Thank you so much, All Saints’!! I visited the school on the 15th and 16th this week, and spoke to grades pre-K through 4th about Pink Elephant and wildlife conservation. I have to say; the students are really attentive and ask the BEST questions. We had a lot of fun together. It was so inspiring; I can’t wait to start volume 4!
I think it’s important for students to feel that they have the power to make a difference — that they can take their care and concern and effect changes. All Saints’ students, faculty, and staff generously helped us collect over $1000, with all of the proceeds to go towards adopting elephants orphaned by poaching and other man-related causes. I’ve updated the Adventures of Pink Elephant website to show the beautiful babies Tano and Olare adopted thanks to All Saints’. Way to go! These elephants have incredible stories; I actually cried reading about some of them. Elephants have no natural predators in the wild; although lions may attack a sick and dying elephant or a very small baby, for the most part Elephants are not threatened by any other animals, just man. It’s important that we take responsibility for our own actions, something we’re taught from kindergarten. It’s clear the All Saints’ students have never forgotten this.
Here’s part 1 of one of my presentations to All Saints’:
Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but the semester is coming to a close so I’m looking forward to spending more time on Pink Elephant.
I just wanted to say that if you are in Arizona, Pink Elephantbooks are also available through a number of other organizations — the Kumon center in Chandler and Tempe, for example, and also at the Yamaha Music school in Phoenix. I spent a lot of time in both places when I was younger, and have a lot of good memories. I’m starting to imagine what it might have been like if I had had Pink Elephant, Twonkie-Twonkie, and the gang as friends when I was growing up. I have a feeling Pink Elephant would have loved going to Yamaha. He has universal perfect pitch, you know. Plus he can hear a lot of sounds that are far lower than human ears are capable of hearihttp://christineamamiya.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpng. He’d probably pass the exams, no sweat. I wonder what would happen if Twonkie Twonkie taught a music class on singing. It’s probably safer if he doesn’t; when he sings things tend to…change. You never know!
As for kumon…perhaps if Twonkie-Twonkie worked on those every day, his counting might improve? Something for Mandy and Christie to think about, I guess.
I was also very touched by a story I read about elephants today — more proof that elephants are more like humans than we realize. A documentary called ‘Angels in the Dust’ was made paralleling the behavior of orphaned children and orphaned elephants. Both have, in their own way, grown up lost and confused without the guidance of their parents, but allowing those elephants and children to spend time with others like them and parantal figures upon whom they can rely has allowed them to calm down and show a new strength. I think it’s important to remember how important we are as families, no matter what species we may be. I guess love does make the world go round.
So, here it is — the first, unedited chapter of Brightfire, the young adult fantasy fiction novel I am working on. It’s quite different from Pink Elephant’s universe, but I hope you like it! Copyright © 2009 Naomi Funabashi. All rights reserved.
Here’s the pitch:
For a thousand years, the Draconii men have been hallowed dragon-breeders of the royal court. But Skyrian’s birth — and the death of her mother — mean that there will be no more heirs to the Art. Trapped in a world that has shunned her and her inauspicious birth, Skyrian wants nothing more than to learn her father’s secrets, though she knows she never will. But as war threatens to break out, Khrism, a mysterious guest of the king, comes with a proposal that goes against all Skyrian believes in — and chooses Skyrian as her only apprentice.
Skyrian’s world is further shaken when the unruly seventh Aminan prince Lyonel risks his life to find her, insisting Cyriel is not what it seems. Forced to flee when Khrism reveals her true intentions, Skyrian seeks refuge with the prince — who then asks her for the secret to Cyriel’s demise. Now, in the face of the most dangerous war ever known, Skyrian must choose between the only home she has ever had, or doing what is right.
BrightfireChapter1
It’s been forever since I last wrote on this blog! I guess I haven’t been around as much as I should, but with things picking up in Pink Elephant’s world, it’s time I started writing more here about the things the Evans’ and the Xu’s have been up to. The second volume, as of today, is complete! Or as good as, I should say. There are still a couple of quirks that need to get worked out. But, as promised, Twonks make their appearance in the second volume and Mandy, Christie, Marianne, and Peter find out the best way (okay, best two ways) to travel. Then, of course, there’s the whole mystery behind something called the Elephant’s Tear and the stories that elephants have been telling each other for centuries. Did you know that elephants tell each other bedtime stories? I sure didn’t.
More seriously, I’ve always loved elephants, but as I do research about them for this book and the next (…and the next and the next), I can’t help but love them more. There are so many things I never knew about elephants. Did you know elephants – healthy, fully grown elephants — have no natural enemies? They can even crush a hippo. I can’t imagine that happening. It was so hard to believe when I first read about it — every animal I’ve ever known has had to fear something in the wild. But despite being able to throw around their weight (literally!), they’re caretakers of their environment and others that live in it. For example — during droughts when there is no rain for months and rivers dry up, elephants can use their strong tusks and trunks to dig deep in the riverbeds until they find water. Sometimes, this is the only source of water for other animals living nearby. Elephants also pound out pathways into areas that other animals normally can’t reach, allowing them to look for food over a wider area. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they’re protected from everything. They still have one big enemy to fear: man.
