Based on a true story, Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave is the incredible story of an orphaned elephant calf. Having escaped the poachers who killed her mother, Paseka now faces other dangers in the African savanna. But when she mistakes a safari jeep for her mother, the miraculous happens. Even once Paseka discovers it's a jeep, she keeps following it, right into camp! There, humans transfer her to an elephant rehabilitation center where brave little Paseka finds a new family.

Author Ruth James's involvement in the African Children's Book Box Society (www.africanbookbox.org) inspired her to write Paseka. Through the society, portable libraries of African literature in Book Boxes are distributed to local schools, primarily in Tanzania.

Told from Paseka's point of view, the story raises important issues about the interaction between humans and wildlife, and our role in its protection and conservation. It also encourages empathy, so often the catalyst for positive change. While written to create African literature for African children, the book's relevance is universal.

Ruth James' profile page

Kent Laforme's profile page

Ruth James is a former school teacher who loves children's literature. She is a director on the board of the African Children's Book Box Society (www.africanbookbox.org). The society, which began as a literacy project in Kenya, now works mainly in Tanzania, providing portable libraries of books by African authors to schools that have few storybooks and even fewer featuring African children. It was during a visit to Africa that Ruth met Paseka, the little orphan elephant, and was inspired to share Paseka's story with children.

Kent Laforme is a stone carver who loves to draw. In fact, he's loved drawing and stones all his life. While working on this book, Kent stumbled upon a 15,000 lb (almost 7,000 kg) boulder that looked just like an elephant! Inspired by this story, Kent is now carving Paseka in stone. He lives in Victoria, BC, with his wife, Tamara, and their two children, Aya and Koen. You can view his work at www.kentlaforme.com.