A young African elephant, is named Rajah meaning king. His new home among the herd of Asian elephants in India is lonely. He’s different. His ears are bigger, his trunk is longer and equipped with two finger-like flaps. He’s bullied. As he matures he becomes larger and stronger than the rest and a bully himself. He thinks he’s king of the herd. His strength wins him last place on the journey to Bethlehem. On the way, he learns to use his uniqueness to fill needs for the group. As he becomes a force for good, he gains friends and learns what it means to be truly a king.
His reward is to lead the procession of the three wise men to the home of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. Featuring the exquisite watercolor art of Lois Sexsmith, "Rajah Finds His Wisdom" offers a soul-stirring tale meant to ignite hope and kindness within parent and child.
Rajah’s story is a great Christmas resource for parents, Sunday School teachers and clergy. Add Rajah Finds His Wisdom to your home, church or school library today. Order from Amazon, or get a signed copy directly from the author Janet Stobie.
Rajah Finds His Wisdom: The Power of Loving Kindness
Janet's Notes
Several years ago when my husband Tom and I were visiting our son, David, and his family in South Africa, they took us on safari. On the second day, our guide pulled the truck to the side of the road and pointed off in the distance. We stood up in the open back of the truck and stared at a group of five elephants slowly walking through the brush toward us. All but one ignored us as they crossed the road in front of our truck. He stopped, reached out his trunk and touched the truck’s front bumper. We froze. It felt like he looked each one of us in the eye. For sure he stared directly at me. After a few moments he sort of shook his head, as if he had decided we were not worth the effort that dumping the truck off the road would take. He walked on, following his friends into the trees. We took a deep breath of relief as our driver started up the truck and continued our tour.
At that point I was totally aware that the African elephant was the largest and most powerful mammal that walks the earth today. When I got home I decided that I wanted to write a children’s story about that particular elephant. I did the research and discovered that African elephants were quite different from Asian elephants. I named my elephant Rajah and started the story. I wanted to tell the children that power is important. Even more important is that we choose to use our power for good. When we learn that our differences can bring kindness and goodness to our world, we become truly wise. And my story was ready to be born.
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