Marcel is a very old elephant. He has done and seen a lot in his many years, and as he begins his day, the day of his birth, he is reminded of all the things he has done. We get to travel with him as he remembers his tuba-playing years, also called the helicon. You can tell how much he has traveled by the variety of foods set out at his table. Through Marcel’s amazing memory, we learn about his days in “Marcel’s Magical Tour.” He traveled all over the world by becoming a mariner on a ship that traveled to Asia and then the rest of the way around the world! He now retires in Paris, a beautiful city. He experienced the worker strikes and unrest throughout the country. And now, he is celebrating his birthday with all of the friends he has met along his amazing life journey.
The Memory of an Elephant is an amazing picture book! I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Along with Marcel’s wonderful story, we also are treated by HUNDREDS of facts that pertain to Marcel’s life. Facts about elephants, animals, foods, ships, plants—everything under the sun! For instance, did you know that Elephants are actually afraid of bees, not mice? I didn’t! The back of the book also shares a crepe recipe along with tons of more fun facts to fill your mind with!
Something to Do
1. Buy the book and make “La Crepe Marcelette” (with bananas) from the recipe that is included in the book. It’s a great way to educate young connoisseurs about the delicious definitions of things like crème caramel, brioche, dôme au chocolat and floating island! I’m sure you won’t regret it.
2. Make a towel elephant to help you remember your stories! Check out this fun activity from
TwentyTwoWords.
3. Make a Memory Box so you’ll never forget anything!
You’ll need:
What to do:
-Paint the chest/case your base color and let it dry overnight.
-The next day, come up with what you want to label the chest as. I went to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland this summer, so I would label it as such.
-Line your stencils up straight, you might want to use a ruler.
-Paint your letters and let dry!
*You can add decorations if you want, just let everything dry first.
-Throw every memory for this particular occasion into the box—ticket stubs, pamphlets, pictures, posters, anything! Now you’ll never forget.