Oliver Elephant [Hardcover]

"A sweet, charming story of overcoming familiar difficulties during the hectic holiday season, with the help of those who love you." –Kirkus Reviews(starred review)

When Noah goes Christmas shopping with his mom and baby sister, he’s glad to have his toy elephant, Oliver, along in the boring shops. They play peekaboo and hide in a dolls' house, and Noah even dances Oliver across the displays. But just as Mom has checked off the last thing on her list, disaster strikes: Oliver is nowhere to be found! And the department store is VERY big. Will retracing their steps be enough to reunite Noah and his beloved toy elephant?A sweet, charming story of overcoming familiar difficulties during the hectic holiday season, with the help of those who love you.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Stephens (the How to Hide a Lion series) skillfully changes perspective in paintings that feature loose ink lines and splashes of color as she alternates crowds of shoppers with more intimate spot illustrations of Noah and Oliver. The well-crafted family tale by Peacock (Toby and the Tricky Things) captures holiday bustle while celebrating a child’s devotion to a favorite toy companion.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Appearing on large double-page spreads, Stephens’ expressive ink drawings create a series of inviting scenes, shaded with crayon and bright with watercolor washes. A colorful, Christmas-themed picture book with an emotionally resonant theme and broad appeal.
—Booklist Online

Loose-lined pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations with copious white space and frequent warm, bright touches of yellow add to the appeal.
—The Horn Book

Helen Stephens’s Christmas-y pictures here are fabulous, with loose, lively lines and colors so vivid that you want to eat them, like marzipan fruits.
—The Wall Street Journal

This sweet tale has a hals)