How Suraj Became Famous: Adventures of a Young Elephant

Jeremy Wailes
Marga Patterson

6 X 9 inches, 126 pages

Suraj is the main character in all four adventurous stories about wanting to become famous. He relates to children by sharing experiences similar to theirs: overcoming loneliness, surmounting disappointment or loss, using intuition, collaborating with others to solve a problem or to follow their dreams. Each story contains drama, excitement, and the meaning of enduring friendship (albeit between a South American parrot and an Indian elephant). The stories will delight adult readers as well as children who can read and those who enjoy being read to. Some events reflect the author's own life experience, such as piloting helicopters and taking part in a search mission. Lavish illustrations augment the stories, playfully inviting the reader into following the storyline on another wondrous level.

Jeremy Wailes

Author

As a young man, Jeremy began writing about Suraj, a young Indian elephant who had many adventures very much like Jeremy, himself, who led an adventurous and full life.
Jeremy was born in Malta where his father was stationed as a Commander in the Royal Navy. Like most sons of British military officers, Jeremy was sent to boarding school at age nine. He was homesick at first but found comfort in the evenings when the Headmaster's wife read to the boys. During school holidays, he delighted in being taken to the London Zoo by his uncle, the resident zoologist.

Marga Patterson

Illustrator

Marga Patterson is an illustrator living between the mountains and the sea in Turunc, Turkey. Nature is her biggest inspiration and she spends time outside every day exploring the forest and ancient ruins near her home.
Having studied mixed media and life drawing at the Art Students League of New York, and Fine Arts at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, she says Our imagination is a hidden world that lives in all of us. Accessing this world enables us to achieve endless possibilities. It is our ultimate creative force that generates and empowers our ideas, inspiring us to explore new ways of living, of seeing and believing. Through drawing, I constantly explore my imagination and wish to inspire you to explore yours.