Lizzie and Karls mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals dont run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead. When the city is bombed, the family flees with thousands of others, but how can they walk the same route when they have an elephant in tow, and keep themselves safe? Along the way, they meet Peter, a Canadian navigator who risks his own capture to save the family. As Michael Morpurgo writes in an authors note,?An Elephant in the Garden is inspired by historical truths, and by his admiration for elephants, the noblest and wisest and most sensitive of all creatures. Here is a story that brings together an unlikely group of survivors whose faith in kindness and love proves the best weapon of all.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Grades 3-5 category by the Kentucky Blue Grass Award. It was recognised in the Intermediate category by the Nevada Young Readers' Award. It also was recognised by the Texas Lone Star.

This book has been graded for interest at 10-14 years.

There are 208 pages in this book. This book was published 2011 by Feiwel & Friends .

Michael Morpurgo has brought together poems by writers as diverse as Spike Milligan and Stevie Smith, John Lennon and Jo Shapcott.