Tua and the Elephant, by R.P. Harris and Taeeun Yoo, is the delightful adventures of Tua, who lives in Chiang Mai Thailand. At the night market, Tua finds an elephant who needs her help. Assisted by her neighbors and monks in the Buddhist temple, Tua hides Pohn-Pohn from the cruel mahouts, and embarks on a journey to find the elephant a home, a sanctuary.

Reading author notes in the book, we found the sanctuary is called the Elephant Nature Park. So we planned a day trip from Chiang Mai while visiting Thailand. And what a day!

It was a whole day at the park, watching elephants walking through open fields, taking mud baths, tossing dirt of their backs (keeps them cool). We fed the elephants bananas, watermelons, pineapple and sugar cane, and helped wash the elephants in the river. Seeing elephants up close, so close you can see all the hairs on their trunk, it was a unforgettable experience.