Recently Alex Bell reviewed Demon Dentist, the sixth children's book by the phenomenally successful David Walliams. THE Slightly ANNOYING ELEPHANT is his first picture book and is illustrated by the exceptional Tony Ross.
THE Slightly ANNOYING ELEPHANT tells the story of a young boy, Samwho opens the front door (when his mother is out!) to discover a large elephant on his doorstep. The elephant invites himself into the house and mayhem ensues. The illustrations are hilarious and very engaging for young children but I didn't find the narrative as appealing. For example, the following quote simply doesn't make sense:
"I am hungry," demanded the the elephant.
"demanded" is used becasue a different verb is used after each piece of dialogue.
The conclusion of THE Slightly ANNOYING ELEPHANT is: "He should have read the small print" – try explaining that concept to a pre-schooler.
So I found THE Slightly ANNOYING ELEPHANT slightly irritating. Harriet said she loved it – must be the way I read 'em!
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books The Slightly Annoying Elephant