An Elephant in the Garden

An epic story of determination and love, about one family’s escape from the Allied bombing of Dresden in the Second World War ‘Captivating’ Telegraph It’s 1945, and the bombing of Dresden is imminent. Before the bombs start to fall, Lizzie’s zookeeper mother brings home the one animal she can’t bear to lose: Marlene, the elephant. When Lizzie and her family join the thousands of other refugees fleeing the city, they end up with more than one unusual companion . . .

‘Its text punctuated by lovely, fluid ink and wash illustrations by Michael Foreman, it deserves a prominent place on school library bookshelves and, if there is any justice in the world, in bookshops’ Guardian ‘A thrilling and moving new novel about an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war, for anyone who loved The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips or The Butterfly Lion!’ Waterstones ‘For readers aged eight and over, this captivating novel offers an insight into how Hitler came to power, refracted through the gaze of the young narrator’ Telegraph ‘Following the stage success of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo returns with another gem in his animals in war series, An Elephant in the Garden’ Telegraph

Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain's best-loved writers for children, and has sold more than 35 million books around the world. He has written more than 150 novels and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize, the Whitbread Award and the Blue Peter Book Award, while several of his books have been adapted for stage and screen, including the global theatrical phenomenon War Horse. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005, and founded the charity Farms for City Children with his wife, Clare. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

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