Why we must promote acceptance to children
FLINT eMagazine writes:-http://flintmag.com/children/
Acclaimed author Susanne Gervay’s new children’s picture book,Elephants Have Wings (Ford Street Publishing, H/B $26.95,) is inspired by the ancient story of the blind men and the elephant and promotes the importance of peace and inclusion to younger readers.
Inspired by Susanne’s journey to India and South East Asia, she returned imbued with the cultures of India and Asia and the parable of the blind men and the elephant with its spiritual traditions in Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sufism and modern philosophy. As the child of refugees, Susanne wanted to open a discussion about pathways to peace by creating an illustrative text that gave young people positive ways to navigate a world torn by conflict.
Beautifully illustrated by Anna Pignataro, Elephants Have Wings follows the story of two children, riding on the wings of a mystical white elephant, embark on an extraordinary journey to discover the meaning of the parable of the blind men and the elephant, and the humanity in all of us. Endorsed by the esteemed Blake Society and created by the award-winning picture book team of Susanne Gervay AO and Anna Pignataro, Elephants Have Wings is a remarkable book that promotes peace and understanding to young readers.
Interview with Susanne
I’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of young people, sharing my books across the world, in remote indigenous communities, Australian capital cities, throughout regional Australia, across the USA, Asia, India, Kiribati, Europe, from the richest to poorest communities, to young people in prison, hospitals, special schools, remote Outback stations, international schools. The young people I speak to come from many faiths, ethnicities, cultures. However there is a commonality. They seek acceptance, safety, love and are overwhelmed and disempowered by a world in conflict. Story can create a place to unravel their fears and disempowerment and provide pathways to compassion, understanding of other peoples and faiths and become a participant in creating a safer world.
On my tours, a little American boy told me that when he grows up he wants to be an architect. But he will only design short buildings. The Twin Towers of 9-11 are part of who he is now. I included his words which felt so poignant, in my ‘I Am Jack’ series.
I was flown to New York to speak about the power of my young adult novel ‘Butterflies’ to travel with young burns survivors and families. I had the extraordinary privilege to be on the faculty with Kim Phuc, the 9 year old Vietnamese girl running naked from napalm bombs in Nick Ut’s 1972 iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photo. With 80% of her body burned, she decided to turn pain into compassion. She is a UNESCO Ambassador for Peace and established the Kim Phuc Foundation for child survivors of war.
Kim Phuc became incorporated into ‘Always Jack’:-
My hero Jack, of the ‘I Am Jack’ books and his friend Christopher whose parents are Vietnamese refugees present their project to the school.
“Jack and Christopher say together. ‘Kim Phuc, the girl running from the bomb, said, ‘Don’t see a little girl crying out in fear and pain. See her as crying out for peace.’” (Chapter 10)
As part of a delegation, an initiative of the Edmund Rice Centre, I travelled to Kiribati with Patrick Dobson, father of Indigenous reconciliation. Kiribati looks like paradise, an island nation of 32 atolls in the Pacific with approximately 100,000 people. However, without sanitation, rising sea levels, inadequate fresh water supplies, one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, it is a multi-faith country struggling for survival. I had the privilege of sharing my books with wonderful teachers, students and communities. I addressed an assembly of hundreds of students under an open canopy. When I announced that I would donate my books to the school, in a spontaneous thanksgiving of song, their voices rose in a powerful celebration of thanks. It was deeply moving.
There have been many special moments of connection through story. I was invited to represent Australia in the international peace anthology by IBBY Korea under the auspices of the United Nations. My story ‘Remember East Timor’ was one of 22 stories, by 22 authors, 22 illustrators from 22 countries with different faiths and cultures. My author visit to the Deaf and Blind School where I read my picture books to children with multiple disabilities and diverse faiths, was significant in sharing the commonality of all children while recognising their difference.
As the child of refugees, ‘Elephants Have Wings’ encompasses the ethos that drives all my writing, engaging with young people as they face the challenges of life and empowering them with compassion, understanding of different faiths, humanism. The extraordinary tree of life that connects all humanity spreads its ways through the pages of ‘Elephants Have Wings’, as the mystical white elephant takes the children across the beauty of the world, its conflict and then safety of home.
‘Elephants Have Wings’ was written for young people and adults to open discussion about what sort of world they want and how they can contribute to it because ‘The elephant is in all of us’.
The post Elephants Have Wings- inclusion at Christmas appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.
As Christmas approaches children everywhere are writing Santa with their lists—but few I imagine, will be expecting an elephant with wings?
Award-winning children’s author Susanne Gervay, captures the beautiful complexity and culture surrounding elephants, in her new book ‘Elephants Have Wings’—a perfect Christmas gift for curious young minds.
Brimming with detail, fascinating facts and colourful illustrations, ‘Elephants Have Wings’ invites children to explore the history, culture, and complexities of elephants. A deep respect and expanded view of these impressive creatures encourages readers to cast fresh eyes on elephants. Imparting the value of an ancient species with long-held ties to society, Susanne conveys a charming tale that endears children to elephants and their enduring legends. Such is the context to instil in our youth, the virtues of curiosity—both for culture and conservation.
I asked Susanne to share her thoughts on the importance of art and story in conveying natures fragile state and engaging young minds and hearts in the efforts of wildlife preservation. In her words…
Elephants are the gentle giants of the world. They are like humans with small families of up to four babies, but they do take 22 months to have a baby elephant. They live nearly the same life span as humans and can continue for more than 70 years like in the Old Testament. ‘The days of our years are threescore years and ten’ (Psalm 90.10). They are intelligent with memory that spans many years, communicate, care for their families. When a baby elephant cries, their family protects and caresses them. They hug, wrapping their trunks around each other. Elephants have enormous capacity for love, intelligence, and show grief, joy, anger and play. Loyal to their families and tribes, they form deep family bonds in their herds led by the oldest female elephants. What moves me the most is the respect elephants pay to those who has passed away. They pay homage to the bones of their dead, gently touching the skulls and tusks with their trunks and feet. As elephants pass a place that a loved one has died, they will pause silently in memory.
Elephants are part of the lives of so many young people growing up. They offer warmth, strength, safety. As a child I slept with my soft grey elephant. Dr Seuss’ Horton the elephant was my companion. Horton protected the world and me from danger. Pressing my face against the fence at Taronga Zoo, I adored watching the elephants in their pseudo Indian compound. I rode with a gaggle of children on rickety seats strapped to the elephant’s back. What greater excitement than Ashton’s Circus coming to town. Everyone piled into the Big Top circus tent marvelling at elephants doing amazing tricks. As a child I thought the elephants loved giving rides and performing tricks. It hurts to think that they may have been treated unkindly.
When I was ready to explore the world as a young adult, I embarked on the obligatory trek through Asia and India. Elephants permeated the land, cultures and lives of the peoples. Throughout India there were temple elephants where elephants participated in Hindu festivals. Buddhist and Hindu temples abounded with images, bas-reliefs and sculptures of elephants. The exquisite kalaga tapestries of Burma (Myanmar) created with gold threads, beads, sequins, glass stones depicted the Ramayana and the Jataka stories with complex images of the white elephant of enlightenment. In Chiang Mai, I feed baby elephants with bananas. Elephants worked hard in the logging industry. They lived a double life of labour with often brutal treatment and also veneration.
The elephant is sacred throughout India and Asia, integral to Buddhism and Hinduism in their many forms, culture, folklore and traditions. Buddha was re-incarnated into a white elephant and at his birth, a white elephant appeared in the sky. The Garuda, a large mythical bird-like creature, in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology, was created from the cosmic egg that hatched the eight elephants supporting the universe. Ganesh, venerated and loved Hindu Elephant God, is Lord of Obstacles and Beginnings. In Hindu mythology the flying white elephants bring monsoon rains to refresh the land. According to legend, while Buddha’s mother was pregnant, she dreamt a white elephant entered her womb.
In Islam too, the elephant is venerated as Muhammad was born in the Year of the Elephant (Arabic: عام الفيل, ʿĀmu l-Fīl). The story of the blind men and the elephant told in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufi Islam, Jainism and other Asian-Indian sects challenges humanity to seek truth and peace.
On my travels, I journeyed to Africa where elephants are integral to the land, culture, folklore and beliefs in spirits. Portrayed as powerful, strong, kind and noble, the elephant is seen in the ritual objects of ancestor veneration and African rites of passage. The Ashanti of Ghana honour elephants, giving dead elephants the burial rites of human chiefs.
Elephants today are being threatened with survival with loss of their habitats, hunting them for game, illegal killing for their ivory tusks. Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade. The Asian elephant is an endangered species with less than 32,000 in the wild. Taronga Zoo in Sydney is working with other international zoos to help conserve and save elephants.
Elephants have worked for humanity and are fundamental to our cultural and spiritual life. Today international zoos, governments and organisations are working to save the elephant. However the threat to them continues.
I created ‘Elephants Have Wings’ with artist Anna Pignataro, to invite young people to discuss the traditions, complexity and beauty of the elephant over the millennium. The extraordinary painting of the Divine Elephant protecting two children in a landscape of elephants symbolically melds all living creatures into the tree of life.
As elep
hants have brought wisdom to the world, we must be wise. As elephants take us on a spiritual and philosophical journey of truth, we must seek truth. As elephants have protected us for generations, we must protect them now.
Elephants Have Wings by Susanne Gervay illustrated by Anna Pignataro.
Ford Street Publishing, ISBN: 9781925000399 (hardback), 9781925000405 (paperback).
Susanne Gervay is an award winning children’s author recognised for her work on social justice. Her books are endorsed by Variety, Room to Read, Life Education, the Cancer Council, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, The Children’s Hospital Westmead among others. Director of the Sydney Arts heritage hotel, The Hughenden, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for children’s literature and professional organisations. www.sgervay.com; www.taronga.org.au
Wildlife Warriors is an original initiative of Bare Essentials Magazine created to raise funds and awareness for wildlife.
We help coordinate events and campaigns for affiliate wildlife foundations and provide educational materials and incentive rewards for fund-raising efforts on their behalf.
http://wildlife-warriors.com/complexity-elephants/
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Susanne Gervay is an award-winning author, speaker, recipient of the Order of Australia and all-round dynamo. She rushed into my life last year at the Central Queensland Literary Festival. I had the pleasure of sharing an apartment, and lots of stories with Susanne during our week-long visit to schools in Rockhampton and Emerald. Her energy was […]
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The Labyrinth – a walking meditation – opened by Governor Marie Bashir to the blessings of the Wisdom Keepers from Aunty Ali Golding Aboriginal Elder Biripi Nation and many leaders of many faiths – Sikh, Buddhist, Moslem, Roman Catholic, Unity Church, Jewish, Zen, Anglican …. and others.
The Sydney Sacred Music Festival joins Stephanie Dowrick author and minister for an Interfaith service in Sydney’ s Uniting Church:-
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The music played and sung by Dr Kim Cunio touched the heart.
Elephants Have Wings published by Ford Street Publishing.
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