Cover Characteristics: Book Covers featuring Elephants

 
 

A lot of the covers I found this week aren’t my usual type of covers, and I’m pretty sure quite a few of them aren’t sci-fi/fantasy, but elephants is just an awesome topic! So I wanted to join in anyway.

You know, I always say I have a story for everything, but it turns out I do not have any stories about elephants. I mean, I’ve read some interesting/funny/awesome things involving elephants in circus books, true things even, but I have no personal stories. They seem like pretty amazing creatures though! Now go enjoy the covers I found 🙂


Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted at Sugar & Snark. This week’s topic is:

Books Covers featuring Elephants

 
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley | reading, books
That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard | reading, books
A Circus of Brass and Bone by Abra SW | reading, books
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo | reading, books
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate | reading, books
Hide the Elephant by Jonathan Dunne | books, reading, book covers
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo | reading, books
The Emperor's Elephant by Tim Severin | reading, books
Little Elephants by Graeme Base | reading, books
What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein | reading, books
 

Pin the Collage!


 

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

Pretty colors!

 

Little Elephants by Graeme Base

Little Elephants by Graeme Base | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants

How adorable—I totally want a little mini elephant now!

 

The Emperor’s Elephant by Tim Severin

The Emperor's Elephant by Tim Severin | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

You know it’s about to get real when the emperor has an elephant fighting for his side.

 

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DeCamillo

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

This definitely looks magical!

 

Hide the Elephant by Jonathan Dunne

Hide the Elephant by Jonathan Dunne | books, reading, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

This one also just looks kind of magical and whimsical.

 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

Aside from the obnoxious gold sticker thing, this cover is so cute.

 

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

This one is just so pretty.

 

A Circus of Brass and Bone by Abra SW

A Circus of Brass and Bone by Abra SW | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

I love unique this is with the skeletal-looking elephant!

 

That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard

That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

I’ve always thought this cover was gorgeous and has such a magical, old-school circus feel.

 

My Favorite:
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 

I don’t often read middle-grade, but I can’t deny that they sometimes have the best covers! This is awesome artwork and looks so interesting!

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Which book cover with elephants is YOUR favorite?

Book Covers featuring Elephants | reading, books, book covers, cover love, elephants
 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

55 thoughts on “Cover Characteristics: Book Covers featuring Elephants

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  1. Greg

    Nice picks! That Time I Joined The Circus is clearly my favorite, I like the whole scene. An Elephant in the Garden is probably my runner up.

    and yes I’ve seen some amazing middle grade covers lately. I’m not really into MG’s that much but they do have some nice covers…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! I was tempted to pick that as my favorite, I like the whole scene too. Elephant in the garden is a nice one too.

      Seriously, I’m not much into MG either, but sometimes the covers make me tempted because they’re so bright and eye-catching.

  2. Nannetter Demmler

    I hadn’t seen that cover for Circus Mirandus. I really like it! Middle grade books almost always have the best covers. I sometimes buy a book just because I know the kids will pick it up because the cover is so awesome.

  3. suzanna

    Oh, That Night I Joined the Circus is gorgeous and I like the Magician’s Elephant too.
    If you find a mini-elephant, I want one as well lol

    1. Kristen Burns

      I love that one! And I do really like the Magician’s Elephant with it’s floating over the audience and everything. If I ever find mini elephants, you will be first on the list to get one 😉

  4. Mareli Thalwitzer

    Cover Characteristics! Whoo hoooooo!! I will do mine right now. See, this is why we need a blog roll, I’m sure I might have forgotten all about it. I’m still forgetting quite a lot of things… But luckily there are gorgeous bloggers like you to remind me!

    I like What elephants know the most. And then The magicians elephant.

    Love your collection! It looks so pretty!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, you gotta join back up with CC! I’m pretty sporadic with it though, some topics are too difficult. You’ll get the hang of blogging again 🙂

      Those two are such pretty ones, and thank you!!

      1. Mareli Thalwitzer

        Finally have mine up! Was a bit hectic yesterday and this morning. I actually want to start working again as well, so I’m sorting out worksheets and stuff as well. BUT really glad to be back at blogging….

    1. Kristen Burns

      It’s so aggravating when they put those award sticker things or whatever they are on covers. “I love when half the cover is blocked!” said no bookworm ever.

  5. sjhigbee

    What a lovely lot of covers:). And yes… while I was tempted with Skelly Ellie – I have to agree with your choice. You’re right – often childen’s covers are wonderful.

  6. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I agree that middle grade cover is spectacular. I love everything about it and you are right, middle grade books do have some of the best covers. I own a copy of The One and Only Ivan but I’m pretty sure it will make me cry so I haven’t read it yet. I love elephants and am glad they finally removed them from the circus. They should be able to live happy lives and not be ruled by man. Great covers this week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m always coming across MG books and being sad that I can’t request them because I want those pretty covers! (I mean, I could request them, but I don’t actually want to read MG.) Aww, I didn’t realize the Ivan book was sad? But yeah, treatment of animals in the circus used to be awful. Thanks!

  7. Julie @ Happily Ever Chapter

    Ohh this is a fun topic! I’ve actually never heard of any of these either. The only book I can think of off the top of my head that has anything to do with elephants is Water For Elephants. lol! But I don’t remember seeing one on the cover!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I had to do quite a bit of searching to find these lol. I also thought of Water for Elephants but didn’t realize there was a movie cover version with an elephant, and the original cover has no elephant, so I didn’t use it.

  8. Cait @ Paper Fury

    I didn’t even realise elephants were so popular for covers! I LOVE ELEPHANTS SO MUCH OMG. They are the utter best. ? And the What Elephants Know is absolutely my favourite pick. The colours are just so gorgeous.

  9. Geybie's Book Blog

    Great post, Kristen. I agree with you about middle-grade covers; they are awesome.
    Honestly, I usually cannot remember book covers, except from the books that I love. But, it’s hard when authors constantly change their covers.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! I’m kinda jealous the middle-grade readers get such great covers 😉

      I notice covers a lot more since I started doing this meme, but I don’t memorize too many covers either. I just look through my books and save covers for these posts when I find them 🙂

  10. Dragonfly @ Our Familiarium

    Unfortunately elephants images are often related to menageries and circuses [shuddering] in my mind. Maybe because that was the only way I go to see them live. Menageries is the reason I don’t like circuses and zoos because I don’t like caged animals 🙁 BUT they are definitely one of the most fantastic animals on earth. I heart elephants so much! The Magician’s Elephant has to be my favorite. So cute! The other are awesome too so it was a hard pick 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, there has been some terrible treatment of animals in circuses, I will agree with you on that. Elephants are amazing creatures though! I love that one. It’s so whimsical how the elephant is floating over the crowd lol.

  11. Angela

    I never realized there were so many covers with elephants on them! Some of these are so adorable! I especially like The One and Only Ivan!

  12. Lola

    When i saw the topic was elephants I actually couldn’t think of any covers with elephants on them that I’ve seen. So I am impressed you managed to find so many of them! You sure found some pretty ones. I think the cover for That Time I joined the Circus is my favorite of these, it has a bit of magical feel with the circus in the back and it’s such a pretty cover. I like to read MG now and then and I do agree they have some great covers, I like seeing the artwork for those covers. The Circus Mirandus cover is really nice too!

    1. Kristen Burns

      This was one of the harder topics for me! Thanks 🙂 That Time I Joined the Circus is such a pretty one. MG books really do get amazing covers sometimes with such great, often whimsical artwork!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! This was a harder topic for me. Circus Mirandus was a bit of luck since I already knew about that one before this topic 😛 I love that cover too though!

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