Oliver Elephant

by Lou Peacock, Helen Stephens (Illustrator)

Overview

"A sweet, charming story of overcoming familiar difficulties during the hectic holiday season, with the help of those who love you." – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

When Noah goes Christmas shopping with his mom and baby sister, he’s glad to have his toy elephant, Oliver, along in the boring shops. They play peekaboo and hide in a dolls' house, and Noah even dances Oliver across the displays. But just as Mom has checked off the last thing on her list, disaster strikes: Oliver is nowhere to be found! And the department store is VERY big. Will retracing their steps be enough to reunite Noah and his beloved toy elephant?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536202663
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/25/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Lou Peacock is lucky enough have one of the best jobs in the world: "Head of Picture books" at Nosy Crow. She has a degree in English literature from Oxford University, and nearly twenty years’ experience in children’s publishing. She started her editorial career working on novelty books and poetry, but has focused on picture books for the last 18 years. She often puts her author hat on to write picture books for Nosy Crow and has a notebook full of scribbled ideas.

Helen Stephens is the illustrator of a number of books for children. She is best known for her How to Hide a Lion series, which was adapted for the stage by the Polka Theatre. She has illustrated stories for some of her favorite authors, including Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo, Sophie Hannah, Holly Webb, and Cecile Aubry. Helen Stephens lives on the windy coast of Northumberland, England, with her family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/24/2018
Spirits are high when Mommy, Noah, and Evie-May Brown, snug in her stroller, zip through town toward the “Christmassy shop at the end of the row” to complete their holiday gift buying. As Mommy leads the way through the department store, ticking purchased items off her list, Noah and his stuffed pal Oliver Elephant share adventures nearby. A welcome snack stop brings the jolly outing to a screeching halt when Noah realizes—post–chocolate cake—that Oliver has gone missing. Luckily, Evie-May sweetly saves the day. Stephens (the How to Hide a Lion series) skillfully changes perspective in paintings that feature loose ink lines and splashes of color as she alternates crowds of shoppers with more intimate spot illustrations of Noah and Oliver. The well-crafted family tale by Peacock (Toby and the Tricky Things) captures holiday bustle while celebrating a child’s devotion to a favorite toy companion. Ages 2–5. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

A sweet, charming story of overcoming familiar difficulties during the hectic holiday season, with the help of those who love you.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Stephens (the How to Hide a Lion series) skillfully changes perspective in paintings that feature loose ink lines and splashes of color as she alternates crowds of shoppers with more intimate spot illustrations of Noah and Oliver. The well-crafted family tale by Peacock (Toby and the Tricky Things) captures holiday bustle while celebrating a child’s devotion to a favorite toy companion.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Appearing on large double-page spreads, Stephens’ expressive ink drawings create a series of inviting scenes, shaded with crayon and bright with watercolor washes. A colorful, Christmas-themed picture book with an emotionally resonant theme and broad appeal.
—Booklist Online

Loose-lined pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations with copious white space and frequent warm, bright touches of yellow add to the appeal.
—The Horn Book

Helen Stephens’s Christmas-y pictures here are fabulous, with loose, lively lines and colors so vivid that you want to eat them, like marzipan fruits.
—The Wall Street Journal

This sweet tale has a happy holiday ending.
—USA Today

From the Publisher

★ 2018-08-20

Noah and his little sister, Evie-May, are Christmas shopping with Mommy.

The family heads to a "Christmassy shop" with a long gift list. Evie-May is in a stroller, and Noah has a stuffed elephant named Oliver with him. Noah's love for his favorite toy is evident in the first few illustrations, and the two have lots of imaginary fun with all of the colorful merchandise in the store while Mommy checks names off of the list. Their adventure, complete with the odd mishap or two, is delivered in rhyming text and light, airy, expressive illustrations. Noah and Oliver eventually tire of shopping, and they all stop at a cafe, where a slice of chocolate cake brings a smile back to Noah's face—but Oliver slips off Noah's seat, and they leave without him. When Noah discovers that Oliver is lost, he panics. Children will relate to Noah's anguish as he, Mommy, and Evie-May retrace their steps, revisiting all of the places they'd been, with no luck. Noah cries, "Oliver Elephant, where can you be? / Oliver Elephant, come back to me!" Children will delight in discovering Oliver's hiding place. Some sharp-eyed readers may even have predicted where he's been.

A sweet, charming story of overcoming familiar difficulties during the hectic holiday season, with the help of those who love you. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews