The Elephants Visit London

This is one of my 7 year old god son's favorite books. Following his review I bought a few copies for the children's hospital I work at. We let the kids choose which book we read for story time. We have about 5 kids who always vote for Elephants Visit London! The appeal seems pretty uniform between girls and boys. Some of our more talented kids have colored in the illustrations! These books have certainly got their wear, we've already ordered some replacements. This is the only kids book I could find from this author, I really hope to see more, maybe even another in this series!

The Elephants Visit London is a delightful and inexpensive treat for young readers who have just discovered the joy of chapter books. Following the Elephant family (two parents and their twin children Harold and Penelope - all of them bipedal elephants dressed in nice travel clothes) during their trip to London, The Elephants Visit London shows an elephant's-eye view of historic buildings, traditional English food, and the Natural History Museum. But when the twins suddenly go missing from the museum, detectives from Scotland Yard are set on the case! The last few pages offer lists to help young readers reacquaint themselves with British English terms mentioned in the book, such as "telephone call box" (telephone booth). A scattering of simple black-and-white illustrations round out this wonderful book, fun to read in its own right and especially recommended to help prepare young people for the culture shock of visiting London and England.

The Elephants Visit London is a delightful read for children and the adults who read it to them. Every child will giggle at the possibility of a trench coat and hat being enough to disguise an elephant! They'll understand that only adults are too blinded by what they see to look beyond to the reality that lies within. Eschberger has incorporated a lot of history and sight-seeing in a witty story. As a former children's librarian, I'd be happy to hand this book to one of my patrons. Bring on the next Adventure...and don't forget the peas!