When Elephants Listen with Their Feet: Discover Extraordinary Animal Senses

In the world of animals, there are more than five senses. 

Humans experience the world through sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. We even have lesser-known senses that tell us about things like temperature and balance. Most animals share most of those senses with us—but some go beyond. There are birds that can feel the Earth’s magnetic field, fish that use electricity, and plenty of creatures that communicate through vibrations. We can’t interpret the meaning of an elephant’s faraway stomp, but learning how they keep in touch with family across the wide savannah helps us understand that we are more alike than different. 

Featuring accessible text from Emmanuelle Grundmann, inviting art from Clémence Dupont, and informational sidebars, a glossary, an index of animals, and a standard index, When Elephants Listen with their Feet is a lively nonfiction book that encourages curiosity about—and respect for—the animals with which we share our planet. 

 “This book highlights the extraordinary ways some creatures’ unique senses are highly developed.”—School Library Journal

“The text is graceful and often humorous….Sensational sensory stories.”—Kirkus Reviews

When she was little, Emmanuelle Grundmann dreamed about the Amazon, about monkeys, and about flying above the canopy on feathered wings. Since then she has become an author and speaker with a doctorate in ethology (the science of animal behavior) and conservation. Emmanuelle writes and travels the planet for biodiversity-themed conferences and exhibits, with a particular interest in primates, forests, oceans, amphibians, and kakapos. She also presents children’s workshops.

Clémence Dupont graduated from the École des beaux-arts d’Épinal in 2015. She is an author and illustrator who lives and works in Strasbourg, France, and specializes in children’s nonfiction. Clémence is passionate about space, polar exploration, and the history of the Earth. Her favorite subjects to illustrate are dinosaurs and animals, which she renders using both accuracy and engaging color.