Simple explanations of photosynthesis, the water cycle, gravity, nuclear fusion and sun energy are linked together by the answer to the title question: Elephants need the sun for food, water, oxygen and their earth-bound place in space. In Wells’s latest exploration (What's So Special About Planet Earth?, 2009, etc.) of the natural world, he makes his complicated topic appealing with ink-and-acrylic illustrations showing both elephants and baboons among plants and trees, looking sadly at a dried-up water hole, cavorting in the rain, standing on a seesaw, even investigating a wind turbine. Large type and the definition of many key terms in context will help emergent readers. Three spreads require turning the book sideways, emphasizing the distance from sky to ground. A series of fast-fact panels at the end offer more about the sun, including some familiar statistics. A final “Thank You Note to the World’s Scientists” mentions many branches of science that relate to this topic, but the author cites no specific sources. Less demanding and less informative than Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm’s Living Sunlight (2009), this is an easy, solid introduction. (Informational picture book. 5-9)
