This true portrayal of the courage and intelligence of the elephants used in the teak industry in Burma in the 1920s and their subsequent acts of heroism during World War II is both moving and informative in describing the human and elephant relationship. Billy Williams is sent from Britain to Burma to manage both the teak forests and the working elephants and becomes their fiercest advocate, developing humane training methods and medical care. Although not part of this book, readers develop an understanding of how elephants became circus animals, and I applaud the recent news that their acts will be phased out from Ringling Bros.

—Kathy of Breakwater Books, Guilford