Books all about elephants

A colourful board book in which the ever-popular Elmer the Elephant praises each of his friends for their different strengths

One day, an elephant offers a baby a ride through the town, and the set off on a great adventure.

The first book in David McKee’s iconic series about a friendly, fun elephant and his adventures, Elmer is a true ambassador of inclusion, acceptance and celebrating difference. 

A simple tale about an elephant who gets lost in a storm. He falls in with a herd of buffalo, who save him from a tiger attack and soon the elephant becomes one of them.

Elmer, everyone’s favourite patchwork elephant, is looking after young elephants Stella and Mel and deciding which story he should tell them at bedtime. With colourful illustrations and gentle humour, this charming tale is the perfect bedtime read.

This hilarious book – about an elephant who wants to play hide and seek – will delight children and adults with its offbeat humour and beautiful illustration.

Can you run like a cheetah, slither like a snake, swing like a monkey or stomp like an elephant? This book will show you how, with the ingenious use of slides and tabs that little ones can use to move the animals around on the page.

Children and families will enjoy this calming lullaby of a book, with its gentle refrain, muted colours and fairy tale-like charm. It’s a great one for children who are scared of the dark, and it’s perfect for bedtime and settling down for the night. 

This wonderful picture book is filled with funny rhymes matched with irresistible illustrations.

This is a touching picture book about a boy and his small pet elephant. The boy realises that having such an unconventional pet singles him out, yet he doesn’t waver in his friendship and loyalty.

A picture book about an old elephant looking back to his childhood dreams and how he achieved them 

Emily, her rabbit Stanley, and their friend Matilda are doing Very Important Things and having Great Adventures, but keep getting interrupted by the emergency telephone. Cowell and Layton perfectly blend imaginative play with reality.

A young boy is rather perturbed when he discovers an elephant in his kitchen, munching her way through the chocolate biscuits. What’s she doing there and how can he get rid of her? The important environmental message of this book is delivered in an accessible manner, and children are sure to delight in the cheeky animal antics.

’ In the great forest, a litle elephant was born. His name was Babar…’

Olive’s Dad is followed around by a huge grey elephant that only she can see. It makes him sad and quiet, blocking out all the light in his days. Olive knows she has to get rid of the elephant… but how?

This is a fast-paced story, based loosely on a man’s real-life journey from Edinburgh to Manchester, while riding an elephant – an event that captivated even Queen Victoria.

William Grill’s stunning depiction of a deeply inspiring story of kindness and bravery might be his best book yet. It tells the remarkable story of one of the bravest escape missions in history: a man who tried to move an entire elephant sanctuary and its workers through Myanmar and out of a war zone. 

Against the backdrop of a stunning South Asian landscape, three youngsters are on the run from the King’s guards – on an elephant! With themes of morality, friendship, teamwork and loyalty, this exciting adventure book also has lots of tension and jeopardy.

Created by environmental activist Trang Nguyen and award-winning manga artist Jeet Zdung, this is a great story that will delight young animal activists and enthusiasts, based on a true story.

Sila is lonely. But she’s not the only one and a chance encounter with an unwanted elephant and a wealthy old gentleman proves to be the start of something unexpected.