Books published by publisher Laughing Elephant

Our popular series of shaped book is intended for younger readers. The books, and their texts, are brief, and the illustrations dominate the books. They serve as introductions to classic stories for early readers. Fairy Tale Favorites consists of eight fairy tales, each condensed into two colorful and delightful pages by mid-century American illustrator Florence Salter. Her illustrations for Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Chicken Little, This is the House that Jack Built, Sleeping Beauty, The Old Woman and Her Pig and The Frog Prince are simple and friendly, suitable for the youngest readers.

We are pleased to present our delightful shaped version of A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson with illustrations by Fern Bisel Peat. The collection first appeared in 1885 and has proven popular with children and their parents over the past 100 + years. We were drawn to reprint this version especially, for the appeal and high quality of the illustrations and how well they fit with the poems chosen. This version is designed specifically with the very young reader in mind, hence the bold and colorful artwork and selective offering of poems. It includes: The Lamplighter, The Land of Counterpane, Bed in Summer, My Shadow, The Swing and more.

The delightful tale of five kitty cats–one is gray, one is gold, one is white, one is striped and one is (now would you believe it) pink–and their feline adventures. These happy cats engage is such domestic pursuits as beekeeping, washing their faces and gardening. They are (unlike, I am sorry to report, real cats) kind to birds and love to slide on trees. These fashionable felines wear different adorable outfits on nearly every page. This charming book, a reproduction of a mid-century publication, is sure to be enjoyed by little girls and cat-fanciers of all ages.

Teddy bears love picnics of all kinds, and this volume gives the recipes and inspiration for a variety of picnics, including: a breakfast picnic, a picnic for a rainy day, a backyard tea party, a French picnic, and winter and birthday picnics. The recipes have all been tested, and can be prepared by children. Alexandra Day is the best-selling illustrator of the books Good Dog, Carl and The Teddy Bears' Picnic.

The timeless tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, suitable for early readers and accompanied by Milo Winter’s beautiful 1939 illustrations.The inspiring story of intrepid young Jack and his adventures with an amazing beanstalk, a scary giant, and hen that lays golden eggs has fascinated children for generations. This short retelling is suitable for young readers and perfect for parents and children to share. It is accompanied by the 1939 illustrations of Milo Winter, an American illustrator whose beautiful work is underappreciated. Winter brought warmth, wit and originality to even the most familiar of stories, a set of skills perfect for a a children’s book illustrator.

This is the third book in our series that reveals much about the life of seasonal heroes; the two previous volumes are The Truth About Snow People and The Truth About Easter Rabbits. We think we know Jack-O-Lanterns; they just sit on front porches with glowing and mysterious faces. In truth, there is far more to them than that. They are very different from one another, and some of them join our human Halloween festivities in a variety of ways. This book has been compiled by a diligent search through a century's worth of images, including postcards, calendar art, book illustrations, posters, window decorations, ephemera scraps, and more. Readers will admire Jack-O-Lanterns even more after reviewing the revelations in this book.

Alexandra Day has a knack for surprising juxtapositions. In fact, she is famous for it. She is the creator of a fierce looking Rottweiler named Carl who gently tends to an infant in a series of children’s books that began in 1985. Now comes The Fairy Dogfather. A young boy, Hector, has trouble differentiating the letters D and G. Thus when he writes a request to the universe that he needs a fairy godfather, well, the Fairy Dogfather arrives instead. The Fairy Dogfather is a big black and brown who wears a fedora and beautiful brown jacket, smokes a cigar, and isn’t at all what Hector had in mind. He uses a lot of big words, and instead of simply granting Hector’s wishes, like a regular fairy godmother, he is a rather demanding visitor. It’s understandable that a Fairy Dogfather would arrive hungry and need to check the weather report, but Hector needs a present for his Mom’s birthday right away. It looks like his benefactor isn’t going to be of much help. But in Day’s capable and witty hands the Fairy Dogfather turns out to be a forceful and enigmatic figure who manages, with subtle wit, to grant all of Hector’s wishes.

A Child’s First Sewing Book is a reproduction of an extremely useful and charming mid-century instructional sewing book for children by Jane Chapman. It is filled with illustrations and diagrams (by Walter Chapman and Jeva Cralick) that are not only delightful, but also practical. It includes a handful of simple projects that children eight and up can accomplish with little to no adult supervision, including a bookmark, beanbag and change purse. A Child’s First Sewing Book also includes instructions and diagrams on basic hand stitches, using needles, scissors, thimbles and pins, basic pattern use and more.

A book designed as a gift from any grandparent to any grandchild. All of us with grandchildren have the desire to share with them the wisdom that we have distilled from our own lives and to offer them this accompanied by loving wishes. Few of us can find the occasion ofr the words to make this gift. Welleran Poltarnees has the ability to say what we find it difficult to say, to find the right words to say it and, furthermore, the resources to beautifully illustrate each thought. Poltarnees, a grandfather himself, embodies his wishes for grandchildren in concrete images - trees in springtime to remind one of life's endless renewal, a flight of birds to represent the glory of freedom, and so on - a gift of beauty.

J.M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Wendy (and its subsequent variations) about the adventures of a boy who won't grow up and his adventures with Tinker Bell and the Darling children has challenged and delighted illustrators for over a century. Every major children's illustrator seems to have done a version of it, and when one considers the visual possibilities of the story - children flying over London, crocodiles, pirates, mermaids, and a Newfoundland dog as a nanny - it's easy to see why.We have long wanted to publish this story, and in Roy Best's 1931 The Picture Story Book of Peter Pan we've found our Peter. It isn't often that and illustrator can sustain emotional and visual impact through nearly 100 pages, but Best manages it. These illustrations, though over 80 years old, seem preternaturally modern in their coloring and style. This Peter Pan is vibrant, more Disney than Arthur Rackham, but nothing is cheap or commercial. Barrie's tale is given its full due both visually and in the text, adapted from Barrie's play.

Ha-Ha Farm is a faithful reproduction of the 1944 original by Thirma & Carlyle Leech. It is a mechanical book, for a small child, which tells the simple story of the farm, in a pleasing rhyming format. The story includes a rooster, duck, cow, a pig and donkey. The mechanical movements invite the child to help the animals move their heads to ""laugh."" A perfect gift for any child.