Cover Image: Human Town

Human Town

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Member Reviews

Cute book. Would bring into the classroom. Human town had an interesting viewpoint of having the animals looking at humans as though they were in a zoo.

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I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. The elephants learn the rules about the humans before they go into human town. Stay on the path, don't touch them, and no feeding. Such a cute switch from a zoo.

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Human Town is a story about extinction from elephants' point of view. The little elephants want to go visit Human Town, but when they get there, the attraction is falling apart due to the humans and their lack of care for their environment. I felt like this was a bit heavy handed in terms of the message, but it did have cute illustrations.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

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NetGalley ARC
Read-Aloud: Yes (followed by discussion/activities)
Tags: elephants, extinction, Anthropocene

This thoughtful tale by Alan Durant flips the discussion of elephant extinction to that of human extinction, exploring reasons the humans are dying out, such as pollution, consumerism, and infighting (and poaching by big cats). Anna Doherty's beguiling illustrations include many depictions of human and animal diversity.

"Human Town" would be great for a read-aloud as part of a larger storytime on the theme of conservation, complete with activities. The text is simple to follow and contains multiple voices that would be of interest to both younger and older kids. Also rife with possibilities for one-on-one discussion.

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I really enjoyed this as an adult but I’m a bit conflicted regarding the message behind it and how it might be received by a young audience.
I loved that there were multiple layers and ways to interpret this story. It’s an interesting way to reverse humans and animals as the "wild animals" are the ones who go see the humans in the zoo. It also has a post-apocalyptic vibe with the idea that humans are going extinct, using themes like consumerism and pollution and uncivilness between people.
Absolutely loved the art as well.
Really my only doubt about this is the pessimism and the fact that it might be a bit grim and not offering much hope, especially for children.

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I thought this was such a brilliant flip on how we’re treating the planet and each other and frankly, ourselves, as a society. I love the way it’s seen through the animals’ eyes because it makes it that much clearer. Of course they’d see us as crazy for not taking care of where we live and having too much stuff and not taking care of each other…because it is all crazy!

I thought this was really clever and also just a really great conversation starter for kids.

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Not going to lie, I requested this book because of the cute elephant on the cover. Little did I know how ironic this book was. The elephant family goes to visit Human Town, and notices things humans are doing detrimental to the survival of their race. I'm not really sure who the intended audience is - children or the adults reading this book to them. A powerful visual of what we are doing to our own society wrapped up in cute illustrations in a twist on visiting the zoo.

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What a fun unique book! Such a creative idea to flip the script on zoos, where instead of what humans see as the "wild animals" the humans are the ones being observed and eventually go extinct. while I'm not exactly sure how young readers might interpret this book (whether they will understand the ideas), I do think it is a great conversation opener for adults to talk to older children about conservation. The illustrations are fantastic which could still engage those younger readers!

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• BOOK REVIE W •

📙Human Town By Alan Durant
📙Children’s Fiction
📙Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing
📙Pub Date: June 7th, 2022 Coming Soon!
📙 🌟🌟🌟3 stars

📚Synopsis:
“On a hot summer day, the elephant family decides to do something fun and visit the Human Town! Junior and Lulu, the elephants become disappointed to see humans are not taking good care of their environment. "Does this mean humans will soon be extinct?" asks Junior. This story is a playful look from outside to what humans are doing to the planet and to themselves.”

📚Things I Loved:
✔️Beautiful illustrations ❤️
✔️The story was very moving and includes a powerful message about humankind and the issues we face.
✔️Having this story be told through the eyes of an elephant made the story that much more tender.

📚Not so much:
✔️The message feels a bit heavy and bleak even though this is a definite reality that we face when it comes to environmental issues. I was left wishing that there was a message that would inspire hope and action.

A big thank you to NetGalley @netgalley and Tiny Owl Publishing @tiny_owl_publishing for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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I thought this book was really pessimistic, heavy-handed, and bleak. Environmental issues are critically important but I don't see a need to present it in such a hopeless way when we know that's not the best way to inspire action. Wouldn't recommend and is just a bummer.

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Human Town is a twist on the family trip to the zoo, as the main characters are a family of elephants who decide to take a trip to "Human Town", a sort of nature preserve where animals can observe endangered humans in their natural habitat. The elephants wander through the preserve and question what has pushed humans towards extinction. They soon witness rampant consumerism, extreme strife and division, and out of control pollution and return home hopeful that the same does not happen to them. The illustrations are wonderful, and even if the subject matter is a bit grim, it's an important story for reflection on the myriad problems we're facing currently.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Tiny Owl Publishing and Netgalley**

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A reverse view on the world from an elephant's viewpoint. Junior and his family take a trip to Human Town (kind of like humans going to a zoo). His parents talk about how there used to be so many humans but since they treat the environment poorly, their numbers are dwindling. It was a very moving children's book about how we as people can do better for our planet and the other creatures that live on it.

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This is such a neat book! It tells the story of a family of elephants who decide to visit Human Town, which is basically the equivalent of a zoo. As they observe the humans they learn that humans are very focused on things, they litter and destroy the environment and they are always fighting with each other. Each of these problems that Humans face are both avoidable and are making them go extinct. The final problem is that the large cats keep poaching humans which is also making them go extinct and is a direct reference to the fact that humans have made many species go extinct due to poaching and hunting. At the end of the story the elephant family feels sad for the humans and hope that if the humans do go extinct, they hope it never happens to elephants too.

I think that the parallels between humans and animals in this book are so well done. There is no blame placed on a specific group of people, and yet it shows that as a society, we need to take action to prevent extinction of animals, but also to preserve the earth so that we can survive as well. The crimes that have been committed towards animals are a part of this book without being super obvious and at the forefront. Instead the focus is on what humans are doing to themselves and the environment and what changes will need to be made in the very near future.

As a grade 3 teacher I could definitely see this book in my classroom library and as a resource related to teaching about the environment and animal rights. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the 5-10 age range. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

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Human Town was a beautifully illustrated commentary on extinction and how humans are causing their own demise. A family of elephants go to visit "Human Town," just like we would go to a zoo. They see the rough ways humans treat their environment and each other, and express their fears of the human downfall. It also mirrors a concern about a possible elephant extinction. This was a somewhat heavy book, but the heavy topics told through the elephants' eyes made them easier to digest.

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This book takes a different look at what humans are doing to the environment. An elephant family goes into a human town. The humans are going extinct because they’re not taking care of their environment. The illustrations are great and give the full picture. This is good book to read and discuss the impacts humans are having on the environment.

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Human Town is a delightful book with beautiful illustrations (reminiscent of Oliver Jeffers' stories) and an impactful message for young readers. This story helps young students put themselves in someone else's shoes and see from a different perspective.

The story initially seems light-hearted but once the family of elephants enters into Human Town, you realize that there are heavier messages woven within. Students can make a connection to the extinction of the humans in Human Town to the real-life endangerment of elephants in the real world. The way that humans live their lives and treat one another in Human Town is eye-opening and challenging. This book would be a great hook for older students in upper elementary or even middle school to discuss the realities of humankind and changes they would want to see in their future.

Human Town would be a wonderful addition to any school or home library! It is versatile and beautifully illustrated so it can be enjoyed by all ages!

Thank you NetGalley and Tiny Owl Publishing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

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