a thing where elephants lived with their zookee

It's always a great day when books unexpectedly show up in your classroom. It becomes an even better day when this book is nestled contently within the confines of that box waiting for you to discover it. The title instantly attracted me to this book. How does an elephant just casually live in the garden? Once I read the brief synopsis on the back, it didn't take much convincing that I needed to read this book. Within the first few chapters of Lizzie's story, I realized that this story needed to...

An Elephant in the Garden is about a family of three that lives in Dresden. Lizzie, Karli and their mom Mutti. Their father is fighting in World War II. Mutti works at a zoo, and has a very close relationship with this elephant. When they hear that Dresden is going to be bombed and they have to kill all the animals, Mutti forces the head of the zoo to let her keep the elephant Marlene in the garden. Unfortonaly Desden ended up getting bombed.Their family escaped just like may other families in t...

Loved this book. It's WWII historical fiction, yet a sweet and uplifting tale, full of hope and humanity. And of course, there's an elephant, and who doesn't love elephants? It's a quick read (300 pp?), finished it in two sittings. I plan to order this for my granddaughter, because we read Salt to the Sea together, and this is along the same lines, but on a somewhat lighter note. This one and Salt to the Sea has German refugees fleeing the Russians, and since my father and my grandparents surviv...

"We learned that life goes on."Actually my heart is broken and I cannot stop crying.The best by the author I have read so far. It's so mysteriously beautiful, heartbreaking as well as heartwarming, hopeful and, yes, romantic.Me heart feels so wholesome now after reading this book. Everything about this book has got me fall in love with it. First, the title. Then the cover. Who wouldn't like it?! And it's all relevant. And I really adore the black and white ink illustrations. They are so well don...

Light and easy YA read. I liked how the story was about an elephant and a family determined to save her. It wasn't a typical WWII story which made it more interesting. It became a sweet love story. Older ppl have fantastic stories of their younger days and we should definitely be better listeners.My 3.5 stars is only bc I felt there was more details missing. The characters also seemed ignorant in believing they (as in country of residence) can start a war and kill innocent people but when they g...

A frail and elderly Lizzie tells the story of her youth in Dresden Germany during World War II. Her father was fighting on the Russian front. Her mother was a zookeeper and fearing for the safety of the young elephant, she brought the animal home each night to their private garden. But the war is taking a toll on everyone and when the bombing begins on a snowy February night the family must flee the burning city. How can they possibly evade enemy troops with an elephant in tow?What a wonderful a...

This book should be a movie! I want to see this one in theaters. What a fantastic read! Before reading this book, the cover art of the elephant is beautiful and serene, quite a contrast to the raging fires of the bombed city in the background. When I read the jacket, I wasn't quite sure to expect, and I judged it from the description on the book jacket ("Oh, another World War 2 novel"), but to readers who think similarly: don't. This book sets itself apart.This book centers around this young per...

Despite the intriguing title and the promise of a mystery revealed, this is a very slow book to start. I've read a lot of Morpurgo and none has the almost interminable creep of the first half of this book. Morpurgo tries a variation on his usual framing device in this story and, rather than a tale of youth bookended by an adult narrator's musings, the reflections are interspersed throughout. Lizzie is a solitary old woman in a nursing home who often speaks of the time she had an elephant in her

According to Michael Morpurgo (War Horse), “An Elephant in the Garden,” was inspired by a true story of an elephant rescued from the Belfast Zoo during WWII. The story begins in a nursing home in Canada with Lizzie, an aging woman who feels compelled to tell her life story to a 9 year old boy, the son of one of the nurses. Lizzie describes her life in Dresden, Germany during WWII. Lizzie and her younger brother are generally content until their father is sent to fight on the Russian front. The w...

With Michael Morpurgo you know exactly what your getting, a tale with an animal set around a war. This time an Elephant in Germany during the Second World War. As soon as you slip into this tale you know your in great company, a perfect read.

I had a Barnes and Noble email the other day that mentioned "An Elephant in the Garden" as a listing in the children's books, then went on to say it was by Michael Morpurgo the author of "War Horse." I thought I would check it out. Found it in the children's section at Central Library.In this story a German family escapes the Dresden bombing with the young elephant the mother has been taking care of at the zoo. The odd group of refugees form a family escaping towards the Americans and away from

A sweet, light story that was quick to get through, but lacked some nuance. It read very slice-of-life for a book that took place during WW2.3 stars