Jeet Zdung Books

‘Saving H’non; Chang and the Elephant’ is Trang Nguyen’s second graphic novel. The first, ‘Saving Sorya; Chang and the Sun Bear’ was deservedly nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. The comic-style book tells the true story of how wildlife conservationist, Chang (Trang’s altar-ego in the novel), rescues a maltreated elephant, H’non, from captivity and restores her to a life of freedom in the wild.

The drawings of elephants in the book are incredible, and really bring the creatures and their habitat to life. Nguyen does not shy away, either, from portraying the harsh realities of the lives of elephants in captivity and the power of tourism for evil as well as good. There are illustrations of elephants being maltreated and harmed in the book, which some children might find upsetting, but this cruelty is what inspires Chang’s compassion and determination to defend them.

As well as being a story that champions a better life for elephants, the book shows the importance of looking for the best in people: Chang chooses Wat, a local boy renowned for being unreliable and untrustworthy, to be H’non’s mahout, giving him a chance because of his love for animals. It turns out that Wat just needed someone to put their trust in him!

I particularly like how the book highlights the impact of women in conservation work: Trang Nguyen has been named in the BBC’s top 100 women, and is the founder of WildAct, both facts to empower and inspire young female readers.

Overall, ‘Saving H’non’ is a stunningly illustrated and absorbing tale showing how each of us, in small ways, can make a difference.