Beco’s Big Year
A Baby Elephant Turns One
By Linda Stanek
Forward by Jack Hanna
Columbus Zoological Park Association, 2010
Grades K-4
Nonfiction
“For almost two years, the people at the Columbus Zoo watch and wait. An Asian elephant named Phoebe gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Animal doctors, called, vets, have great news. Phoebe is going to have a baby! Before, she weighed 6,800 pounds. As her baby grows, Phoebe gains more than a thousand pounds. Now, she is up to almost 8,000 pounds.”
What’s not to like about the adorable baby elephant on the cover of this book? It traces the pregnancy of Phoebe, an elephant at the Columbus Zoo, through the birth of her calf Beco and the baby’s first year of life. This is an up-close and accessible look at this baby called Beco.
The text narrates the event while providing additional information about elephants and their life in the zoo. It includes information about elephants in general, babies and their early days, name choosing, how the baby learns, and training procedures that allow vets to examine and care for these pachyderms.
Sidebars throughout the book add more facts that will interest independent readers or older children, but the main text is easily accessible. Loads of photos follow Beco’s development and provide an appealing insight into the life of Beco, her son, and elephants.
The book is fascinating and should appeal as a fact gathering book, a great story time nonfiction book, or just a fun read or picture study. I liked the book so much, and it’s so well written and designed, I wanted in as a finalist in the NFPB Cybils. It’s one every library should have because every youngster will enjoy it.
Activity 1
Make an outline of Asia and Africa. Use the outlines to create a comparison of Asian and African elephants.
National Geographic has good elephant information.
Activity 2
Make a timeline of Beco’s first year. Chose 5-7 events in Beco’s life, or more! Highlight events and developments by Beco of his first year of life.
See Beco’s 2nd birthday celebration.
Wrapped in Foil has a blog post about Beco.
Here’s another review of Beco’s Big Year at NC Teacher Stuff.
Book provided by Columbus Zoological Park Association for Cybils NFPB consideration.
National Science Standard: life cycle of organisms
Oh, that looks like a sweet book. I would have enjoyed reading it.
And speaking of books, I used your gene book again today.
Thanks so much! How’d you use it? (the gene book) Would you like me to send you my copy of Beco? It’s adorable!
[...] Another excellent elephant book for younger kids is Beco’s Big Year by Linda Stanek and the Columbus Zoo. Stanek does a wonderful job in showing the baby elephant’s development without being cute or anthropomorphic. See my review of Beco. [...]