Help find this book!

November 24, 2008 4:21 PM

I have been searching for this book for about 35 years, guess I need some help.

Sometime between like 1968 and 1973 I had a children s book that I loved.

It was about an elephant in a large metropolitan area, possibly new york city. The drawings were black and white, pen and inks somewhat in the style of Shel Silverstein, not has hectic.

It had an yellow orange colored cover, it was approx 8 x 10 in landscape mode. I believe it was a chapter book with a fair amount of illustration in it. I believe there were full page spreads in artwork. I loved the book very much and on numerous occasions over the past ten years I have tried to relocate it. I have spoken to many librarians who specialize in childrens work and I never get anywhere.

A number of year ago I thought I had found t author in the name of J.P. Martin and purchased one of his out of print books, only to discover that it was not the person I was looking for.

I am sure that my memory has some gaps in it, but I am also sure that this book existed. Any guidance on how to one day finalize this search appreciated.

posted by silsurf to media & arts (14 comments total)

This is maybe too obvious, but it's not Babar, is it?
posted by peggynature at 4:26 PM on November 24, 2008

Floyd, The Tiniest Elephant?
posted by kittyb at 4:34 PM on November 24, 2008

abe books online is a great place to search this sort of thing. They have a forum as well.
posted by scarello at 4:35 PM on November 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

It is definitely not Barbar, though I loved Barbar as a child as well. I believe it is out of print or I would have stumbled onto it already. I will looking into "Floyd"

Thanks
posted by silsurf at 4:39 PM on November 24, 2008

Sounds like babar to me too. Reading the Uncle books should be compensation though :-).
posted by idb at 4:43 PM on November 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nope, not Floyd either, here is JP Martin's work cover. I would swear it is him, but it is not as far as I know

JP Martin "Uncle"
posted by silsurf at 4:43 PM on November 24, 2008

The Elephant and the Bad Baby?
posted by runincircles at 4:48 PM on November 24, 2008

Is it by chance the Brave Baby Elephant books by Sesyle Johnson?
posted by skewedoracle at 5:01 PM on November 24, 2008

The illustrator of the Uncle books is Quentin Blake, who has worked on hundreds of books, and several involving elephants who aren't Uncle.
posted by scruss at 7:25 PM on November 24, 2008

The JP Martin book "Uncle" came in several editions with covers drawn by Quentin Blake. Here's another one with the colors you remember.
posted by carmicha at 7:26 PM on November 24, 2008

I am pretty sure the illustrator was Quentin Blake, but now to find the book itself.

Thanks,

Henry
posted by silsurf at 7:48 PM on November 24, 2008

The folks at Books of Wonder have been a great help in finding book info before if you haven't tried them yet.
posted by mikepop at 6:03 AM on November 25, 2008

The Uncle stories were also collected into a longer book - several hundred pages at least. Check out this cool account by David Langford of Neil Gaiman, Diane Duane and others geeking out on fond recollections of the books.
posted by clerestory at 8:18 AM on November 25, 2008

The First Elephant Comes to Ireland?
posted by Cygnet at 10:53 AM on November 25, 2008