How much trouble can one elephant cause? One hot summer's day nine-year-old Sarah goes to the grocery store…and comes home with an elephant. Owning an elephant is not without its challenges — he has trouble fitting through doorways, knocks over everything in sight, is allergic to the neighbour's cat and cowers at the sight of a mouse. But he also has a knack for arranging flowers and keeping Sarah company.

And it's because of the elephant that Sarah meets her new next door neighbour and makes her first real friend. It's because of the elephant that Sarah's mother starts spending more time with her. In fact, despite the destruction, just about everything good that happens is because of the elephant. It turns out that every home, and every nine-year-old girl, does need an elephant.

A story about friendship, adventure and never being afraid to be yourself, this hybrid graphic novel is the perfect introduction to chapter books for all the young animal-lovers in your life. (From Orca Book Publishers)

Based in the United Kingdom, Jane Heinrichs is a Canadian children's book writer and the illustrator for The World Around Us series and the Princess Angelica series.