It was a little bit too cute, but I can see the appeal it would have for younger children who are the intended audience.

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

I loved this one. Great, unique illustrations. A fun story line. And an elephant!

A cute story about friendship and difference sure to appeal to kids and adults alike (because who doesn't love an elephant?!).

A sweet book for your young children. My son loves elephants and this was a perfect book for our collection

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a very cute picture book that kids will really enjoy especially if they like elephants. Lovely illustrations and a easy to follow story.

A wonderful tale beautifully illustrated! I am SO in love with this little book! Go out and get it for your children! They will LOVE Humperdink, and so will you!

Humperdink the elephant is a new classmate and he joins in with the children having fun doing all sorts of activities. Unfortunately, due to his size and strength, everything he tries to do causes problems. The children feel bad because they know it's not Humperdink's fault, so they ask him what he likes to play. They start doing things he likes to do and have a great time with lots of laughter and joy.

This is an adorable book with a great message. It gently introduces children to inclusion, and that children's differences may require them to find a different way to play and do things, but that they will still have a lot of fun. What a great book for a family, classroom or school library. I liked the illustrations and thought Humperdink was adorable. I read this to my grandchildren and my grandson thought it was a fun story, but was worried about the torn dress up clothes and broken slide. He loved the idea of playing with an elephant though. I am not sure if he grasped the message of inclusion and differences, but he was able to identify some kids in his class who were like Humperdink and broke stuff in the classroom. He still wanted to be their friend though.

The Story:
The children at playgroup enjoy lots of fun games and love their slide but when Humperdink, a baby elephant, arrives they soon realise that he’s not going to be able to join in their games (the slide doesn’t last long!). The children rally together and show great determination to find a game they can all enjoy and they soon discover a game that is beyond their wildest imaginations…

Favourite Spread:
Sean’s descriptions of playgroup ring so true and Claire has really captured the playgroup/nursery feel as well as seamlessly switching to playing in the garden-come-jungle! My favourite spread was definitely the arrival of Humperdink – how can it not bring a smile to your face?!

The Verdict:
This is such a happy and playful book. I love how natural both the writing and illustrations make the arrival of a baby elephant – it lifts the book and adds another layer of fun. There is a great message underlying this book and I think it is great to read with children either starting nursery or playgroup or even school.

I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

'Humperdink Our Elephant Friend' by Sean Taylor with illustrations by Claire Alexander is a picture book about a preschool class with a new and very large student.

When baby elephant Humperdink comes to playgroup and wants to play, the kids are happy to have him join in. Unfortunately, Humperdink is not very good at hide and seek, and he manages to break the kids favorite slide. The kids adapt and find new ways for Humperdink to play with them.

The story is a kind of teaching about finding ways to include those who are different, even if they don't look like an adorable baby elephant. The illustrations have a soft vintage look that I really liked.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A very sweet book about playing together and understanding that not everyone can play the same games. The illustrations are cute and compliment the story well.

I want to thank #netgalley for giving me a copy of #HumperdinkOurElephantFriend to review. This was a cute story about fitting in. Humperdink is an elephant so he doesn't quite fit in to what everyone else can do, but that doesn't mean he can't be your friend. The illustrations are cute and the story is perfect for lower elementary.

I love everything about this wordless picture book! Firstly, the illustrations are beautiful. Secondly, it gently introduces children to how while differences in one another may necessitate a new way of playing, it can be fun. Inclusion can be a difficult subject to approach with the very young, and this book is a valuable addition to the toolbox.

This was very cute and the illustrations really bring a lot of emotion to the story. It was fun flipping through the pages and I think this would be a cute gift for a baby shower or something similar, especially if it were elephant themed.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sean Taylor has written a cute, adorable children’s book. We enjoyed reading!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Humperdink in exchange for an honest opinion.

Hmmm… I had to sit and think about this book and my thoughts concerning it – for almost longer than it took to read. I suppose, with the help of another review, I do see the elephant as metaphor for the new kid in class – that newbie at the school who doesn't at first seem to fit in, until he can show his imaginative powers. If that's not the case, then it is a bonkers story of a kindergarten which gains an elephant who's hopeless at joining in by dint of being, er, a pachyderm, but who takes the kids illicitly to a jungle where they all have fun together (TRIGGER POINT!!)). Now, many books can be too simplistic, but why pick this one when many others have the clarity both the junior and the adult audience deserve? This will be passable entertainment until the young reader works out that it makes little literal sense – beyond which the lovely illustrations will be well-thumbed, but no help.

Two and a half stars, as the artist deserves a lot of credit.

Cute illustrations but story wasn’t quite as good as the illustrations sadly

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I'm really torn about my feelings on this book. While the illustrations are adorable, I almost feel like the elephant is representing an overweight child in the beginning. The end does have us with an elephant in the jungle, but the beginning seemed way too symbolic of a new kid at school who happens to be overweight.

This is sort of a middle-of-the-road picture book for me. It's cute, but the story is a little too simple for my taste and there are a few technical issues with the writing.

I do kind of like the illustrations. They almost give the book a vintage sort of feel. But the diverse array of children depicted kind of give away the fact that this isn't a book from the 1960s. Humperdink the baby elephant is pretty cute himself, although one does need to suspend a bit of disbelief to imagine that a giant pachyderm was allowed into a playgroup with toddlers.

The story is fairly basic. When the elephant joins the playgroup, the kids try to teach him their favourite activities. But he can't fit into the dress-up clothes, he's terrible at hiding, and--oh, no!--he breaks the kids' favourite slide. With nothing to do, the kids ask Humperdink to show them what he enjoys... and he ends up taking them on an elephant-walk into the "jungle" outside. (I wasn't sure about this part at first. After reading it again, it seems to be an imaginary jungle, but since having an elephant in the playgroup is already pretty fantastical, I thought at first that the jungle might be real.)

This book could've used one more pass of an editor's red pen. I don't know why (maybe because someone thought it looked smarter), but words like "everyone" and "anymore" are separated into two words. Unfortunately, this changes the meaning and makes the sentences clunky and confusing. So I had to take off some points there. (This wouldn't be an issue if one was reading aloud to kids, though, so keep that in mind.)

Overall, I wasn't blown away by Humperdink Our Elephant Friend, but it's entertaining enough and will probably appeal to small children. Adults, however, will probably leave with at least one unanswered question: Did the grownups in charge ever fix the kids' slide?

Run out and buy this today! I was just approved to read Humperdink Our Elephant Friend and it could not have been a better reading experience! The illustrations were adorable and fun, the story was cute and touching - everything was just great about it!

Humperdink joins a classroom of children having fun doing all sorts of activities and wants to play too. Unfortunately, due to his size and strength, everything the kids normally do with each other is hard to do with an elephant (ie play dress up). The kids feel bad because they know it's not Humperdink's fault, so they ask Humperdink to play doing things he likes to do. A total blast ensues and the reader is treated to joy from everyone.

I will absolutely be buying this for my daughter. She will love this addition to her library.

Thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures and Sean Taylor for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review!

Review Date: 5/14/19
Publication Date: 5/14/19