nature animals · Ages 6-8

The Elephant Calf Who Learned the Path to Water

A young elephant follows the herd across dry land and learns that older elephants remember where distant water holes are.

The whole story

1. At sunrise, Kito pressed one foot into the dry earth. The herd was ready to leave, and Kito wanted to know where they were going.

2. Nala, the oldest elephant, touched the ground with her trunk. Then she turned toward the far hills. Kito followed close behind.

3. The herd crossed the dry land in a long, quiet line. Kito copied Nala’s steps, but the path looked like every other path.

4. At noon, the trail split in two. Kito lifted the blue pebble and held very still. Which way would Nala choose?

5. Nala touched a weathered stone, then chose the trail beyond it. Kito touched the stone too. It felt cool beneath the hot air.

6. By afternoon, Nala paused beneath a baobab. She faced three hills, then the herd turned toward the smallest one. Kito stored the hills in his mind.

7. That evening, Kito traced the route in the dust. Stone. Baobab. Small hill. He practiced until his trunk made a crooked map.

8. At night, Kito placed the blue pebble beside his foot. He remembered the stone, the baobab, and the smallest hill.

9. The next morning, the herd walked on. The grass grew shorter, the dust grew redder, and the air grew hot.

10. Soon Kito saw a flat gray stone. Then he saw a lone baobab. He knew what came next.

11. At the smallest hill, Kito lifted his trunk. Beyond it waited a green fringe of reeds. The herd quickened its steps.

12. The water hole shone between the reeds. Kito drank, splashed his ears, and tucked the blue pebble beside the water.

13. Nala rested her trunk beside Kito’s. The path had lived in her memory, and now a little of it lived in his.

14. When the dry season came again, Kito walked near the front. Older elephants remember where distant water holes are, and Kito was learning the path.

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