Very interesting and tense! Akimbo decides to take on the poachers all by himself. He is determined to save the elephants! Ethical dilemmas abound and parents will definitely want to talk to their kids about best choices. Well-written.

Full of suspense and adventure, with a great message and wonderful illustrations. A great way to learn about Africa and animals, but people as well.

Set in Africa, an adventure story involving poachers, elephants and a boy called Akimbo, a ranger's son. A good early chapter book for Y3+.

Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith is an interesting early chapter book with a unique setting. The book itself is only 68 pages and contains some black and white illustrations. The book takes place it in Africa on a game preserve. The main character, a young boy named Akimbo, lives in a very different world than what most New York City children are used to. Akimbo’s father works on a game preserve and helps to protect wild animals. When his father realizes that ivory poachers are...

We really enjoyed reading this as a class during our Africa topic. I find our class books have a brilliant way of broadening our topic knowledge and often give children inspiration for our own writing. I chose this book because I wanted to introduce a discussion opportunity around poaching in Africa. The story is from the point of view of Akinbo and throughout my questioning focused on motives- what could he/she be thinking? why? what might have happened to him/ her yesterday? The children were

Nicely presented adventure story for kids just beginning with chapter books. There are scenes of bravery and daring as Akimbo, a young African boy, devises a plan to bring elephant poachers to justice. There are lush descriptions of the exotic locale and educational tidbits thrown in about African wildlife, animal behavior, and endangered species. While the storyline isn't exactly realistic, it still presents humane values, good conversation starters, and will appeal to grade school boys--who ca...

Tamara listened to this audiobook on the Dover Library's RB digital platform (free to patrons). This short chapter book for children written by best-selling adult book author, Alexander McCall Smith (No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) is a part of a series of books about Akimbo, the son of an African game warden. Akimbo does his part to rescue elephants from poachers even putting his life in jeopardy before the massive elephants. Young readers age 6-10 particularly those that want to know more about

My favorite book in the Akimbo series. Akimbo is the son of an African game reserve ranger and he goes on adventures, the majority of which involve saving and rescuing animals and learning valuable life lessons. His passion for the elephants was so touching and his grand scheme to catch the poachers was absolutely brilliant!

Listened to this on a road trip with my 8 year old niece

Exciting adventure tale of elephants and poachers and rangers expertly narrated by the author.

Good children's story set in Africa. Akimbo and the Elephants is a well written story about a very different world than ours. Good story about ethics and morality.

A very enjoyable children’s story. I plan on continuing to check out the series. The author does a great job narrating the audiobook.

A boy (like us), living a life of adventure with animals out in the African open. Man! Poachers suck! It was educational and the kids loved this.

Short children's book/story (the audiobook was 1 CD) about a young, adventurous boy who wants to help his father and other rangers to stop elephant poachers on a game preserve in Africa. I enjoyed the story, mainly because I love elephants. Some of the details about elephants were not exactly correct. There was a male elephant with large tusks near the herd who was said to be protecting the herd and led the herd away from the poachers. I don't think this is exactly true. Elephants have a matriar...

Akimbo, a young boy who lives on a game preserve in Africa, is determined to put a stop to illegal poaching of elephants for their ivory. When the adults around him don’t seem ready to take action, Akimbo hatches his own dangerous plan to find and capture the poachers. The author of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series brings his work to a younger audience in this series for new chapter book readers. What I like most about this series is the setting in Africa. What a great opportunity for yo...

Akimbo lives near a nature reserve in Africa (the country is never specified). He and his dad find a poached elephant, mother to an abandoned baby elephant ;( The adults don't seem to be doing enough about it, Akimbo is especially concerned about the baby even though his dad insists that it will be taken care of by another elephant.So, he decides to look into the poacher problem himself. It's a little bit of detective work and he puts himself into some questionable situations like most children'...

i chose this as this month's book for my second-third grade book club sight unseen, based on a couple of reviews and my love of alexander mccall smith's no. 1 ladies detective agency series. just like his adult books, these novels for young readers offer an (age appropriate) engaging main character, an absorbing sense of place, and a compelling mystery. very well done, and provides me with lots of jumping off points for an exciting discussion about wildlife conservation and doing what's right in...

One day, Akimbo accompanies his father to check on a water hole. As they approach the area, they see a flock of vultures circling in the air. Akimbo’s father drives to where the huge birds are hovering, and they find a dead elephant. Poachers have killed the female for her tusks and left her baby behind to starve. After returning home, Akimbo can’t get the sight of the dead mother elephant and her lonely, confused calf out of his mind. He dreams of a time when he’s old enough to catch the poache...

This is a book for the elementary school reader but being that I love Alexander McCall Smith so much, I decided that my 4 and 6 year olds might like it. I didn't plan on reading it in one night to them, but they were so into it that we had a long story time before bed to finish it off (good thing I started early). They really like Akimbo's adventure and have asked me to pick up the others in the series. Great book!

This is a wonderful series for 3rd to 5th grade readers. The books give readers a wonderful look at Africa and the many animals that call it home. Akimbo is an adventurous boy who, through his many exploits shows us that while Africa is beautiful, it can be dangerous as well. I reccomend this to many readers and have had many come back and ask for more.

Great book for 8 to 10 year olds, I'ld say. Akimbo lives on a nature reserve with his parents, which gives him the opportunity for serious adventures. It's a little bit scary at times and also deals with the death of a mother elephant. I think I will try to read this to the grandkids via SKYPE. It'll be the first non-picture book, although there are several lovely drawings by LeUyen Pham.

This is a great children's beginner chapter book. I love it most because it is based in Africa. I read it all last night in bed (very quick read). I am planning on reading more of these and it has put the bug in me again to want to read more of the #1 ladies detective agency that the same author wrote. :)

Alexander McCall Smith is a master story teller, and he has created a wonderful series around the character of Akimbo,the son of a park ranger. The book is fast paced and features short chapters and charming illustrations, which make it a great introduction to chapter books for young readers. It will particularly appeal to children who love animals and nature.

This is little 70 page gem is a good pick for early chapter book readers who would enjoy an African setting, a fast-paced plot, and a tale about elephants. Readers will be transported to a game reserve and meet a young boy named Akimbo who has a passion for justice and conservation.I will definitely seek out the other books in this series.

A lovely tale of a boy, who makes a difficult decision to try to right a wrong in his homeland. His method gave my class a chance to discuss "does the means justify the end" - in second grade vocabulary

This was a cute book, but I was a little bit disappointed. Akimbo is certainly good and heroic, but I'm not sure how believable the story is. However, if it gives kids the inspiration to try to make a difference in their own world, that would be recommendation enough for this book.

Great for kids who love animals. My son, an avid animal-lover, is just lapping up these stories featuring a boy of similar age having great adventures with wild African animals.Love this author and I'm so glad he writes for kids too!

Akimbo is an African boy who lives with his mother and park ranger father in a game park in Kenya. Each book has him embark on an adventure and pertains to a specific animal. The order is unimportant in this series--RachelJ/mccall smith

Such a sweet little series. The character is a charming little boy with a big heart for the animals on the reserve where his dad is a ranger. I need to recommend this to more kids. Same author as the No. 1 Ladies' Detective series.

Text is copyright 1990, so this should be #1 in the series?Akimbo's father isn't the head ranger yet. Akimbo's age not easily determined - the drawings make him look younger than 10, though his actions seem to indicate that he's at least 10 years old.