What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Find an Elephant
What to do on a dull gray day? Head into the wilds and look for an elephant. You will need a pair of binoculars, a blanket, a flute, some food, a little imagination, and a lot of curiosity. Look and listen closely, because elephants can be anywhere. And watch out, because if you're not careful, the elephant may find you first!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2017
About the author
Kate Banks
67 books44 followersKate Banks has written many books for children, among them Max’s Words, And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and The Night Worker, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She grew up in Maine, where she and her two sisters and brother spent a lot of time outdoors, and where Banks developed an early love of reading. “I especially liked picture books,” she says, “and the way in which words and illustrations could create a whole new world in which sometimes real and other times magical and unexpected things could happen.” Banks attended Wellesley College and received her masters in history at Columbia University. She lived in Rome for eight years but now lives in the South of France with her husband and two sons, Peter Anton and Maximilian.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/katebanks
http://us.macmillan.com/author/katebanks
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
March 8, 2024
This book was the last one I received from my local library written by the recently passed author and drawn by the immensely talented book illustrator, Boris Kulikov.
This story is about a boy on the hunt for an elephant. And all the different ways in which to find one. Of course, this may not be such an easy task to take on, and several tools and support may be needed, especially when navigating the jungle. But this book will provide many good tips on how to hunt for an elephant.
And who knows, maybe, just maybe, if one is patient enough, an elephant may just find you.
Reading level: Ages 3 – 6 years – Kindergarten – 1st Grade
This story is about a boy on the hunt for an elephant. And all the different ways in which to find one. Of course, this may not be such an easy task to take on, and several tools and support may be needed, especially when navigating the jungle. But this book will provide many good tips on how to hunt for an elephant.
And who knows, maybe, just maybe, if one is patient enough, an elephant may just find you.
Reading level: Ages 3 – 6 years – Kindergarten – 1st Grade
December 14, 2017
Best used as a one on one tale - this has the most delightful illustrations - keep an eye on each layout for hiding elephants. (though as others have mentioned the eyes are a bit creepy - i'm not sure kids will notice that).
February 28, 2019
Elephants are harder to find than one might think in this entertaining, tongue-in-cheek guidebook, which offers plenty of advice on how to search for them, and what to take along on your journey. As the narrative proceeds, the amusing artwork depicts an elephant in each scene, hiding in plain sight as the young hero searches high and low for him. Eventually, while taking a nap on a "hill" (the elephant's back), the boy is found by the very animal he seeks...
An amusing picture-book for younger children, who will enjoy the entertaining disconnect between text and image, as the elephant appears in every scene, How to Find an Elephant would make a fun selection for story-time. I found Boris Kulikov's artwork lovely, and appreciated the many creative ways he found to incorporate that elusive elephant into his scenes, while Kate Banks' narrative had a droll, deadpan humor that was very appealing. Recommended to all young elephant lovers, or to any child who enjoys games of make-believe, in which one "hunts" for something or someone.
An amusing picture-book for younger children, who will enjoy the entertaining disconnect between text and image, as the elephant appears in every scene, How to Find an Elephant would make a fun selection for story-time. I found Boris Kulikov's artwork lovely, and appreciated the many creative ways he found to incorporate that elusive elephant into his scenes, while Kate Banks' narrative had a droll, deadpan humor that was very appealing. Recommended to all young elephant lovers, or to any child who enjoys games of make-believe, in which one "hunts" for something or someone.
December 18, 2017
When we have as many gray, dreary days as we do in the winter, it seems we have a string of days that are just perfect for finding elephants! I love how the little boy in this book doesn’t sit around moping on cloudy days, but he grabs a blanket, his flute, and a lunch and goes out looking for elephants. Young readers will have fun looking, too. Because the clever, colorful artwork invites you to find the hidden elephants, too. This could be a great mentor text for young writers to create their own hidden animal stories.
July 12, 2018
It's been awhile since I've had a chance to sit down in the children's section and read. Luckily this was a fun one to start back with. The story itself isn't anything super spectacular, but the story the pictures tell are very nice! I hoped this would be one of those books were the whole time there's an elephant near by- they're always cute to see how it's illustrated. My favorite page (picture wise) is when the kid knocks on a door in the jungle and the bird is swinging on the elephants tusks looking up like 😳😳😳😳. However, what's that house doing in the jungle I ask?!
April 28, 2018
Everyone, even youngsters, experiences days that just seem monotonous and humdrum. But with a little bit of imagination, it just might be possible to turn that dull day into an adventurous one. How? Well, with a little bit of preparation and a vivid imagination and the ability to see things in a slightly different way, one boy shows readers just how to go on an elephant hunt. The story itself is charming, but the illustrations are what is outstanding here as readers see all sorts of animals in the jungle--the boy's backyard--some right behind him and some hiding in the foliage or the mists. Different aspects of an elephant can be spotted in several of the scenes in the form of tusks, ears, trunks, legs, and even a whole body. In the end, it isn't clear who's been tracking whom, and maybe the boy needn't worry about looking for the elephant since it might find him first. Even the cover contains visual hints about what's to come in the story.
February 14, 2018
Cloudy days are the best days to look for elephants. You will need to head into the wild, so make sure to pack some food and supplies like a flute, blanket and binoculars. You will need to enter the jungle and search. Look for footprints, but don’t expect to hear footsteps. Ask at any houses you find, drink at waterholes and take shelter from rain under large leaves. Have lunch, swing with a chimpanzee and fly with an eagle. You will probably find an elephant when you least expect it, so keep your eyes open! This picture book is written with lovely details that invite young readers and listeners deep into the story. There is a sense of adventure throughout, particularly due to the illustrations that cleverly hide elephants on each page. Sharp-eyed children will suddenly glimpse them and you may need to go back and find any that they may have missed. Beautifully illustrated, this book makes a great read-aloud but make sure that everyone can see the images up close. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
January 22, 2018
Complete directions, if you only look carefully, you may find one. It’s a book full of whimsy, maybe magic, and it’s delightful. The matter-of-fact hand-hiding-a-giggle text how-to by Kate Banks is dependent on the marvelous, imaginative illustrations of Boris Kulikov. I just wrote about the habit of “looking long” and this is one book that requires it. Readers will giggle as they point and say “there! There it is! And “it” might not be an elephant. Wait to read and see!
August 26, 2024
Kinda creepy illustrations 😅
January 10, 2018
What do you do on a dull grey day? You search for an elephant, of course. The small child in the story provides tips but is oblivious to the camouflaged elephants on every page.
Delightful! The illustrations are clever and humorous and sometimes it takes a bit of looking to find the elephant. Wonderful use of line and texture with perfect touches of color. At the end I turned the book back over to read it again.
Best as a lap book or shared with just a couple of children so the illustrations can be closely examined.
Delightful! The illustrations are clever and humorous and sometimes it takes a bit of looking to find the elephant. Wonderful use of line and texture with perfect touches of color. At the end I turned the book back over to read it again.
Best as a lap book or shared with just a couple of children so the illustrations can be closely examined.
April 16, 2019
This book is full of animals and imagination. A little boy offers instructions on how to go on an elephant hunt. As he goes along his adventure is full of animals and suspense. The playful part of this book however is in the illustrations. There you get both a hint that he is simply in his backyard, but also if you look closely you can spy an elephant in the background of the pictures. Such a fun book to share aloud with kids.
April 17, 2018
Banks, Kate How to Find an Elephant, illustrated by Boris Kulikov. PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers (Macmillan), 2017. $17. 9780374335083
A boy gives helpful advice for finding an elephant, while completely overlooking the one hiding on page after page of the book.
This is a fun wink-wink-nod-nod story. Once readers notice the elephant hidden on each page, they will likely want to go back and examine all of the pages for the pachyderm. Because of the hidden details, this one is best read either one-on-one or using a projector.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
A boy gives helpful advice for finding an elephant, while completely overlooking the one hiding on page after page of the book.
This is a fun wink-wink-nod-nod story. Once readers notice the elephant hidden on each page, they will likely want to go back and examine all of the pages for the pachyderm. Because of the hidden details, this one is best read either one-on-one or using a projector.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
August 31, 2018
I happened upon an earlier book written and illustrated by the same duo published in 2011 called the Eraserheads. I enjoyed that book but this is a more current book and the students enjoyed looking for the elephant on each page. The illustrator made it obvious on some and not so much on the others. Very imaginative. We spent some time discussing what we liked about each of the books and the illustrations. Many of the students loved when the wave came in the Eraserheads because they felt like they were one of them. All of the students liked the seek and find in How to Find an Elephant.
December 22, 2017
This book is a good read for toddler and preschool children, especially those that enjoy looking at illustrations. If they look closely, they can find an elephant on most of the pages and I think they would enjoy that. However although I enjoyed the illustrations for the most part, the setting of the story is off to me, kind of a hybrid of home and the jungle, which may be confusing to a young child.
January 28, 2019
Magical. It reminded me of Going on a Bear Hunt, because of the sense of adventure and because the text lent itself well to being acted out. But it was much less tedious to read than Going on a Bear Hunt (I know kids love repetition, but parents sometimes...don’t). Eli loved finding the elephant in all the images and the illustrations in general were creative and lovely and fun. Just a delightful read all around
September 6, 2024
How to Find an Elephant is a fun and beautifully illustrated picture book. What better way to spend a dull day than to fire up your imagination, gather your supplies, and go exploring elephants with this book? Not to mention all of the fascinating facts you'll learn about the incredible animal. It is an absolute delight to read with your child to let their imagination run wild and embark on your own explorations.
March 27, 2018
A little boy gives readers instructions on how to find an elephant in the jungle...while readers may spot several elephants before he does.
Kids who like hidden pictures and knowing more than the main character in the story should like this one. There are elephants hidden on every page for those with keen eyes to find. The pictures are bright and lively and bring the jungle to delightful life.
Kids who like hidden pictures and knowing more than the main character in the story should like this one. There are elephants hidden on every page for those with keen eyes to find. The pictures are bright and lively and bring the jungle to delightful life.
August 28, 2018
A boy provides instructions as he searches high and low for an elephant, which the reader can find in the illustrations. Children will enjoy looking for the elephant on the different pages. I like how the illustrator incorporates different elephant features into the surroundings, such as the tree trunks. This would work best one-on-one or with a small group.
November 28, 2017
While the illustrations creep me out a little (something about the eyes) Berry seemed to really enjoy it and wanted to read it several times in a row. I did like that you need both the text and the illustrations to tell the whole story.
December 13, 2017
I feel this book is destined to become a very popular read aloud book. Animals, exploring, and an almost "I Spy" format.
Clever illustrations - grab your backpack, binoculars and your flute and head to the jungle.
Clever illustrations - grab your backpack, binoculars and your flute and head to the jungle.
February 11, 2018
Would be a very fun book to use for storytime, and I can imagine kids getting very excited when they realize the elephant is hidden on every page, which becomes more and more obvious as the story progresses. Great illustrations and gimmick!
March 11, 2018
A lovely story to read with a kiddo by your side and a gray day ahead of you to imagine, create, and go on your own elephant hunt! Illustrations are full of color and life and the text can't help but make you smile.
March 27, 2018
In this amusing picture book, a boy tells how to find an elephant; however, he doesn't see the elephant that is lurking on every page. Kids go bananas for this stuff; they will love finding the elephant, and at the end they will love that the elephant finds the boy!
May 12, 2018
May 2018 - there's not much to the story, but Ben really enjoyed hunting out all the elephants on each page. The first time through I helped, and the second time he spent a lot of time lingering over each picture and spotting trunks, legs, and so on. The illustrations really make this one.
Read
September 8, 2019This follows the adventures of a little boy through the jungle in search of an elephant. The boy teaches you where and what to look for in your search for an elephant. Clues such as footprints or where elephants like to eat. (Picture Book).
October 8, 2019
This was a fun little story about a curious boy with a vivid imagination who, on an overcast day, goes elephant hunting. Armed with food, binoculars, a blanket, and...a flute, he goes into the wilds of his imagination and encounters the magic of the jungle.
October 30, 2019
I like this book because mostly its message is about looking for a friend and how for a while you might not find that friend or find something that looks like that friend, but it's not that friend, but in the end, you find that friend. That's what I mostly like about it.
April 17, 2023
Read for CuTieS book club April 17, 2023
Theme: Elephant Stories
This was a great interactive book! Although everyone got a little too excited pointing out the elephant on each page so we had to take turns finding it!
Theme: Elephant Stories
This was a great interactive book! Although everyone got a little too excited pointing out the elephant on each page so we had to take turns finding it!
May 30, 2023
Engaging. The illustrations capture the imagination.
[450 words, 4 to 7 yr old interest level,
3rd grade reading level]
If read to a class, the children will definitely want to see the pictures up close later.
[450 words, 4 to 7 yr old interest level,
3rd grade reading level]
If read to a class, the children will definitely want to see the pictures up close later.
December 27, 2017
Children will be able to look for the hidden elephant on each page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews