Children & Teen

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

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




31 .) Brave Baby Elephant written by Sesyle Joslin

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




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

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

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




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

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




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

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

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

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

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Goodreads 2




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



# Books Authors Lists
33 A Friend For Ella Karen Wallace Goodreads 2
34 A Piece of Cake Jill Murphy Goodreads 2
35 A Sick Day for Amos McGee Philip C. Stead Goodreads
36 Akimbo and the Elephants Alexander McCall Smith Goodreads 2
37 An Elephant In My Bed Suzanne Klein Goodreads
38 An Elephant in the Garden Michael Morpurgo Goodreads 2
39 Arthur and the Elephant Fiona Campbell Goodreads 2
40 Babar and Father Christmas Jean de Brunhoff Goodreads
41 Babar and Zephir Jean de Brunhoff Goodreads
42 Babar Goes to School Laurent de Brunhoff Goodreads
43 Babar the King Jean de Brunhoff Goodreads
44 Bad Elephant Far Stream Softonic
45 Beautiful Bananas Elizabeth Laird Goodreads
46 Bedtime for Ella Board Book Karen Wallace Goodreads 2
47 But No Elephants Jerry Smath Goodreads
48 Can You Move Like An Elephant? Judy Hindley Goodreads 2
49 Cats Don’t Dance J.J. Gardner Goodreads
50 Chained Lynne Kelly Goodreads
51 Cheer Up Ella Board Book Karen Wallace Goodreads 2
52 Cousins of Clouds: Elephant Poems Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Goodreads
53 Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant? Jake Wolf Goodreads
54 Dindy and the Elephant Elizabeth Laird Goodreads 2
55 Disney’s Tarzan Jungle Adventure Liane Onish Goodreads
56 Don’t Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird James Berry Goodreads
57 Don’t think about Purple Elephants Susanne Merritt Goodreads 2
58 Dumbo: Not So Fast! (Disney’s Storytime Treasures Library, #9) Ronald Kidd Goodreads
59 Elephant Sheryl Bone Goodreads
60 Elephant Small World Goodreads 2
61 Elephant Rachel Elliot Goodreads 2
62 Elephant Alert (Animal Rescue, #1) Jackie French Goodreads 2
63 Elephant and Friends: A Soft and Fuzzy Book for Baby Rettore Goodreads 2
64 Elephant Dance: Memories of India Theresa Heine Goodreads 2
65 Elephant Elephant: A Book of Opposites Francesco Pittau Goodreads
66 Elephant Goes to School Jerry Smath Goodreads
67 Elephant in the Dark Mina Javaherbin Goodreads 2
68 Elephant in the Kitchen Winsome Smith Goodreads
69 Elephant Joe, Brave Knight! David Wojtowycz Goodreads 2
70 Elephant Pants Smriti Prasadam-Halls Goodreads 2
71 Elephant Rides Again. Paul Harrison Paul Harrison Goodreads 2
72 Elephant Small Goes to a Party Sally Grindley Goodreads 2
73 Elephant White Will Brenton Goodreads 2
74 Elephant Who Was Scared Rachel Elliot Goodreads 2
75 Elephant’s Story Tracey Campbell Pearson Goodreads 2
76 Elephants & Emus: And Other Animal Rhymes Philippa-Alys Browne Goodreads 2
77 Elise the Elephant Jennifer Campbell Goodreads 2
78 Ellie the Elephant (Illustrated Edition, World Adventurers for Kids #2) M.G. Edwards Goodreads
79 Ellison the Elephant Eric Drachman Goodreads
80 Elmer Again David McKee Goodreads 2
81 Elmer and Butterfly David McKee Goodreads 2
82 Elmer and Rose David McKee Goodreads 2
83 Elmer and Snake David McKee Goodreads 2
84 Elmer and Super El David McKee Goodreads 2
85 Elmer and the Big Bird David McKee Goodreads 2
86 Elmer and the Flood David McKee Goodreads 2
87 Elmer and the Hippos David McKee Goodreads 2
88 Elmer and the Kangaroo David McKee Goodreads 2
89 Elmer and the Lost Teddy David McKee Goodreads 2
90 Elmer and the Monster David McKee Goodreads 2
91 Elmer and the Rainbow David McKee Goodreads 2
92 Elmer and the Whales David McKee Goodreads 2
93 Elmer and Wilbur David McKee Goodreads 2
94 Elmer in the Snow David McKee Goodreads 2
95 Elmer Takes Off David McKee Goodreads 2
96 Elmer’s Christmas David McKee Goodreads 2
97 Elmer’s Colors David McKee Goodreads 2
98 Elmer’s Day David McKee Goodreads 2
99 Elmer’s Friends David McKee Goodreads 2
100 Elmer’s Special Day David McKee Goodreads 2
101 Eloise Elephant Jerry Smath Goodreads 2
102 Ernie the Elephant Leela Hope Goodreads 2
103 Ernie the Elephant and the Teddy Bear Leela Hope Goodreads 2
104 Ernie the Elephant in Henry Brags Leela Hope Goodreads 2
105 Farewell, Grandpa Elephant: A Picture Book Story about Death Isabel Abedi Goodreads 2
106 Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth Sanjay Patel Goodreads
107 Gee and the Elephant Robert Iles Goodreads 2
108 GRANDPA GREEN Lane Smith NY Times
109 Henry and the Elephant Richard Courtney Goodreads 2
110 Hiccups For Elephant (level 2) James Preller Goodreads 2
111 Hide-and-Seek Elmer David McKee Goodreads 2
112 Horton Hatches the Egg Dr. Seuss Goodreads
113 How the Elephant Got His Trunk Joy Glen Goodreads 2
114 How the Elephant Got His Trunk: The Graphic Novel Blake Hoena Goodreads 2
115 How to Catch An Elephant Amy Schwartz Goodreads
116 How to Find an Elephant Kate Banks Goodreads
117 How to Invite An Elephant to Tea Genellyn Driver Goodreads
118 Humans in My Backyard Vishal Menon Goodreads
119 I Broke My Trunk! (Elephant & Piggie, #14) Mo Willems Goodreads 2
120 I see… Savannah – Your Baby, Binoculars, and African Animals (I see… Animals, #1) Kirstan Graham Goodreads
121 If an Elephant Went to School Ellen Fischer Goodreads 2
122 If Elephants Wore Pants Henriette Barkow Goodreads 2
123 Leaving Time Softonic
124 Little Elephant Jessica Potter Broderick Goodreads
125 Little Elliot, Big City Mike Curato Goodreads 2
126 Little Elliot, Big Family Mike Curato Goodreads 2
127 Little Elliot, Big Fun Mike Curato Goodreads 2
128 Little Tumbo Steven Salerno Goodreads
129 Manny’s Big Adventure J.E. Bright Goodreads
130 Meet Babar and His Family Laurent de Brunhoff Goodreads
131 Milly’s Jungle Adventures: The Jungle Talent Show Uma S. Goodreads
132 Miss Mary Mack Mary Ann Hoberman Goodreads 2
133 Monkey and Elephant Get Better Carole Lexa Schaefer Goodreads
134 Mosha the Elephant Who Just Would Not Give Up (Elephants of Thailand Book 2) Aston Heath Goodreads
135 My Friend is Sad (Elephant & Piggie, #2) Mo Willems Goodreads
136 My Mum And Dad Make Me Laugh Nick Sharratt Goodreads
137 Nancy Knows Cybèle Young Goodreads
138 Olivia Ian Falconer Goodreads 2
139 Ollie Paola Opal Goodreads
140 One Hundred and One Elephant Jokes Robert Blake Goodreads
141 POMELO BEGINS TO GROW Ramona Badescu. Illustrated by Benjamin Chaud NY Times
142 Read It, Don’t Eat It! Ian Schoenherr Goodreads 2
143 Runaway Clothes Mrs. D. Goodreads
144 Savanna’s Treasure C. Behrens Goodreads
145 Shooting An Elephant Softonic
146 Should I Share My Ice Cream? (Elephant & Piggie, #15) Mo Willems Goodreads 2
147
Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants
Softonic
148 Sing: Gorgeous Coloring Book for Kids and Adults, Illumination Art Studio Anigor Goodreads
149 Sports Day Sophie Davis Goodreads
150 Squeak’s Good Idea Max Eilenberg Goodreads
151 Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze! Patricia Thomas Goodreads
152 The Al Elephant Good-Time Story Book Fred Kellinger Goodreads
153 The Ant and the Elephant Bill Peet Goodreads 2
154 The Bing Bong Book Walt Disney Company Goodreads
155 The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles (Little Golden Book) Linda Lee Maifair Goodreads
156 The Elephant and the Bad Baby Elfrida Vipont Goodreads
157 The Elephant’s Child Rudyard Kipling Goodreads
158 The Fifth Elephant (Discworld) Softonic
159 The Flying Elephant Liss Norton Goodreads 2
160 The Forgetful Elephant Irene Mackay Goodreads 2
161 The Little Girl Praying on the Hill Olga D’Agostino Goodreads
162 The Mightiest Keiko Kasza Goodreads
163 The Royal Palm Mrs. D. Goodreads
164 The Secret Plan Julia Sarcone-Roach Goodreads
165 The Slightly Annoying Elephant David Walliams Goodreads 2
166 The Smellyphant (Children’s Picture Book) Gavin Buckley Goodreads
167 The Travels of Babar Jean de Brunhoff Goodreads
168 The Trees Have Hearts Mrs. D. Goodreads
169 Thunder (Thunder: An Elephant’s Journey, #1) Erik Daniel Shein Goodreads
170
To Fetch a Thief (Chet and Bernie Mysteries)
Softonic
171 Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse (Carlo the Mouse #1) Mrs. D. Goodreads
172 Tua and the Elephant R.P. Harris Goodreads
173 Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing April Jones Prince Goodreads
174 Tyke and the Elephant Angel K.A. Monroe Goodreads
175 Walt Disney’s Dumbo Helen Aberson Goodreads
176 Water for Elephants Softonic
177 Weezie, the Elephant with Allergies Maranda Russell Goodreads
178 What To Do If an Elephant Stands On Your Foot Michelle Robinson Goodreads
179 When I Grow Up: P.J. Style Philip Simpkins Goodreads
180 Zara the Elephant (Shaped Animal Board Book) Peter Adby Goodreads 2
181 Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard (Zoe & Zak Adventures, #1) Lars Guignard Goodreads


4 Best Children’s Elephant Book Sources/Lists



Source Article
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
A.M. Anderson

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A.M. Anderson

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