Saving H'Non

 

Bibliography

Nguyen, Trang, and Jeet Zdung. SAVING H'NON: CHANG AND THE ELEPHANT. Illustrated by Jeet Zdung, Dial Books, 2023. ISBN: 978-0-593-40672-4.

Plot Summary

Chang is a conservationist and tells a story of her time at a sanctuary in Vietnam. Near the sanctuary, there is a lot of abuse towards elephants through elephant riding tours. Chang has a run-in with an elderly, injured elephant, H'Non, and finds out H’Non is part of the abusive elephant tours. With the help of Chang's boss, H'Non is able to come to the sanctuary. H'Non is unaware of how to be a free elephant after years of abuse, so Chang has to find a caretaker for her. Through H'Non and Chang's journey, readers learn the importance of protecting elephants.

Critical Analysis

In SAVING H'NON: CHANG AND THE ELEPHANT, Nguyen advocates for conservation through a beautiful story of saving an elephant, all from a real-life experience. Nguyen is a Vietnamese conservationist and showcases the beautiful environment of Vietnam. With Nguyen's scientific background, this story is highly educational in teaching about elephants, conservation, and Vietnam.

Zdung's illustrations are quite captivating and vibrant. The illustrations of Chang's journal alongside the animal and environment she is documenting are beautiful. However, I will say it became quite overwhelming at the beginning of the book trying to figure out where the story began.

Needless to say, the book was well-written and a great resource when wanting to incorporate international literature, specifically in Vietnam. There were few words in Vietnamese that were translated into English for representation of their language. The illustrations gave a perfect view of what Vietnam looks like. Overall, it was a beautiful story to learn from.

Review Excerpts

"The empathy and perseverance on display make this as beautiful an animal rights book as readers will ever see. Stirs the mind and heart the way an elephant quakes the earth." Kirkus, starred review.

"Open any page here and be instantly transported to another world in which the elephant-and-human relationship is vividly presented." Booklist, starred review.

Awards

Blueberry Award, 2023, Honor, Graphic Novel
English 4-11 Picture Book Award, 2024, Short List, Non-Fiction 4-7 Years
Freeman Book Awards, 2023, Honorable Mention, Young Adult/High School Literature (Graphic)
Margaret Mallett Award for Children's Non-Fiction, 2024, Winner
UKLA Children's Book Award, 2024, Short List, Ages (3-14)

Connections

Using this story in a biography unit would be great for a middle grade classroom! Hearing directly from the author about a time in their life via a graphic novel format is quite engaging to students. This book would also be great in a science unit about conservation, as Nguyen gives a real-life experience about the hard work it takes to protect animals.