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The Best Children’s Books About Elephants

“What are the best Children’s books about Elephants?” We looked at 181 of the top Elephant books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 32 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Kids Elephant” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 125+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!



Top 32 Best Children’s Books Featuring Elephants



32 .) Barley the Elephant written by Paul Bachmeier

Barley the Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




31 .) Brave Baby Elephant written by Sesyle Joslin

Brave Baby Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




30 .) Elephants Cannot Dance! (Elephant & Piggie, #9) written by Mo Willems

Elephants Cannot Dance! (Elephant & Piggie, #9)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Gerald the elephant is certain that he cannot dance but his friend Piggie convinces him to try.




29 .) Elephants in the East (Animal Ark, #25) written by Lucy Daniels

Elephants in the East (Animal Ark, #25)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




28 .) Elephants of Thailand: The Smiling Elephant written by Aston Heath

Elephants of Thailand: The Smiling Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




27 .) Ella the Elegant Elephant written by Carmela D’Amico

Ella the Elegant Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Ella is nervous about the first day of school in her new town, but wearing her grandmother’s good luck hat makes her feel better–until the other students tease her and call her names.




26 .) Elmer written by David McKee

Elmer

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

All the elephants of the jungle were gray except Elmer, who was a patchwork of brilliant colors until the day he got tired of being different and making the other elephants laugh.




25 .) Five Minutes’ Peace written by Jill Murphy

Five Minutes' Peace

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Mrs. Large tries to take a peaceful, relaxing bath but her family has other ideas.




24 .) How Big Is an Elephant? written by Rossana Bossù

How Big Is an Elephant?

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




23 .) How the Elephant Got Its Trunk written by Jean Richards

How the Elephant Got Its Trunk

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Because of his curiosity about what the crocodile has for dinner, a little elephant and all elephants thereafter have long trunks.




22 .) I’ve Got an Elephant written by Anne Ginkel

I've Got an Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Content with one elephant then pleased to have two, a girl begins having problems as her lonely pachyderms bring home more and more friends throughout this rhyming counting book.




21 .) Little Elephant Thunderfoot written by Sally Grindley

Little Elephant Thunderfoot

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

A baby elephant learns to feel secure with his grandmother, the head of the herd, until shots by poachers change his world.




20 .) Little Elephants written by Graeme Base

Little Elephants

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

When a family’s wheat crop is threatened by locusts, tiny flying elephants come to the rescue.




19 .) Never Mail an Elephant written by Mike Thaler

Never Mail an Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

The narrator has trouble mailing an elephant as a birthday present to Cousin Edna.




18 .) Never Ride Your Elephant To School written by Doug Johnson

Never Ride Your Elephant To School

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

A humorous account of the disadvantages of bringing an elephant into the classroom.




17 .) Ollie the Purple Elephant written by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Ollie the Purple Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Ollie the purple elephant is delighted to move into the McLaughlin family’s New York City apartment but their cat, Ginger, is not pleased and devises a plan to send Ollie away with the circus.




16 .) Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (Elephant & Piggie, #10) written by Mo Willems

Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (Elephant & Piggie, #10)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Softonic

Gerald believes he is allergic to his best friend! Will he have to stay away from Piggie forever?




15 .) Strictly No Elephants written by Lisa Mantchev

Strictly No Elephants

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

A boy is excluded from joining his friends’ pet club because of his unusual pet.




14 .) The Elephant Who Couldn’t Forget written by Faith McNulty

The Elephant Who Couldn't Forget

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

Young elephant learns that he must remember what to forget.




13 .) The Elephant’s Tale (Animal Healer, #4) written by Lauren St. John

The Elephant's Tale (Animal Healer, #4)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

A fourth prophecy, this time involving elephants, comes true for eleven-year-old Martine, an orphaned South African girl with mystical healing powers over animals, when she and her grandmother are faced with losing the Sawubona Game Reserve forever.




12 .) The Eleventh Hour written by Graeme Base

The Eleventh Hour

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

An elephant’s eleventh birthday party is marked by eleven games preceding the banquet to be eaten at the eleventh hour; but when the time to eat arrives, the birthday feast has disappeared. The reader is invited to guess the thief.




11 .) The Saggy Baggy Elephant written by Kathryn Jackson

The Saggy Baggy Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

A little elephant’s worries about his wrinkles are solved.




10 .) The Story of Babar written by Jean de Brunhoff

The Story of Babar

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

An orphaned baby elephant goes to live in the city with an old lady who gives him everything he wants, but he eventually returns to the forest where he is crowned king of the elephants.




9 .) The White Elephant written by Sid Fleischman

The White Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

In old Siam, young elephant trainer Run-Run and his old charge, Walking Mountain, must deal with the curse of a sacred white elephant.




8 .) There Is a Bird on Your Head! (Elephant & Piggie, #4) written by Mo Willems

There Is a Bird on Your Head! (Elephant & Piggie, #4)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Softonic

Gerald the elephant discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head– two birds on your head! Piggie will try to help her best friend.




7 .) Tweak Tweak written by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Tweak Tweak

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • NY Times

While out for a walk, Mama Elephant answers her child’s questions about a monkey, a frog, a songbird, a butterfly, and a crocodile, all the while teaching about Little Elephant too.




6 .) We are in a Book! (Elephant & Piggie, #13) written by Mo Willems

We are in a Book! (Elephant & Piggie, #13)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Softonic

Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?




5 .) When the Elephant Walks written by Keiko Kasza

When the Elephant Walks

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2

When the Elephant walks he scares the Bear who runs away and scares the Crocodile who runs away and scares the Wild Hog in this never-ending animal story.




4 .) Babar and His Children written by Jean de Brunhoff

Babar and His Children

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2
  • Softonic

With the birth of triplets, King Babar and Queen Celeste experience the pleasures and pains of parenthood.




3 .) Dumbo: A Little Golden Book written by Walt Disney Company

Dumbo: A Little Golden Book

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2
  • Softonic

A little elephant with enormous ears becomes the star of the circus.




2 .) Horton Hears a Who! written by Dr. Seuss

Horton Hears a Who!

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2
  • Softonic

A city of Whos on a speck of dust are threatened with destruction until the smallest Who of all helps convince Horton’s friends that Whos really exist.




1 .) The Magician’s Elephant written by Kate DiCamillo

The Magician's Elephant

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2
  • Softonic

When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her.…





The 125+ Additional Best Kids Elephant Books



#BooksAuthorsLists
33A Friend For EllaKaren WallaceGoodreads 2
34A Piece of CakeJill MurphyGoodreads 2
35A Sick Day for Amos McGeePhilip C. SteadGoodreads
36Akimbo and the ElephantsAlexander McCall SmithGoodreads 2
37An Elephant In My BedSuzanne KleinGoodreads
38An Elephant in the GardenMichael MorpurgoGoodreads 2
39Arthur and the ElephantFiona CampbellGoodreads 2
40Babar and Father ChristmasJean de BrunhoffGoodreads
41Babar and ZephirJean de BrunhoffGoodreads
42Babar Goes to SchoolLaurent de BrunhoffGoodreads
43Babar the KingJean de BrunhoffGoodreads
44Bad Elephant Far Stream Softonic
45Beautiful BananasElizabeth LairdGoodreads
46Bedtime for Ella Board BookKaren WallaceGoodreads 2
47But No ElephantsJerry SmathGoodreads
48Can You Move Like An Elephant?Judy HindleyGoodreads 2
49Cats Don’t DanceJ.J. GardnerGoodreads
50ChainedLynne KellyGoodreads
51Cheer Up Ella Board BookKaren WallaceGoodreads 2
52Cousins of Clouds: Elephant PoemsTracie Vaughn ZimmerGoodreads
53Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant?Jake WolfGoodreads
54Dindy and the ElephantElizabeth LairdGoodreads 2
55Disney’s Tarzan Jungle AdventureLiane OnishGoodreads
56Don’t Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a BirdJames BerryGoodreads
57Don’t think about Purple ElephantsSusanne MerrittGoodreads 2
58Dumbo: Not So Fast! (Disney’s Storytime Treasures Library, #9)Ronald KiddGoodreads
59ElephantSheryl BoneGoodreads
60ElephantSmall WorldGoodreads 2
61ElephantRachel ElliotGoodreads 2
62Elephant Alert (Animal Rescue, #1)Jackie FrenchGoodreads 2
63Elephant and Friends: A Soft and Fuzzy Book for BabyRettoreGoodreads 2
64Elephant Dance: Memories of IndiaTheresa HeineGoodreads 2
65Elephant Elephant: A Book of OppositesFrancesco PittauGoodreads
66Elephant Goes to SchoolJerry SmathGoodreads
67Elephant in the DarkMina JavaherbinGoodreads 2
68Elephant in the KitchenWinsome SmithGoodreads
69Elephant Joe, Brave Knight!David WojtowyczGoodreads 2
70Elephant PantsSmriti Prasadam-HallsGoodreads 2
71Elephant Rides Again. Paul HarrisonPaul HarrisonGoodreads 2
72Elephant Small Goes to a PartySally GrindleyGoodreads 2
73Elephant WhiteWill BrentonGoodreads 2
74Elephant Who Was ScaredRachel ElliotGoodreads 2
75Elephant’s StoryTracey Campbell PearsonGoodreads 2
76Elephants & Emus: And Other Animal RhymesPhilippa-Alys BrowneGoodreads 2
77Elise the ElephantJennifer CampbellGoodreads 2
78Ellie the Elephant (Illustrated Edition, World Adventurers for Kids #2)M.G. EdwardsGoodreads
79Ellison the ElephantEric DrachmanGoodreads
80Elmer AgainDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
81Elmer and ButterflyDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
82Elmer and RoseDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
83Elmer and SnakeDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
84Elmer and Super ElDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
85Elmer and the Big BirdDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
86Elmer and the FloodDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
87Elmer and the HipposDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
88Elmer and the KangarooDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
89Elmer and the Lost TeddyDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
90Elmer and the MonsterDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
91Elmer and the RainbowDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
92Elmer and the WhalesDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
93Elmer and WilburDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
94Elmer in the SnowDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
95Elmer Takes OffDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
96Elmer’s ChristmasDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
97Elmer’s ColorsDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
98Elmer’s DayDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
99Elmer’s FriendsDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
100Elmer’s Special DayDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
101Eloise ElephantJerry SmathGoodreads 2
102Ernie the ElephantLeela HopeGoodreads 2
103Ernie the Elephant and the Teddy BearLeela HopeGoodreads 2
104Ernie the Elephant in Henry BragsLeela HopeGoodreads 2
105Farewell, Grandpa Elephant: A Picture Book Story about DeathIsabel AbediGoodreads 2
106Ganesha’s Sweet ToothSanjay PatelGoodreads
107Gee and the ElephantRobert IlesGoodreads 2
108GRANDPA GREENLane SmithNY Times
109Henry and the ElephantRichard CourtneyGoodreads 2
110Hiccups For Elephant (level 2)James PrellerGoodreads 2
111Hide-and-Seek ElmerDavid McKeeGoodreads 2
112Horton Hatches the EggDr. SeussGoodreads
113How the Elephant Got His TrunkJoy GlenGoodreads 2
114How the Elephant Got His Trunk: The Graphic NovelBlake HoenaGoodreads 2
115How to Catch An ElephantAmy SchwartzGoodreads
116How to Find an ElephantKate BanksGoodreads
117How to Invite An Elephant to TeaGenellyn DriverGoodreads
118Humans in My BackyardVishal MenonGoodreads
119I Broke My Trunk! (Elephant & Piggie, #14)Mo WillemsGoodreads 2
120I see… Savannah – Your Baby, Binoculars, and African Animals (I see… Animals, #1)Kirstan GrahamGoodreads
121If an Elephant Went to SchoolEllen FischerGoodreads 2
122If Elephants Wore PantsHenriette BarkowGoodreads 2
123Leaving Time Softonic
124Little ElephantJessica Potter BroderickGoodreads
125Little Elliot, Big CityMike CuratoGoodreads 2
126Little Elliot, Big FamilyMike CuratoGoodreads 2
127Little Elliot, Big FunMike CuratoGoodreads 2
128Little TumboSteven SalernoGoodreads
129Manny’s Big AdventureJ.E. BrightGoodreads
130Meet Babar and His FamilyLaurent de BrunhoffGoodreads
131Milly’s Jungle Adventures: The Jungle Talent ShowUma S.Goodreads
132Miss Mary MackMary Ann HobermanGoodreads 2
133Monkey and Elephant Get BetterCarole Lexa SchaeferGoodreads
134Mosha the Elephant Who Just Would Not Give Up (Elephants of Thailand Book 2)Aston HeathGoodreads
135My Friend is Sad (Elephant & Piggie, #2)Mo WillemsGoodreads
136My Mum And Dad Make Me LaughNick SharrattGoodreads
137Nancy KnowsCybèle YoungGoodreads
138OliviaIan FalconerGoodreads 2
139OlliePaola OpalGoodreads
140One Hundred and One Elephant JokesRobert BlakeGoodreads
141POMELO BEGINS TO GROWRamona Badescu. Illustrated by Benjamin ChaudNY Times
142Read It, Don’t Eat It!Ian SchoenherrGoodreads 2
143Runaway ClothesMrs. D.Goodreads
144Savanna’s TreasureC. BehrensGoodreads
145Shooting An Elephant Softonic
146Should I Share My Ice Cream? (Elephant & Piggie, #15)Mo WillemsGoodreads 2
147
Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants
 Softonic
148Sing: Gorgeous Coloring Book for Kids and Adults, IlluminationArt Studio AnigorGoodreads
149Sports DaySophie DavisGoodreads
150Squeak’s Good IdeaMax EilenbergGoodreads
151Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!Patricia ThomasGoodreads
152The Al Elephant Good-Time Story BookFred KellingerGoodreads
153The Ant and the ElephantBill PeetGoodreads 2
154The Bing Bong BookWalt Disney CompanyGoodreads
155The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles (Little Golden Book)Linda Lee MaifairGoodreads
156The Elephant and the Bad BabyElfrida VipontGoodreads
157The Elephant’s ChildRudyard KiplingGoodreads
158The Fifth Elephant (Discworld) Softonic
159The Flying ElephantLiss NortonGoodreads 2
160The Forgetful ElephantIrene MackayGoodreads 2
161The Little Girl Praying on the HillOlga D’AgostinoGoodreads
162The MightiestKeiko KaszaGoodreads
163The Royal PalmMrs. D.Goodreads
164The Secret PlanJulia Sarcone-RoachGoodreads
165The Slightly Annoying ElephantDavid WalliamsGoodreads 2
166The Smellyphant (Children’s Picture Book)Gavin BuckleyGoodreads
167The Travels of BabarJean de BrunhoffGoodreads
168The Trees Have HeartsMrs. D.Goodreads
169Thunder (Thunder: An Elephant’s Journey, #1)Erik Daniel SheinGoodreads
170
To Fetch a Thief (Chet and Bernie Mysteries)
 Softonic
171Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse (Carlo the Mouse #1)Mrs. D.Goodreads
172Tua and the ElephantR.P. HarrisGoodreads
173Twenty-One Elephants and Still StandingApril Jones PrinceGoodreads
174Tyke and the Elephant AngelK.A. MonroeGoodreads
175Walt Disney’s DumboHelen AbersonGoodreads
176Water for Elephants Softonic
177Weezie, the Elephant with AllergiesMaranda RussellGoodreads
178What To Do If an Elephant Stands On Your FootMichelle RobinsonGoodreads
179When I Grow Up: P.J. StylePhilip SimpkinsGoodreads
180Zara the Elephant (Shaped Animal Board Book)Peter AdbyGoodreads 2
181Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard (Zoe & Zak Adventures, #1)Lars GuignardGoodreads


4 Best Children’s Elephant Book Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Goodreads Best Children’s Book About Elephants
Goodreads 2 Top Children’s Books With Elephant Character
NY Times Picture Books About Elephants
Softonic 14 Best children’s book about elephants 2019