An Elephant in My Kitchen

What the Herd Taught Me about Love, Courage and Survival

By: Françoise Malby-Anthony, Katja Willemsen

Narrated by: Roshina Ratnam

'The most magical book about the African bush since Born Free' – Daily Mail

'A beautiful love story between humans and the majestic elephants' – Jo Malone, Daily Express

Françoise Malby-Anthony never expected to find herself responsible for a herd of elephants with a troubled past. A chic Parisienne, her life changed forever when she fell in love with South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony. Together they founded a game reserve but after Lawrence’s death, Françoise faced the daunting responsibility of running Thula Thula without him. Poachers attacked their rhinos, their security team wouldn’t take orders from a woman and the authorities were threatening to cull their beloved elephant family. On top of that, the herd’s feisty new matriarch Frankie didn’t like her.

In this heart-warming and moving book, Françoise describes how she fought to protect the herd and to make her dream of building a wildlife rescue centre a reality. She found herself caring for a lost baby elephant who turned up at her house, and offering refuge to traumatized orphaned rhinos, and a hippo called Charlie who was scared of water. As she learned to trust herself, she discovered she’d had Frankie wrong all along . . .

Filled with extraordinary animals and the humans who dedicate their lives to saving them, An Elephant in My Kitchen by Françoise Malby-Anthony is a captivating and gripping read.

Critic reviews

The most magical book about the African Bush since Born Free.

A beautiful love story between humans and the majestic elephants. (Jo Malone)

A must-read for animal lovers.

Enjoyable and educational

I found the structure a little confusing as it seemed to jump around a bit but soon forgave it for the fantastic stories of animals and evocative descriptions of their quirks and idiosyncrasies. Overall really enjoyed it.

review

I enjoyed the story, could feel the stress and exasperation with regards to the attack on the orphanage. so well done to the narrator. I just felt sometimes the narrator was too rushed.

A never press stop type of book...

You hold onto every word, every chapter, not wanting the humorous and detailed account of Life in Thula Thula with Elephants and Rhino on every page and around every Corner to stop.

Loved this book

fabulous read, I was transported to Africa and the inside of preserving wild life.
I can't wait to meet the amazing lady who wrote this book. I have become a big fan.
from start to finish I was totally hooked, I highly recommend it. one of the best books I have read.
This lady has such a big heart fro baby elephants, rhinos and all animals.
She is brave and a real surviver

Faith in Humanity

What a heart warming story. I enjoyed every moment. It is so well narrated and had me clutching the steering wheel as I drove to work, experiencing the story as it is so vividly explained, the struggles and the victories. A great listening experience to encourage my soul and restore faith in humanity who dedicate their lives to helping those without a voice.