The Elephants in My Backyard

The Elephants in My Backyard PDF Author: Rajiv Surendra
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1682450511
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air . . . and jump.” —From The Elephants in My Backyard What happens when you spend ten years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true? In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself—both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo—when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny. In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the sixteen-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is. Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

The Elephants in My Backyard

The Elephants in My Backyard PDF Author: Rajiv Surendra
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1682450511
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Get Book Here

Book Description
Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air . . . and jump.” —From The Elephants in My Backyard What happens when you spend ten years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true? In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself—both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo—when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny. In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the sixteen-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is. Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

An Elephant in My Backyard

An Elephant in My Backyard PDF Author: Shobha Viswanath
Publisher: Karadi Tales Picturebooks
ISBN: 9788181902405
Category : Daughters
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
What do you do when a baby elephant follows you home?

An Elephant in the Garden

An Elephant in the Garden PDF Author: Michael Morpurgo
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1783196734
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 55

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Book Description
An Elephant in the Garden is Simon Reade’s new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling children’s novel. 1945. Dresden, Germany. Lizzie, her mother – and an elephant from the zoo, flee the Allied fire-bombing in the end-game of the Second World War. Escaping the Allies’ advance from the West – and also the advancing Russian armies from the East – this extraordinary trio of refugees meet: a downed RAF officer, cowering in a barn; a homeless school choir on the run and their Countess saviour, harbouring them from the Nazis; and the mechanised American cavalry, appearing over the horizon. It is Lizzie’s story – but Marlene, the elephant, is the heroine. Plodding, obdurate, opportunistic, loadbearing, indestructible, cheering – Marlene embodies the stubbornness of the human will and how it will do everything to survive.

The Humane Gardener

The Humane Gardener PDF Author: Nancy Lawson
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1616896175
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"

Author: Patricia Thomas
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0688093388
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
All the animals are in a panic. The elephant's sneeze would blow the monkeys out of the trees, the feathers off the birds, the stripes off the zebra. Even the fish and the fly, the crocodile and the kangaroo, know what a catastrophe that sneeze would be. "Please don't sneeze!" they beg. . . . The classic story of an enormous sneeze in the marking, told in sprightly nonsense verse, has been newly illustrated in full color to delight a new generation of fans.

Can I Have a Pet Eagle?

Can I Have a Pet Eagle? PDF Author: Michou Franco
Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP
ISBN: 1538217856
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
If people can have pet parakeets, why can't they have a pet eagle? The narrator of this fun book describes important facts about these majestic birds. Readers will find out that these birds of prey, and their supersharp talons, are much better off living in the wild than in our homes. The easy-to-follow sentences allow readers to practice their reading proficiency, while eye-catching photographs help demonstrate key points of the text.

Elephant Talk

Elephant Talk PDF Author: Ann Downer
Publisher: Millbrook Press
ISBN: 1512457604
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! On a hot day in the African savannah, a group of elephants searches for food. While foraging they often lose sight of one another. Yet at the end of the day, in one coordinated movement, the elephants suddenly regroup. This coordinated movement—and others like it—has puzzled scientists and caused them to question how elephants communicate with each other. Since the 1990s, scientists have gathered significant data on elephant “talk.” Biologists have determined that elephants use a complex system of communication of at least ten distinct sounds, combined in many variations. Researchers are now asking: what do these sounds mean? As scientists study the elephant sounds that humans can hear, they are also identifying ways elephants communicate through nonverbal behaviors and making sounds too low for human ears. Scientists have realized that elephants even receive messages by using their sensitive feet to feel vibrations in the ground. All of these discoveries are helping elephant researchers better understand elephant behavior. But the elephant’s time as a wild animal is running out. Threatened by habitat loss and illegally hunted for their ivory tusks, elephants are on the brink of extinction. Will understanding elephant talk be the key to saving the species?

The Zoo in My Backyard

The Zoo in My Backyard PDF Author: Usha Rajagopalan
Publisher: Manipal Universal Press
ISBN: 933246099X
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
What can you expect in a family of quirky adults, hyperactive children, and an assortment of pets? The author and her siblings shared their childhood with Kesavan, the incorrigibly curious black monkey; Judie, the nimble giant squirrel; Mini, the shy mouse deer that strayed; Psitta, the cackling parakeet; Devil, the runaway hound and many more creatures great and small. The adventures of the children and antics of their pets, together with the adults in the family make for a whole lot of fun and laughter - not just in the backyard but indoors as well.

Elephants in My Backyard

Elephants in My Backyard PDF Author: Lynne S. Dumas
Publisher: Vantage Press
ISBN: 9780533079537
Category : Food industry and trade
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description


African Elephants

African Elephants PDF Author: Kari Schuetz
Publisher: Bellwether Media
ISBN: 1612114903
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
African elephants can weigh as much as 16,000 pounds! If their size isn't enough to make them stand out, they also have huge ears, long trunks, and ivory tusks. This title will engage beginning readers as it explains how Earth's largest land mammals use their trunks to keep themselves cool.