I have some big feelings about this little book.

Children's books are usually considered innocent; that is not an association I can make here. Horror is actually the word that comes to mind, perhaps because I recently read Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo."

Even though you "NEVER want to bother an elephant," setting a trap is permitted. Despite this deceit, love is suggested as the reason (Ex: "The neighbors may not love him quite as much as you do"; "If you love him you have to let him go"). Is it any surprise "the elephant very well may be mad"? There is little acknowledgment of trauma, other than the elephant's avoidance of the pool. Two other offenses include the presumption that the elephant's family will have moved on, and the dismissive "all elephant herds tend to look alike." There is at least one honest conclusion: "He does not belong at home with you."

If the author intended to incite anger over the history of bodies forcibly removed from the African continent, that has succeeded.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the pictures were fun and the story was cute. I'm sure it will become a storytime favorite.

To Catch an Elephant by Vanessa Westgate is a charming little story for anyone who loves elephants to read to children of all ages. I loved the story and I am not a child. I would love to read it to my granddaughter who right now is traveling with her parents up north and to Michigan to see her dads side of the family and my daughters friends to introduce her to them. I miss them all.

This a fun, light-hearted book that really is enjoyable. It is geared for 4 year olds and up, but I think 2 and 3 year olds would enjoy this story and be able to follow easily and it would keep their attention. There are no characters to develop or grow, but it works perfectly in this story for a child to imagine themselves in the story with how it was written of “you” will need, etc. This would make a fun story hour book at a library.

Thanks to NetGalley, Vanessa Westgate, and Clavis Publishing for the chance to read / review this story. There are elements to the story that I enjoyed. It is at times humorous and at other times strives to say something more, but in the end my conclusion on the story is "inconsistent." The story seems to lack a definitive purpose. Is it a humorous fantasy adventure for a boy and an elephant? Not quite, since the boy deceives and traps the elephant. Is it a cautionary story about the dangers of taking animals from their native habitat? Not quite, since the only reason given in the story is that the elephant "misses" his home or "it's just not the same."

There are also some rather abrupt and overly simplistic elements. "Sooner or later you will find an elephant," "after a while, when you know a lot about elephants," and "sooner or later you will find them." These events simply happen when they could have been used to share more detail about the elephants (i.e. how would you find an elephant, how would you learn about elephants, etc.).

There are positive elements to the story. There is humor. There are small elements of educational value (elephants live in Africa - although they also live in Asia). There is friendship and eventual concern for the real needs of the elephant. But I just found the book to lack unity. 2 1/2 stars.

I wanted to read this book because it reminded me of my Dad. I was always bringing home strays and being a family of animal lovers we always gave them a home. My Dad used to say "If an elephant came to the house you would keep it." He was probably right!. This book is the story of a young boy who went to Africa to find an elephant. It goes through the different things he has to do to get it home. It also shows that wild animals need to remain in the wild as this is their home and feeding ground. I found this book to be very good to teach children this fact. It is put in a way for children to understand with some humor and some reality. The pictures are very cutesy and remind me of reader books when I was younger. I recommend this book for schools, beginning readers and ages 3+.

To catch an elephant, you must find out where they live, go there, hire a guide and look for an elephant eating his breakfast. You need to follow procedures for getting him into a huge jumbo jet and bringing him home. Once there, you may discover that he doesn’t fit into your world. He will also be sad and lonely without his friends. Before long, you may discover that the best place to see an elephant is in his own habitat.

I enjoyed this book. It showed how to catch and elephant if that is your dream. It also shows how this dream is not feasible for the elephant. The story is full and easy to read. It is not a first reader book but young children will love having it read to them. I really like that it includes emotions and not just facts (i.e. the elephant is sad).

The illustrations are primarily blue watercolors since the elephant is blue. Other animals have fun colors such as the purple rhinoceros. The drawings are simplistic which only enhances their appeal. Great facial expressions with only a few pen strokes.

I recommend this book as it will be read over and over in your home.


I received an ARC from Clavis Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

A bit reminiscent in style to the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" series with asides to the reader incorporated into the text, To Catch an Elephant is cleverly written with a But, Because, Next, Then type of pattern . The subject of animals living in the wild and being free is treated cleverly and gently in terms that a pre-schooler or young child can relate to and can certainly lead to wonderful discussions about the importance of creatures remaining in their appropriate habitat. The illustrations are fairly simple with a large, sweet looking elephant on each page and they easily support the text. The story is not necessarily something new and different; however as an educator I can see using this book as a springboard for teaching young children about wild animals in different habitats. I would not use this book beyond first grade level (6-7 year olds) children, but I especially think that pre-schoolers would love the silliness in some parts of the story and enjoy it very much.

To Catch an Elephant did not grab me as a must-have for my home or classroom. A little boy sets off to catch an elephant in Africa and learns it’s best to let wild animals stay wild. I think kids may find this story fun for a read or two, but I don’t think it will be a favorite for most.

This story is very cute! The illustrations are very bright and casual and doodly. A boy decides he wants a pet elephant, and goes to Africa to get one and bring him home. Everything goes well until 2/3rds of the way through the story when the elephant starts to fade a bit. Then he brings the elephant back to his family where he belongs. This would be a great story for children who are always asking for exotic pets or wild animals, and it explains why it is best to leave them be. (They use the word “roam” and while it is a nice opportunity to expand a child’s vocabulary, the story may be served better with a different choice there.) The language is conversational which is a big hit with a lot of children. I could see this working well with storytime. There are different modes of transportation that children will recognize.

There's a lot of inherent humor in a picture book structured as a "how to". This particular book starts out as pure humor then adds in a message about the cruelty of removing animals from their natural environment. Westgate blends these ideas well and the illustrations hold a lot of appeal.

Thank you #netgallery for an eARC.

Elephants are one of my favorite animal in the world, so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I thought this was an average book. Though it had a happy ending, I did have a bit of a hard time getting past the idea of actually trapping and catching and elephant.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. Picture look like they were drawn by children. This made it more fun. It's a sad story to me, unbelievable but turns out good. Taking something out of its element to fit into your life, is never a good option. 3 1/2 stars complex issue

*thank you to Netgalley, Clavis Publishing and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

I don't know what to make of this. It wasn't what is expected and at the beginning and I was actually rather concerned as it started to seem like an animal cruelty message that was being sent. Going to Africa to capture an elephant and deport him back to the boys home.... But thankfully it ends well. The message that I got from this was simply, leave the animals alone.

I'm going to pass on this book, it's just not for me.

This adorable book tells the story of bringing home an elephant. Even though it seems like a wonderful idea and you take good care of it, you will come to realize animals are best left in the wild.

'To Catch an Elephant' with words and pictures by Vanessa Westgate is about a big dream.

If you want to catch an elephant, there are many steps involved starting with finding out where elephants live. Once you do that, you have to get there. The problems begin once you've actually caught one. You somehow have to get it home, and shelter and feed it. And maybe how this whole idea is not really what the elephant wants.

It's a cute story with a bigger message about leaving animals in their habitats. The pictures are bright and the story is easy to read.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Clavis Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I found the writing style to be a little more complicated than I would expect from a children's picture book. We read this to my almost 5 year old child and normally she loves these kinds of books. But not this one. The picture however were great ! We all loved the pictures. Thank you for netgally and publisher for the chance to read this.

I had to read this story a couple of times before working through what I actually thought about it. While I like the idea, it didn't really come across to me as either funny or serious. It felt more like an odd and almost sad mix of both.

I'm sure part of my concern was the choice of animal to capture since the poaching of elephants has been a real concern. However, I do realize it's a picture book, and the main point relates to all wildlife. Not just elephants.

The illustrations are mainly shades of blues and yellows. Though the guide that is hired to help locate an elephant drives a black and white safari-type car. The blue-haired boy who wishes to catch an elephant seems to know exactly how to do it. So he takes the reader through locating where elephants live, getting a guide, setting a trap, etc. The reader is then taken on a reverse trip to get the elephant home: going to an airport, getting the elephant a passport and making sure they get a jumbo jet and a big truck.

But when the boy sees that the elephant isn't happy, he has a big decision to make.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Concerned Me:

This message almost felt like it would have been better as a non-fiction book. But again, maybe that was due to the elephant in the story. Though I did end up reading it several times, and there were some cute pictures, I couldn't get past the sad feeling that I was left with.

I'm not sure little ones will really understand the message.

What I Liked Most:

It took me more than one read to appreciate the artwork, but it is something that will most likely catch the eye of little ones. And the bright colors and whimsical drawings are definitely cute.

I'm also a great fan of the message that this book is attempting to make.
3.5 STARS

This was a decent children's story with cute themes. The pictures were very nicely done. It was enjoyable enough, but not one that will become a favorite.

Very nice picture book about animals. Any little kid who loves elephants is going to enjoy this one for sure. Very detailed and fun to read.