Oliver Elephant is a delightful rhyming Christmas read from writer Lou Peacock and illustrator Helen Stephens.

The story is set in a gigantic department store where Mummy and Noah and Evie-May Brown arrive with a very long list, to do the Christmas Shopping. The first spread’s snowy scene, bright decorations and bustling street gets us ready for adventure – and of course Oliver Elephant, Noah’s favourite toy promises to behave!

The plot follows Noah, an excited little boy with lots of energy, keeping himself entertained by playing with Oliver as Mummy shops. But as the story goes on he gets tired, and then ‘Oliver’ accidentally breaks something.

Recognising it is time for a break Mummy takes them all to the cafe, but when they leave, Oliver is nowhere to be seen! They have to retrace their steps, but will Oliver ever be found?

The illustrator, Helen Stephens, cleverly uses perspective to show how big the store is and how little Noah and Oliver are in comparison. The images are busy and colourful, but there is also a good balance of white space which allows small eyes to really look at the details.

Oliver Elephant is a warm, festive picture book that accurately portrays the adventure of Christmas shopping from a child’s eye view. A lovely Christmas Read from Nosy Crow with the added bonus of FREE smartphone audiobook download, so you can listen to the story!

Lou Peacock
Helen Stephens

Oliver Elephant is a featured title in our curated collection The Best Christmas Books For Children.

Like This Post