The Slightly Annoying Elephant: A funny illustrated children’s picture book from number-one bestselling author David Walliams!

Product Information

The Octavoce ensemble present 'a whirlwind a cappella trip through our favourite Disney tunes' in 100 Years of Disney at Leith Arches. Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Palmerston Place Church: A Spoonful of Songs features 'some of the most iconic songs from films like Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Prince of Egypt', while Her Majesty's Musicals celebrate 'the rule and reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, featuring songs from musicals that have played Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End –including Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom and West Side Story'. AXIOM–'11 incredible singers ready to take your breath away'–present Fundamentals of A Cappella at Paradise Green.

The Slightly Annoying Elephant has been adapted for stage by London's award-winning puppeteers, Little Angel Theatre from the David Walliams book of the same name, illustrated by Tony Ross. The elephant arrives unexpectedly on protagonist Sam’s doorstep creating mayhem in its wake. House of Oz invites you to meet ' Maureen: a razor-tongued self-described "working-class glamour queen" with outrageous stories to tell'. Thorns at Laughing Horse is a 'reimagining' of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on the voices of the heroine, 'her daughter and the queen who sought her destruction'. At Hill Street Theatre and online, Auto-Engrain: A One-Woman Show'relays experiences from speed-dating to how a toxic relationship can be engrained'. We Must Do This More at The Royal Scots Club is 'a one-woman show with original songs and poetry, exploring the life of a burnt-out millennial, struggling to prioritise her best friend'. Registered in England and Wales No: 1681278. Registered office 2 Tony Wilson Place Manchester M15 4FN. Original songs have been created to add to the action, but ultimately the piece drags and loses pace. The audience fidget and lose interest as the actions of the elephant become increasingly unkind. A section regarding the destruction of Sam's new shiny red bicycle, leaves audience members uncomfortable and twitchy. It isn’t just the elephant’s shape and size, though. His character is fairly hard to stomach too. Puppeteer Elaine Hartley plays the elephant with grumpy gusto but he’s a horrible bully with a horrible catchphrase, boomed out in a horrible voice (“Silly boooooy!”). That leaves the kids with very little to latch on to. Heidi Goldsmith is perfectly likable as Sam, particularly when she sings Tom Gray’s catchy new songs, but her performance feels a little forced. In fact, there’s something about Samantha Lane’s production that feels a little overblown. It’s too loud, too bright and too brash – especially for a theatre where subtle detail and gentle charm tend to work so well.

Singing in both French and English, Christine Bovill honours Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy and more' in Paris: From Piaf to Pop at Loretto School Theatre. In Poesie Geht Ohne Schuh (Poetry Walks Without Shoes), 'poems of Rilke, Eichendorff and more are set to music and performed by Christoph Hilger and Janet de Vigne' at Old Saint Paul's Church. Australian entertainer, singer and pianist Antony (DrH) Hubmayer presents An Unwasted Evening – The Genius of Tom Lehrer at artSpace@StMarks. Kissing a Fool is 'a queer clown-cabaret musical tribute to George Michael' - catch it at Frankenstein Pub. Wela Kapela Productions present two biographical shows at theSpaceUK: A Star Is Born – The Rise and Fall of Judy Garland charts the life of 'Hollywood's brightest star', while Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved is a multimedia cabaret depicting Van Gogh as 'a complex man with a ruthless drive to create'. Gilded Balloon and Little Angel Theatre present The Slightly Annoying Elephant, a production 'based on David Walliams's hilarious book', while James and the Giant Peach at Greenside is 'a fabulous retelling of Roald Dahl's classic peachy tale'. At Palmerston Place Church, Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story tells the story of the famed athlete and his struggle to stay true to his principles at the Olympic Games of 1924. 'David Hume and Adam Smith, titans of The Scottish Enlightenment and the dearest of friends, grieve –for old age and disease separate them, perhaps for eternity' in Enquiry Concerning Hereafter at Panmure House. Set during the French Revolution, The Madwoman at Paradise Green follows Théroigne de Méricourt, who 'spends her final days crafting her life's great work, an opera about the revolution she never left behind'. Ludmilla Dabo and David Lescot star in A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone at the French Institute in Scotland. With the Edinburgh Festival Fringe just around the corner, we take a look at some of the top shows not to miss

Today, Thursday 11 May, we're delighted to announce that more shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com. Poor Sam becomes overwhelmed by the large, hungry, antique-loving, cycling-enthusiast elephant, who has swindled his way into his home via a dodgy animal adoption contract. What Sam really needs is some kind sole to provide legal guidance like the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. The action spirals into 40 minutes of increasing misery for Sam. A slightly annoying elephant, of course! One day Sam gets a very big surprise as a tired, hungry, antique-loving, cycling enthusiast elephant turns up on his doorstep. Adopting an elephant at the zoo turned out to be a lot more than he bargained for as he didn’t realise the elephant would actually come to live with him – silly boy! I think this book would be suitable for children aged 4-7 years old, with children slightly older being able to read it independently. It would make a great story-time read in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 as it is light-hearted and funny. The humour is obvious and therefore easily accessible for young children to grasp. With the book being really well illustrated it can be accessed by young children who may not necessarily be able to read yet (and children with English as an additional language), allowing them to follow the story line amongst other children. The language used in the book has also been kept simple; children will be able to independently read the majority of the book using their phonetic knowledge. There is a lot of descriptive text in the story which would be great to introduce in a Literacy lesson where children are beginning to use adjectives in their writing. This book would also make a good topic for discussion about feelings and emotion; for example, ‘how do you think Sam felt when…?’

Find the synonyms for ‘said’ that the author has used throughout the text (e.g. boomed, spluttered). Summerhall Arts Will Create New Opportunities and Development For The Arts and Culture Sector in Scotland and Beyond It’s rare that an illustrated book is brought so vividly to the stage… For little ones who may be overwhelmed by the noise and villains of a pantomime, this is a fantastical introduction to theatre.”– Quays Life The book is written in a simple and accessible style, making it suitable for young readers. The pacing is generally good, with a brisk pace that keeps the story moving along. The humor is quirky and offbeat, which may appeal to certain readers who enjoy that type of humor. Write a prequel for the story, which explains where the elephant lived before he arrived at Sam’s house.

Having read the story, it would hugely benefit from an element of accountability and redemption, which unfortunately do not get explored here. Despite the contractual theme present in the piece, it does not feel like enough to have the two main characters, one of whom is the guileless, overwhelmed Sam, who is rushing around trying to appease and shoo away an unwanted elephant and the other who is unpleasant, manipulative and crosses many boundaries that could have brought an important lesson, but never does. It's helpful to care about a character, but as this doesn’t materialise the audience struggles to connect. This is an enjoyably silly story with a very large blue elephant… There are some bright, cheery performances to fit the bright, cheery visual appearance of the production.”– British Theatre Guide Elephants migrate to find water- they travel long distances one behind the other over paths that are ingrained in their memories, regardless of whether things like roads have been built there The main issue lies with the source material and adaptation. The pace never really gets going. When you turn a book such as The Slightly Annoying Elephant, that can be read in under 10 minutes, into a 40 minute show it becomes a huge challenge. Even the wonderful television adaptations of Julia Donaldson’s books drag at times due to this very same fault.

Additionally, while the humor had its moments, there were times when it felt forced and repetitive, which dampened my overall enjoyment of the book. I also felt that the resolution of the story was somewhat rushed and could have been more developed to provide a more satisfying conclusion. A little girl is sent to retrieve a needle and thread from the ferocious Baba Yaga' in A Girl Called Grace at The Royal Scots Club. At Central Hall, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'is a wonderful story about love, loss, change and finally, finding your way home'. And the Helena Academy of Drama and Expression presents two productions at Paradise Green: Children of Eden Jr, 'Stephen Schwartz's epic and heartfelt musical', and Journey to the West: In Search of the Way, an interactive show filled with 'martial art, music and mischief'. Told through Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre's powerful emotion and movement, the audience will witness an opulent interpretation of Marie Antoinette's fate' in Marie at Bedlam Theatre. Meanwhile, Laura Murphy, Contra and Carré Magique present A Spectacle of Herself at Summerhall, 'a cinematic, (in)appropriately acrobatic ride through mental health, queerness, rage and 21st century space race'. Spirit of Ireland is at Pleasance, offering an 'incredible night of music, comedy, dancing set in greatest pub in Ireland'. At the French Institute in Scotland, Cyborg Experiment #1 is 'an audacious performative proposal, an opera of the future where temporalities mix and anachronism plays with history'. At Greenside, the California Musical Theatre Ensemble present Bright Blue Sky: The 9/11 Musical–in 'a series of heartfelt scenes, each character relives their past, revealing hope inside tragedy'. Ugh, I don’t like this book. It’s not a nice story - the elephant is rude and keeps calling the boy “silly boy”.

John Hegley's The Early Word at Summerhall'includes the anxiety of a slug and the four simple rules of Mister Galimore for marking your neighbour's French vocabulary test'. Jeremy Segway: A Life Out of Balance is a show 'dedicated to Mr Segway, the man who invented the Segway, all performed entirely on Segways'–it's at Bedlam Theatre. On the positive side, the book does touch upon themes of friendship and loyalty, and it encourages readers to embrace unexpected adventures and appreciate the value of different perspectives. It also has a positive message about accepting others, even if they may be slightly annoying at times.Read the story and find all of the words that the author has used to describe the elephant (e.g. gigantic, annoying). Founded in 1947 at the Rose Street Telephone Exchange,' the Edinburgh Telephone Choir perform Around the World in 80 Minutes at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps, 'with styles including pop, traditional and show tunes'. The Absolutely Fab Choir present free, uplifting pop songs at Brewhemia and Le Monde this August. And you can expect 'timeless classics you know and love, inspirational anthems, and exhilarating gospel arrangements guaranteed to revitalise your soul' in Get Up and Gospel! at Canongate Kirk and Greyfriars Kirk. One of the highlights of the book is its premise - an unexpected visit from an elephant that claims to be slightly annoying. The concept is unique and intriguing, and it sets up the story for some humorous interactions between the elephant and the main character, Sam. The illustrations by Tony Ross are also colorful and appealing, adding to the overall visual appeal of the book. In Nails It! at Gilded Balloon, Jesus L'Oreal delivers 'a sacre-licious energetic hour of song, dance and Jehovah's Fitness'. 'Taking to the trial stand, fighting for justice and liberty,' Karen From Finance Is Doing Time at Underbelly. At BlundaGardens, Joanne Tremarco and Maral: Mother Earth (The Oldest Stripper) is an 'interdisciplinary BSL-integrated show, blending clown, burlesque, puppetry, live film'. Mr & Mrs Love are at Pleasance, offering 'a battle of hearts, minds and music… as the two sing for their survival, with a surprising array of musical instruments, outrageous dancing and acidic wit'. And Shakesqueer at Bedlam Theatre is a 'drag-show parody rewrite of five of Shakespeare's most famous works'. The story is short, yet it is not short on humour, and with the amount of cross curricular activities you can do from this short story. Geography activities on the story could investigate where elephants live, and the countries he crossed on his route to Sam’s house. The literacy links could include story writing focusing on the elephant’s thoughts or feelings. Or a letter of complaint to the zoo for the misunderstanding Sam has found himself in. For a drama activity children can act out conversations between Sam and his mother. Art activities could include showing different variations of elephants or pictures representing the activities the elephant does.