Elephants Swim

Presents a variety of animals and illustrates how each behaves in water.

After two decades in the study and practice of medicine, Sarah Seidelmann took a three month sabbatical to search for a way to feel good again. Having witnessed human suffering early in her career and within her own family, she longed for a way to address more than just the physical needs of her patients and to live in a lighter, more conscious way. Swimming with Elephants tells the eccentric, sometimes poignant, and occasionally hilarious experience of a working mother undergoing a bewildering vocational shift from physician to shamanic healer. During that tumultuous period of answering her call, Sarah met an elephant who would become an important spirit companion on her journey, had bones thrown for her by a shaman in South Africa, and traveled to India for an ancient Hindu pilgrimage, where she received the blessing she had been longing for. Ultimately, she discovered an entirely different way of healing, one that she had always aspired to, and that enabled her to help those who are suffering.

Augustine once said that the Gospel of John is deep enough for an elephant to swim and shallow enough for a child not to drown. Here, the author shares a devotional thought on each of the 21 chapters of this beloved Gospel.

"A fascinating, amusing, and wise account of how someone born with a shaman's predilections, raised in a rationalist culture, finds her way back to her true self." - Martha Beck, The New York Times bestselling author After 2 decades in the study and practice of medicine, Sarah Seidelmann took a 3-month sabbatical to search for a way to feel good again. Having witnessed human suffering early in her career and within her own family, she longed for a way to address more than just the physical needs of her patients and to live in a lighter, more conscious way. Swimming with Elephants tells the eccentric, sometimes poignant, and occasionally hilarious experience of a working mother undergoing a bewildering vocational shift from physician to shamanic healer. During that tumultuous period of answering her call, Sarah met an elephant who would become an important spirit companion on her journey, had bones thrown for her by a shaman in South Africa, and traveled to India for an ancient Hindu pilgrimage, where she received the blessing she had been longing for. Ultimately, she discovered an entirely different way of healing, one that she had always aspired to and that enabled her to help those who are suffering. "From the lakes of Minnesota to the Ganges River in India, Sarah Seidelmann's transformative journey from MD to shamanistic healer is a refreshingly honest and very funny tale of spiritual growth." - Matt Adrian, author of The Guide to Troubled Birds "This is an exceedingly vulnerable, beautifully written book and the most genuine spiritual memoir I have ever read. It is also - in many hilarious moments - laugh out loud funny." - Maria Bamford, Comedian and star of Netflix Original Series Lady Dynamite

For use in schools and libraries only. Shows the various ways hippos, elephants, walruses, and other animals act in the water.

Can elephants cry? Why are grandmother elephants so important? How does an elephant grieve the death of a loved one? These are just of few of the many questions people have about elephants. The Incredible Essence of Elephants explores the fascinating and remarkable answers to these questions, and much, much more. With the expertise of two long-time veterinarians, this book offers insights into the origins of elephants; different types of elephants and their habitats; famous and influential elephants throughout history; the biology of elephants; human management and interference in elephants; and the striking similarities between the human and elephant behaviour, social development and connection, compassion, and grief. In this newly translated book with latest fresh topics, we can learn about one of the most endearing and sometimes misunderstood animals on our planet. Through examining how elephants’ habitats are threatened and the ways they are exploited by humans, we also learn about the difficult side of human nature in how we relate to elephants. Dr. Changaram Venugopal and Dr. Jacob V. Cheeran remind us of the complexities of the animal kingdom and the power of observation. Packed with first-hand experience and expert insights, this book is funny, informative, and thorough. The Incredible Essence of Elephants is comprehensive and enjoyable read for anyone interested in elephants.

Introduces elephants, describing their physical chatacteristics, habitats, life cycle, eating habits, and the differences between African and Asian elephants.

Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air . . . and jump.” —From The Elephants in My Backyard What happens when you spend ten years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true? In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself—both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo—when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny. In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the sixteen-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is. Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

Collage artwork captures the love between parent and child across species, in this perfect read-aloud that encourages children to celebrate their uniqueness while also learning about ways they might be similar to babies in the animal kingdom.