Rights Information

Rights available: Translation

Rights sold: Film/TV, UK (Pushkin), North America (Pajama), Hungarian (Horusz), Catalan (Pages), Italian (Salani), Chinese Simplified (Beijing White Horse Times), German (Hanser), Russian (Mann, Ivanov & Ferber), Turkish (Can Sanat Yayinlari), Greek (Papadopolous)

Marketing Information

Winner, 2018 Queensland Literary Awards – Children’s Book Award

Shortlisted, 2018 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature

Shortlisted, 2018 Children’s Book Council of Australia – Book of the Year, Younger Readers – Shortlisted

Shortlisted, 2018 Australian Book Industry Awards – Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year

Book Trailer

Reviews

A delicate, lovely story
about caregiver depression
that will validate and
empower readers.' Kirkus Review

‘Ultimately, it’s a story about the empathetic and resilient Olive and her ability to find joy in unlikely places. It is highly recommended for young readers aged six and up.’ Books+Publishing

‘Sprinkled with humour and endearing illustrations, The Elephant is a must read. It will not rip your heart in two with unchecked tragedy. It will, however, massage it firmly and then fill it with gladness. I can’t love this enough.’ Boomerang Books

‘This book is a rare treasure.’ Bookity Boo blog

‘The Elephant is an essential read for ages seven and up, and we recommend this be a family read – first, to answer any questions, and secondly, because we guarantee no adult will want to miss out on this brilliantly written book.’ Better Reading Kids

‘There is much to enjoy and savour here: a rich theme, carefully realised characters, delicate line drawings, a satisfying story, gentle humour and sensitive careful language.’ The CBCA’s Reading Time

‘This book is so very special.’ Momo Celebrating Time to Read blog

‘The Elephant is a gentle exploration of family issues associated with depression, told through the eyes of a child, in such a way that readers will gain understanding and empathy’ The Sunday Telegraph

Author Biography

Peter Carnavas grew up in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He became a primary school teacher and it was during this time that he began to immerse himself in picture books. His first book, Jessica’s Box, was shortlisted for the 2008 Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and the 2009 CBCA Crichton Award for Emerging Illustrators. He has since written and illustrated many picture books, which have been translated into German, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch. Peter lives on the Sunshine Coast with his wife, two daughters and a scruffy dog that occasionally escapes.