Emily's Own Elephant [Hardcover]

Philippa Pearce (Author), John Lawrence (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

When the zoo is unable to keep a miniature elephant, Emily and her parents make a home for it and its monkey friend in their lovely meadow with a river running by.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emily, her mother and her father live in a small house in the corner of a large meadow. A river runs along the meadow, which has many huge trees and an unused shed in it. One day, Emily and her mother visit the London Zoo. They see all the animals that Emily likes best. They also go to the Children's Zoo, where they come to a special enclosure for a baby elephant. The elephant, named Jumbo, is the nicest Emily has ever seen. But the zoo keeper is worried: Jumbo simply will not grow, and the zoo can't keep him. As Emily's mother tries to rush her out, Emily thinks about how nicely their meadow, shed and river would suit the animal, and her mother agrees that the suggestion is a splendid one. Pearce ( Tom's Midnight Garden , The Way to Sattinstet Shore ) has written a matter-of-fact tale about a highly improbable situation. The simplicity of the text has been achieved with care; Pearce's story is dense with necessary details but remains sparingly told. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations are delightfully realistic and as direct as the text. Together they create a warm story with a unique magic. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 Lawrence's refined watercolor and ink illustrations complement well the low-key mood of Emily's Own Elephant. In an understated style, Pearce leisurely tells the unlikely tale of a little girl who spots a small elephant on a visit to the zoo, an elephant who is in need of a home. And Emily has just the shed for that elephant to reside in at home. Readers looking for a stirring climax will be disappointed, for Emily's plan to take the elephant home doesn't meet a single hitch. Her parents even agree to add central heating to the shed and to allow the elephant's monkey friend to join him. The absurdities of the text are illustrated with gentle pictures of Emily and her parents moving serenely through an idyllic setting complete with meadow, little house, oaks and chestnut trees, and a river. Pleasant reading enhanced by skillful illustrations: a quiet bedtime selection. Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, Wis.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow (August 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688076785
• ISBN-13: 978-0688076788
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Simpler Time, August 22, 2001

By 

Donna Hogan (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emily's Own Elephant (Hardcover)

"Emily's Own Elephant" by Philippa Pearce is a truly heart-warming children's story, beautifully enhanced by John Lawrence's wonderful illustrations. It tells of life in a simpler time, where children play and dream and anything is possible.

Emily is a little girl who lives with her parents on a property in rural England. One day she and her mother visit the zoo in London to see the different animals. Just as they are about to leave the Children's zoo, Emily learns that the zookeeper is in a terrible predicament with Jumbo, the baby elephant. A concerned and caring Emily devises a plan and, with her mother's support, sets out to help Jumbo and the zookeeper, and in the end helps her father too.

"Emily's Own Elephant" is a lovely book for children aged 3 to 8 years, and of course their parents! But parents be warned - as soon as the story is finished your child will want you to read it to them over and over. And I'm guessing that with such a lovely story, you will want to read it again too.