Johannes’ Blog

Elephants are the largest and second tallest land animals. They are fully grown in 25 years but may live up to 65 years. That is for both the African and Asian Elephant.

The African Elephant is bigger than the Asian Elephant, it is 2-4 metres tall and weighs up to 7500 kilograms. The Asian Elephant has smaller ears whose upper edge is curled forward and as opposed to the African Elephant, only the male has tusks. An elephant’s skin is 2-4 centimetres thick grey and quite sensitive. It also has deep wrinkles in it which assist in cooling the elephant. Its 1.5 metre long ivory tusks are virtually teeth. They are continually growing, weigh up to 45kg and are used for digging, fighting, feeding and lifting stuff.

Elephants have small brown eyes protected by long eyelashes. They are also colour blind and have limited vision in strong light. Elephant’s ears are unique just like our fingerprints and are also used for cooling as elephants have the ability to flap them. An elephant’s trunk is really its nose and is its most important sense. With it an elephant breathes, picks up food, sucks up liquid and most importantly smells.

Elephants eat grass, leaves, roots, oats, hay, potatoes and occasionally meat.

Elephants sleep only two-four hours a day and can sleep lying down or standing. They communicate either by trumpeting, bellowing, crying or snorting or they touch each other or move parts of their bodies for example: they touch trunks and if there is danger they flap their ears and the herd gathers. Elephants live in groups also called herds and all family members protect the young. An impressing fact is that elephants swim well. They actually swim underwater and use their trunk as a snorkel.

Elephant’s habitat is in
Africa,
India and southern
Asia. They live in the desert, tropical forest and even mountains. They are endangered due to the fact that their habitat is being destroyed.

1. To reach group three in maths.
2. To work on my time management skills.
3.  To make more friends.
4. to learn some french and japanese
5. To make my work neater.
6. and most of all to learn something.

Squished between two tree trunks a brown weathered door squeaks in the silence as I push against it. It opens a little and a beam of light illuminates the world around me. I step through the door and close it behind me. The click it makes echoes in the well lit room in front of me. I take a few more steps into the room. There is an old fire place with orange and yellow shafts of heat bursting from the wood. Over the fire a pot full of steaming water is hanging from the chimney. An old wooden table and a comfortable rocking chair are placed quite close to the fire.  I take a seat in it to warm myself up. A few minutes later with a cosy feeling inside me I spot a bowl full of delicious fruit in the middle of the room. I can’t resist taking an apple and eating it in front of the fire. I go to the door to throw the core of the apple away. The door opens and instantly everything goes dark, as if some one had blown out all the candles and the fire as well! Outside everything had changed, now the sun is shining and I can see trees and plants. Birds are flying amongst the trees and everything appears lush and exciting. 

And so I continue with my life and I’m looking forward to opening the door again…

The book I am reviewing is titled ‘MY STORY: Journey to Tangiwai-The diary of Peter Cotterill, Napier, 1953’. The main characters are: Peter, Mum, Dad, Tom, Uncle Hugh, Uncle Adam, Mr Mason, Mrs Mason, Barbara Mason, Howard, Stafford Bell, Rua and Dick Finlay. The book is about Peter Cotterill’s life leading up to the Tangiwai accident. He talks about scouts, his paper round, his dyingUncle
Hugh,
School and other day to day activities. The diary starts on the 1.1.1953 and finishes on the 31.12.1953.  One of the strengths of the actual book I found was, that because the book is written in diary form it takes the reader on the journey in Peter’s life during that year as well. The book also gives a good in depth description of his and his relatives’ daily life. I also thought the book has a good sense of humor and I learnt a lot about how people lived in 1953. For example how Peter’s family was saving up to buy a car and how Peter was talking about it two weeks before they actually got it. One of the weaknesses I found was that it is a bit repetitive. I guess this is because daily life is a bit repetitive too. Therefore this is virtually unavoidable when writing a diary.  I think this book is suitable for children nine and over who like history books but don’t just want the facts but some characters as well.