Rachel thinks she will feel like Queen Esther when she rides an elephant draped in fancy fabric through the streets of Rangoon. Then she notices the old elephant's bruised and cracked feet, and she doesn’t feel so royal. So when Rachel wins the gold Purim crown at the synagogue celebration, she has an idea about how she can help the elephant. Inspired by the author's mother's memories of growing up in the Burmese Jewish community.
Haviva Kierzenblat spent many moons with her elephant loving grandfather, steeped in stories of Sephardic life in Rangoon, Burma. Haviva loves antique French paper dolls, botanical gardens, cooking curries, and being an awesome auntie. She lives in San Marino, California.