Have You Seen an Elephant?

A girl’s hilariously unsuccessful search for elephants serves as a clever allegory for the disappearance of these iconic animals. The first book in a series focused on endangered animals.

Meet Alex. She’s an explorer who LOVES elephants, and she’s decided to see one for herself. How hard could it be? It turns out, pretty hard! Alex asks one animal after another for help, but none of them has seen an elephant. Not the giraffe. Not the snake. Not even the lion! Where are all the elephants?

Keen-eyed readers of this charming picture book from author-illustrator Elina Ellis will chuckle as they spot the elephants hiding in plain sight on every spread. Alex’s difficulty finding an elephant is meant as a subtle reminder that elephants actually are disappearing in the wild. The story is told in dialogue, interspersed with loads of elephant facts presented as two-page spreads from Alex’s journal. The sly humor in Ellis’s mostly earth-toned illustrations will keep readers fully engaged with the pages. Instructions in the back matter show budding explorers how to make their own animal journals. This is the first book in a series that will serve as an excellent accompaniment for discussions on endangered animals and conservation, as well as life science lessons on the characteristics of living things.

Elina Ellis was born in Ukraine and has an MA in children’s book illustration from Anglia Ruskin University. She creates both her own books and illustrates books for others, including The Reptile Club and This Is the Path the Wolf Took. She lives in Cambridge, United Kingdom.