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Alex's Field Guides #1
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.
- GenresPicture BooksAnimals
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2024
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 27, 2024
Read this book for my toddler's bedtime. Excellent story learning a lot of elephant facts. A little girl wanting to make a journal on elephant. She goes on an adventure asking different animals where she could find the elephants. In the meantime, readers learn all facts of elephants starting with the differences between the African elephant vs Asian elephant. We got to learn how many hours in a day an elephant eats and poo. We now know an elephant has the biggest brain among us humans and dolphins and gorillas. The story also ended with an advice on how to start our own animal journals. Love the story and illustrations!
Thank you Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review!
Thank you Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review!
December 16, 2024
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Have You Seen an Elephant? is a fun and adorable picture book for children about a young girl called Alex who wants to find an elephant. Alex is very enthusiastic about her exploration but finds it more challenging than she anticipates. The interactions with the other animals in the book are so cure and funny, and I loved the illustrations that added to the humorous adventure.
This was such a great book to bring awareness to the young about these majestic and endangered animals and the real-life problems they face. The author cleverly woven this information within the story, and the book makes a great book for discussion on conservation and preservation of nature and wild animals too.
Have You Seen an Elephant? is a fun and adorable picture book for children about a young girl called Alex who wants to find an elephant. Alex is very enthusiastic about her exploration but finds it more challenging than she anticipates. The interactions with the other animals in the book are so cure and funny, and I loved the illustrations that added to the humorous adventure.
This was such a great book to bring awareness to the young about these majestic and endangered animals and the real-life problems they face. The author cleverly woven this information within the story, and the book makes a great book for discussion on conservation and preservation of nature and wild animals too.
January 24, 2024
Have you seen an elephant? takes us on a journey with Alex who absolutely Loves elephants! While she is looking for them we get small facts about elephants from her notebook. But why can’t she find an elephant?
I found this book super interesting, and it was fun to read the small facts about elephants. Hopefully young readers will absolutely love this book as me a 25-year-old lol! The drawings made this book even better. Overall, a wonderful book I would gladly read again!
Happy reading!♥️
I got this book for free from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book super interesting, and it was fun to read the small facts about elephants. Hopefully young readers will absolutely love this book as me a 25-year-old lol! The drawings made this book even better. Overall, a wonderful book I would gladly read again!
Happy reading!♥️
I got this book for free from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2024
This is a truly interesting book to read. It is hilarious, since Alex can't see the elephants around her, somehow. But also informative, she did her homework of collecting information well. With great illustration, the author also encourage children to find what interest them and make a journal for it (so less game time).
May 4, 2024
Book Review: Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis
Rating: 4 stars
Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis is a delightful and educational picture book that follows the journey of Alex, an enthusiastic explorer on a mission to find an elephant. Little does she know, her quest turns out to be more challenging than she anticipated. Through humorous encounters with various animals, readers are taken on a journey that cleverly sheds light on the disappearance of these majestic creatures.
The story is not only entertaining but also serves as a subtle reminder of the real-life issue of elephant extinction in the wild. Ellis skillfully weaves facts about elephants into the narrative, making learning fun and engaging for young readers. The incorporation of Alex's journal entries adds an interactive element to the book, encouraging children to explore and learn more about endangered animals.
One of the standout features of Have You Seen an Elephant? is Ellis's charming illustrations. The detailed and expressive artwork brings the story to life, capturing the curiosity and determination of Alex in her search for the elusive elephant. The hidden elephants cleverly placed throughout the book add an element of surprise for keen-eyed readers.
In addition to its educational value, this book is a perfect gift for young animal lovers. It combines a heartwarming story with adorable illustrations and fascinating facts, making it both entertaining and informative. As the first book in a series focused on endangered animals, Have You Seen an Elephant? sets a strong foundation for discussions on conservation and wildlife preservation, making it a valuable addition to any child's bookshelf.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Rating: 4 stars
Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis is a delightful and educational picture book that follows the journey of Alex, an enthusiastic explorer on a mission to find an elephant. Little does she know, her quest turns out to be more challenging than she anticipated. Through humorous encounters with various animals, readers are taken on a journey that cleverly sheds light on the disappearance of these majestic creatures.
The story is not only entertaining but also serves as a subtle reminder of the real-life issue of elephant extinction in the wild. Ellis skillfully weaves facts about elephants into the narrative, making learning fun and engaging for young readers. The incorporation of Alex's journal entries adds an interactive element to the book, encouraging children to explore and learn more about endangered animals.
One of the standout features of Have You Seen an Elephant? is Ellis's charming illustrations. The detailed and expressive artwork brings the story to life, capturing the curiosity and determination of Alex in her search for the elusive elephant. The hidden elephants cleverly placed throughout the book add an element of surprise for keen-eyed readers.
In addition to its educational value, this book is a perfect gift for young animal lovers. It combines a heartwarming story with adorable illustrations and fascinating facts, making it both entertaining and informative. As the first book in a series focused on endangered animals, Have You Seen an Elephant? sets a strong foundation for discussions on conservation and wildlife preservation, making it a valuable addition to any child's bookshelf.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
November 3, 2023
A book that seems to have come up with a fresh way to be both lesson and entertainment at the same time. Alex is a girl intent on spotting the elephant in the wild, to complete her knowledge about the jumbo animals. And so every third turn of these pages we see a glimpse inside her journals on elephants, proving through cartoonish illustration and factoid that she knows a lot about the beasties. The other pages, where she interacts with all the other relevant African animals, prove she is rather poor at actually spotting them. And I don't know for sure if these pages are entertaining enough, nor whether the fact everything the creators deem relevant about heffalumps can be put on six pages is a good thing or not. I mean yes, everything ends with a pleasant kind of punchline, but it doesn't really show elephants as being really essential lessons, the fact we get so little about them so briefly, and nothing about these pages proved to me further books in the intended series would do much more. Still, as a primer � and with prompts to getting us journaling about some critter we find relevant to our tastes � this is not too awful, perhaps worth a shade more than the three and a half stars I am giving it.
February 3, 2024
I received a Digital ARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Alex is a big fan of elephants. In fact, she knows everything about them! Alex decides it’s time for an adventure and to find an elephant for herself. But elephants are an elusive creature so what is Alex to do??
This is such a cute little book. I loved the storyline and how Alex has a little notebook that contains different information about elephants. There are even some pages that showcase her love for elephants. I even learned facts about elephants that I didn’t know!
I also appreciated at the end how Alex loved several different animals and knew everything about them and had a specific book about them. It shows that you can have many different favorite animals.
I quite enjoyed this book and will definitely be getting it when it releases.
Alex is a big fan of elephants. In fact, she knows everything about them! Alex decides it’s time for an adventure and to find an elephant for herself. But elephants are an elusive creature so what is Alex to do??
This is such a cute little book. I loved the storyline and how Alex has a little notebook that contains different information about elephants. There are even some pages that showcase her love for elephants. I even learned facts about elephants that I didn’t know!
I also appreciated at the end how Alex loved several different animals and knew everything about them and had a specific book about them. It shows that you can have many different favorite animals.
I quite enjoyed this book and will definitely be getting it when it releases.
March 22, 2024
5 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review this picture book.
I do love funny picture books that will for sure make the little ones laugh out loud! I mean, I was giggling while reading this book, just imagine how my nibling was giggling too!
It's not only a hilarious read, but it's extremely informative in a fun way. Our main character is looking for an elephant, her favourite animal, and she presents us facts and interesting info about elephants in general.
The illustrations are cute and adorable! Finding the elephant is a lot of fun too.
The picture books ends with tips on how the little ones can make their own notebook where to write them interesting facts about the animals they like or draw them or do collages. A great activity for the little ones.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review this picture book.
I do love funny picture books that will for sure make the little ones laugh out loud! I mean, I was giggling while reading this book, just imagine how my nibling was giggling too!
It's not only a hilarious read, but it's extremely informative in a fun way. Our main character is looking for an elephant, her favourite animal, and she presents us facts and interesting info about elephants in general.
The illustrations are cute and adorable! Finding the elephant is a lot of fun too.
The picture books ends with tips on how the little ones can make their own notebook where to write them interesting facts about the animals they like or draw them or do collages. A great activity for the little ones.
January 23, 2024
I loved this book. I laughed out loud! I related to the enthusiastic protagonist with her journal of facts about elephants - I had similar journals as a child. This was a fun way to teach children about elephants, and younger children will certainly enjoy trying to find the elephant on each spread.
I appreciate that this story is an allegory for the disappearance of elephants, and I am eager to see more endangered species covered in this series. I also appreciate the resources provided at the end as well as the note acknowledging the traditional territory where the publisher’s office is located.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I appreciate that this story is an allegory for the disappearance of elephants, and I am eager to see more endangered species covered in this series. I also appreciate the resources provided at the end as well as the note acknowledging the traditional territory where the publisher’s office is located.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
April 4, 2024
Thank you to Elina Ellis and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Come along on a journey with Alex as she looks for her favorite animal, the elephant. Along the way she shares fun facts and information from her journal while searching for the elusive elephant. Reader's will enjoy searching for the elephants along with Alex. Who knows...maybe you will find one? But why is it so hard to find an elephant? This book brings awareness to our littlest readers about endangered animals in a lighthearted and kid-friendly way. The illustrations are beautiful and the clever characters make the kids stay engaged throughout the book. My son loved listening to this story and loved all of the elephant facts! This is a perfect book match for any child that loves animals, being silly, or adventures. I highly recommend you add this book to your list of books to own. This is the first book in what will be a series.
Come along on a journey with Alex as she looks for her favorite animal, the elephant. Along the way she shares fun facts and information from her journal while searching for the elusive elephant. Reader's will enjoy searching for the elephants along with Alex. Who knows...maybe you will find one? But why is it so hard to find an elephant? This book brings awareness to our littlest readers about endangered animals in a lighthearted and kid-friendly way. The illustrations are beautiful and the clever characters make the kids stay engaged throughout the book. My son loved listening to this story and loved all of the elephant facts! This is a perfect book match for any child that loves animals, being silly, or adventures. I highly recommend you add this book to your list of books to own. This is the first book in what will be a series.
Read
September 16, 2024This book was such a fun and educational read! Alex the main character in the book has his very own Elephant guide, he loves everything to do with elephants and is on a mission to find them. Throughout the book we go through many different facts about elephants as Alex asks different animals if they've seen an elephant. As the book continues we see that Alex is always missing the elephants by talking to different animals, we see the herd of elephants throughout the book but Alex just barely misses them. This book I would say is more intended for an older children who can read pretty well. Although this book has many pictures there are a lot of words and different facts on each page which makes this book such a fun and very educational read.
February 12, 2024
5/5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Elina Ellis for allowing me to read and review this book.
This was such an amazing book. As someone who grew up loving animals and wanting to learn more about them, I loved seeing that passion in a book character. You get to learn so much about elephants throughout this book. It is also such a cute little adventure story.
This book also shows how to make journals and research things of interest for smaller children. It is definitely a book I will be reading to my children in the future and hopefully using as an outline to make journals with them.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Elina Ellis for allowing me to read and review this book.
This was such an amazing book. As someone who grew up loving animals and wanting to learn more about them, I loved seeing that passion in a book character. You get to learn so much about elephants throughout this book. It is also such a cute little adventure story.
This book also shows how to make journals and research things of interest for smaller children. It is definitely a book I will be reading to my children in the future and hopefully using as an outline to make journals with them.
March 18, 2024
This is an ideal pairing for primary grade writers as they write non-fiction. A young child has done a ton of research on elephants and has written about them in her journal, which is filled with traditional elements of non-fiction features in books. She shows it to the other animals and when they zoom in on the pages, it is an ideal time to show young writers how she did it and show an example. At the end, there is a double spread about starting your own journal, followed by a page with information on helping endangered species. I wish I had this text when I was teaching first graders and helping them write non-fiction!
February 13, 2024
Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis
An informative, lovely and interesting read!
The unique illustration style attracts young reader attention. The author introduced different types of elephant and the key points of elephant by the young explorer Alex, through this enriching journal.
This book will suit to those young readers who love nature and want to know more about animal. Time to create your own journal!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my copy.
Pub date: May 7, 2024
March 9, 2024
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4.5 stars = I loved it!
This is a fun and clever story about a girl who loves elephants - but who keeps missing them when she searches for them. Along the way she shares with the reader some of the many elephant facts in her journal in clever spreads. This is a clever design for an animal facts book, and I would absolutely put this (which will hopefully become a series) in classroom libraries or in front of animal-loving readers.
4.5 stars = I loved it!
This is a fun and clever story about a girl who loves elephants - but who keeps missing them when she searches for them. Along the way she shares with the reader some of the many elephant facts in her journal in clever spreads. This is a clever design for an animal facts book, and I would absolutely put this (which will hopefully become a series) in classroom libraries or in front of animal-loving readers.
Read
January 23, 2024This perfect little book had me giggling all the way through. How hard can it be to find an elephant? Alex knows a lot about elephants, so she thinks it can't be too hard. She has a journal with lots of facts about elephants that she shares with other animals she meets along the way. The facts were really good, perfect for young readers, and simple to understand.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this
January 24, 2024
This is the best picture book I have read lately. A smart combination of fiction and non-fiction, it presents a great idea of how to create your own animal journal. I'm not the target audience, however even I have learnt some interesting facts about elephants. The artwork is lovely, and the content is perfect for kids. It was a big hit with my 5-year-old.
I thank NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an Advance Review Copy.
I thank NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an Advance Review Copy.
June 24, 2024
On her search for an elephant, Alex meets many animals and asks them if she sees any elephants. She shows the animals her journal and teaches them all she has learned about elephants. There are fact filled pages that tell the difference between African and Asian elephants and tell us what elephants eat and why they have a lot of gas. Alex is not very observant. Readers can find the elephants that Alex can’t on each page. Love the fun ending.
January 30, 2024
This book is really fun! I love the pictures and readability. It's informative but not overly wordy which prevents small children from getting bored. This leaves opportunities to have more conversations about the animals and the information given. One that I would add to our home library!
August 22, 2024
I learned so much about elephants reading this. Not being able to see the elephants around her reminded me of Have You Seen Dinosaur? but I loved the concept of her sharing her journal and knowledge with the other animals she meets.
April 22, 2024
Alex loves elephants, and she practically knows every fact about them too! Travel with Alex as she searches high and low to spot an elephant!
July 13, 2024
Full of elephant facts.
October 25, 2024
This book had me laughing out loud. Very clever and filled with facts about elephants that even the youngest readers can appreciate.
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