The Slightly Annoying Elephant

by David Walliams

The Slightly Annoying Elephant

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Walliams is an actor and writer best known for his work with Matt Lucas in the multi-award-winning sketch show Little Britain. His debut children's novel, The Boy in the Dress, was published in 2008 to unanimous critical acclaim and he has since developed a reputation as a natural successor to Roald Dahl.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Slightly Annoying Elephant was a clever and funny book, like all David Walliams books. But, also like all David Walliams books, they're a bit mean-spirited and defeatist. I suspect he sold his soul to the devil, for the ability to write like Roald Dahl. Unfortunately, it's that precise lack of humanity in his writing that will hold him back from ever being a truly great children's author.

[Rebecca Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy, Sam, who has an elephant unexpectedly turn up on his doorstep. The elephant is annoying and frustrates Sam with his many difficult traits around the house.

I enjoyed reading ‘The Slightly Annoying Elephant’ and I really love the fun, lively illustrations by Tony Ross. The story is simple and easy to follow with lots of exaggerated text and pictures which children will love.

I think this book would be suitable for children aged 4-7 years old, with children slightly older being able to read it independently. It would make a great story-time read in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 as it is light-hearted and funny. The humour is obvious and therefore easily accessible for young children to grasp. With the book being really well illustrated it can be accessed by young children who may not necessarily be able to read yet (and children with English as an additional language), allowing them to follow the story line amongst other children. The language used in the book has also been kept simple; children will be able to independently read the majority of the book using their phonetic knowledge. There is a lot of descriptive text in the story which would be great to introduce in a Literacy lesson where children are beginning to use adjectives in their writing. This book would also make a good topic for discussion about feelings and emotion; for example, ‘how do you think Sam felt when…?’

This is another David Walliams book I think young children will thoroughly enjoy reading; it is warm, funny and light-hearted!

[Greenglasses · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very funny book about a boy who accidentally adopts an elephant and his freinds

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, entertaining story with an unexpected finish. My students were shocked at how rude the elephant was & loved predicting who/what could be behind the second "knock, knock, knock."

[Kalilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I have developed a slight phobia of elephants.
My nephew has taken to referring to me as 'Silly Girl!'
I do my best to remind him that he is in fact a 'SILLY BOY!'

[Reetta Saine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shit happens :). Elämänohjeita niille, jotka eivät jaksa lukea pientä printtiä.

[CamrynW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my little borthers

[✨ Aaron Jeffery ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

was this a top tier novel? no.
did I have a silly, goofy time listening to the audiobook? yes.

[Móňa · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, kdybych byla malé dítě, asi by se mi to líbilo, ale teď moc ne. Jako jo, ukáže to, že si člověk má číst malé písmo, ale moc mě to neoslovilo. Kdybych to nemusela číst kvůli škole, nečetla bych to.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read anything David writes fr I love him so much

[Brady Samlick]

Pov your Mrs sherley

[Christian West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam fills out an 'Adopt An Elephant' form at the zoo and ends up with an elephant at his home.

A cute book and well illustrated.

[Marijana Milutinović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baš je blesava! :)

[Iqra Fiaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read with children, brought to live with the bright colours and exaggerated speech of the elephant. Funny voices would really engage children.

[Pally Chohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The slightly annoying elephant is a fantastic story written by the hilarious David Walliams. Walliams has moved away from the usual style of his novels to a short story which younger readers can enjoy. This is guaranteed to become a classic. The story is about an elephant who comes to stay with Sam, after Sam fills out a form to adopt an elephant at the zoo. As you can guess from the title the elephant is ‘slightly annoying’, in the way that he behaves and how he just assumes that he has control of the house, ruining the house and having no care for the mess he makes.

The story is short, yet it is not short on humour, and with the amount of cross curricular activities you can do from this short story. Geography activities on the story could investigate where elephants live, and the countries he crossed on his route to Sam’s house. The literacy links could include story writing focusing on the elephant’s thoughts or feelings. Or a letter of complaint to the zoo for the misunderstanding Sam has found himself in. For a drama activity children can act out conversations between Sam and his mother. Art activities could include showing different variations of elephants or pictures representing the activities the elephant does.

I would recommend this for emergent readers or children who do not enjoy reading for pleasure as a good introduction to David Walliams.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The colours in this book are really bright and I think that makes it perfectly suited to younger children. The things that the elephant gets up to make the story amusing and would make it really fun to read aloud to a class. The font style changes when the elephant speaks to be big and bold which helps develop the character and bring him to life. A great book that could really engage young children.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Walliams' latest book is his first picture book, that is fun and easy to follow, with loads of exaggerated text and lively, colourful pictures by Tony Ross.

[Sofia Brito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. A little boy adopted an elephant and he turns out at his doorstep. Read it several times to my reading group and they absolutely love it. It's always a treat for our reward time.

[Arja-täti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyllytyslukemista.
Loppu oli kyllä epäkuvakirjamainen. Pitääkö tässä jäädä suureen ahdistukseen.

[Gillian Spencer-Smyrk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me and my son really enjoyed this book together

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like how it teaches you to read fine print at the end of the forms you fill in.
(otherwise a slightly annoying book)

[Polly]

A wonderfully illustrated book - like tiger came to tea on steroids

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had this on audio…. Great little book, made me laugh…..

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from David Walliams.

[Linda (bythebellbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Slightly Annoying Elephant" by David Walliams is a children's book that I would rate 3 out of 5 stars. While it has its moments of humor and charm, there are also some aspects that left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.

One of the highlights of the book is its premise - an unexpected visit from an elephant that claims to be slightly annoying. The concept is unique and intriguing, and it sets up the story for some humorous interactions between the elephant and the main character, Sam. The illustrations by Tony Ross are also colorful and appealing, adding to the overall visual appeal of the book.

The book is written in a simple and accessible style, making it suitable for young readers. The pacing is generally good, with a brisk pace that keeps the story moving along. The humor is quirky and offbeat, which may appeal to certain readers who enjoy that type of humor.

However, there were also some aspects of the book that didn't quite hit the mark for me. While the premise was interesting, I found the execution of the story to be somewhat predictable and lacking in depth. The characters, including Sam and the elephant, felt somewhat one-dimensional, and I found it difficult to fully connect with them on an emotional level.

Additionally, while the humor had its moments, there were times when it felt forced and repetitive, which dampened my overall enjoyment of the book. I also felt that the resolution of the story was somewhat rushed and could have been more developed to provide a more satisfying conclusion.

On the positive side, the book does touch upon themes of friendship and loyalty, and it encourages readers to embrace unexpected adventures and appreciate the value of different perspectives. It also has a positive message about accepting others, even if they may be slightly annoying at times.

In conclusion, "The Slightly Annoying Elephant" by David Walliams is an okay read with some humorous moments and a unique premise. While it may entertain young readers who appreciate offbeat humor, it may not fully captivate older readers or those looking for a more complex and nuanced story. Overall, I would rate it 3 out of 5 stars, as it has its merits but also some areas for improvement.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam goes to the zoo and adopts an elephant, completely unaware that the elephant is going to turn up on his doorstep and expect to be looked after. Sam invites the elephant in but he causes lots of problems like breaking Sam's bike and eating all the food. I think FS and KS1 children would find the book funny however there isn't much of a message. I think if Sam and the elephant had become friends and the elephant had realised how to be a good friend, the book would have been much better. Children could discuss in partners, in role of Sam and the elephant, how they could have behaved if they were being good friends. The children could also write a letter from the elephant to Sam, apologising for the trouble he caused, telling Sam how he would be a better friend in the future.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After adopting an elephant at a zoo, an elephant turns up on Sam’s doorstep.

The elephant does everything a human guest would do - have a nap, have some food, have a bath, do some exercise, but as a very large elephant, it doesn’t go all that well. Ending up with him inviting a whole herd of elephants over to Sams house.

Children would find this book humerus, and it complements ‘You can’t take an Elephant on the Bus’ by Patricia Cleveland-Peck quite well as the elephant goes on a plane and on a bike which clearly isn’t the best modes of transport for an elephant.
At the end Sam realises he should’ve read the small print - similar to how many people accept terms and conditions without reading them- a nod towards the parents reading the book with their children.

[Alice Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous book about a cheeky elephant who comes to stay in Sam's house and begins to take over! Children can join in the repeated phrase "no, silly boy" and predict what the terrible elephant might do next. My only issue with this book is that the elephant doesn't learn about the consequences of his actions, and so if I was to do this book with young children I would make it clear that the elephant is in the wrong. We would write our own endings about what Sam could do to make the elephant understand his wrongdoings and make it up to Sam, for example buying him a new bike. Nevertheless, it is a fun book that Reception and year 1 children would enjoy.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one I think the kids enjoy more than I did personally, though it wasn't a bad one either. There's a good bit of humor, and the illustrations are bright and fun. There just wasn't that extra spark that made it one of my favorites. Still, I can see using it in an older (not toddler) storytime, especially ones on manners (what should the elephant do when...?), travel/visitors, or - duh - elephants. Besides having some fun Silly Voice Potential, the different text sizes would be great for emphasizing different literacy concepts - text recognition, character voices, etc.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first David Walliams book. I'm a sucker for a dryly humorous title like this one, and also for stories about animals. Just... Maybe not stories about annoying animals, as it turns out. This elephant is much more than "slightly" annoying, by the way, but really... I mean, it's a good modern day fable about always reading the fine print. Though I have to admit that Jeremy's review really hits the nail square on the head - while amusing, there's a "mean" undercurrent to it that takes away from my enjoyment.