Mela and the Elephant
by Dow Phumiruk (Author) and Ziyue Chen (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Mela sets out to explore the river outside her village but quickly ends up in trouble when her little boat is swept downstream and into the dense jungle. She encounters a crocodile, a leopard, and some monkeys, offering each a prize return for helping her find her way home but the animals snatch up their rewards without helping Mela back to her village. Just when she’s about to give up, an elephant shows Mela that kindness is its own reward, the opposite of how she begins her journey (shown in the images below).
This original fable is told with authentic Thai customs and includes an author’s note with more Thai traditions and language.
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