True Story: The Incredible Journey of a Family and Their Elephant During World War II

To ten-year-old Lizzie, family has always had to struggle for survival during the destruction and turmoil in Dresden in the closing stages of World War II. Living with her sweet mother-Mutti-and little brother-Karli-her father was away on the fighting field. Mutti works in a big zoo and cares for many animals, most especially for a young elephant named Marlene.

When it is announced that the city zoo intends to poison all of its animals so that they will not wreak havoc during the expected Allied bombings, Mutti cannot imagine life without Marlene. She goes to speak with the director of the zoo and returns home convinced and kind to bring Marlene home to live in their garden. Thenceforward, Marlene is accepted as part of the family-a comforting presence amid fear and uncertainty.

On one fateful night, Dresden went up in a sea of fire as the unrelenting bombings brought the city down to dust. Lizzie, Mutti, Karli, and Marlene narrowly escape the devastation. Their house is gone, and the family has no other option but to move into the countryside for shelter from the holocaust of war. With Marlene tagging along, it is now a very special journey of survival and hope.

The family has to struggle through many challenges, living in the harsh winter of Germany. They have to deal with hunger, exhaustion, and, above all, live with danger over their heads. Small yet very faithful and helpful, the dog Marlene pulls in snow supports carrying all their belongings, and sometimes even helps other people they meet on their way by giving them some hope.

Their paths cross with a motley set of characters, all affected in different ways by the ongoing war. Among these are a downed Canadian airman who, despite his status as an enemy soldier, gets politeness and mercy shown by Mutti. Such civility in the midst of blood and murder marks the core of this novel-humanity that unites above borders and ideologies.

The more they wander from Dresden, the harder the losses weigh on their minds, while they find new strength in growing closer with Marlene. The elephant represents the endurance and love which holds this family together against unimaginable hardship.

Eventually, they find temporary shelter in a farmer's barn. The farmer is reluctant to let an elephant into his space but quickly finds himself succumbing to Marlene's gentle ways. As the war threatens to overtake them all, moments of tenderness abound, reminding Lizzie and her family of the enduring power of kindness.

As the novel concludes, Lizzie muses over how Marlene's arrival into their lives changed everything. While it is a journey that has its sad moments of pain and loss, it also shows how strong the human spirit can be and the deep connections one can make under the most improbable conditions.

Years later, Lizzie told her story to an awestruck young boy after he had come to visit the nursing home in Canada where she was living out her old age. As Lizzie narrates an unforgettable experience during the war, something more was there upon what appeared with Marlene-just an elephant but a reason of hope during mankind's dark time.

In the pages of Lizzie's mind, in Technicolor clarity, comes An Elephant in the Garden: an extraordinary exploration of how ordinary people are made and broken in wartime and what they can be reduced to-a tale of survival and mercy and a stubborn adherence to the belief that love and cruelty both will endure long after destruction.

Short Story book: An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo