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By EILEEN HOBBS
In the Northern hills of Thailand, ten-year-old Lily wants so much to help her hard-working family to earn money. However, since she was born with a deformed hand, she cannot help her farmer father or her jewelry-making mother and sister. Her hand also means constant bullying from some of the village children. One day Lily is caught in a monsoon and gets swept away, getting lost in the forest. She takes shelter under a beautiful Golden Rain Tree and meets Rambu, a baby white elephant. Rambu’s friendship gives Lily the confidence she has been seeking and helps her understand that being “different” does not mean being useless. But she is afraid, too, because all white elephants are considered sacred and must be presented to the king. With the help of new friends – Sandra the English woman, an elderly mahout and Tong, the girl with the golden rings – she must find a way to keep Rambu safe until he’s old enough to become part of the king’s royal troupe.
