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Strictly No Elephants Cover

Strictly No Elephants

(9781481416474)

Written by Lisa Mantchev

Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

Published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Theme/topic: Friendship, Inclusion, and Persistence

This heartwarming book talks about friendship, inclusion, and embracing differences. The book follows a young boy and his tiny pet elephant as they excitedly approach a pet club meeting, only to be turned away by a sign that reads “Strictly No Elephants.” Undeterred, the boy and his elephant set out to create their own inclusive club, welcoming all kinds of pets and friends.

This uplifting story encourages children to practise personal and social skills to interact respectfully with others (AC9HPFP02 – Foundation Year, Health and Physical Education). Through the experiences of the main character and his elephant, young readers can identify characters who have been excluded, explore the reasons behind their exclusion, and discuss how others could have acted more inclusively. The book’s gentle message, paired with its expressive illustrations, reinforces the value of belonging and the power of creating welcoming spaces for everyone. Strictly No Elephants is an inspiring read that fosters empathy, emotional intelligence, and social awareness in young readers.

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Curriculum Alignment:

  • These AC codes are suggested purely based on the book’s content and are provided for reference only.

AC9HPFP02 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Foundation): Practise personal and social skills to interact respectfully with others

• explaining their reasons and actions in response to challenging situations in shared play experiences
• identifying characters in texts who have been excluded from a group, exploring why they have been excluded and discussing how other characters could have been more inclusive
• cooperating, collaborating and negotiating with others when participating in physical activities to achieve agreed outcomes
• identifying behaviours that may be disrespectful and cause hurt or harm to others during play

“A sunny, smart, tongue-in-cheek tale.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Sweet and affirming.” —Kirkus Reviews
“With a gentle message of inclusion and helping others, this title reaches beyond a mere friendship story.”—School Library Journal
“Heartening.”—Booklist

In this bestselling and internationally beloved picture book, the local Pet Club won’t admit a boy’s tiny pet elephant, so he finds a solution—one that involves all kinds of unusual animals.

Today is Pet Club day. There will be cats and dogs and fish, but strictly no elephants are allowed. The Pet Club doesn’t understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. Now it is time for a boy and his tiny pet elephant to show them what it means to be a true friend.

Strictly No Elephants has been sold around the world and is heralded as a pitch-perfect book about inclusion. Imaginative and lyrical, this sweet story captures the magic of friendship and the joy of having a pet.

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