The Twenty-Elephant Restaurant

The inimitable duo of Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake tell a hilarious romp that begins with a wobbly table ... and ends with a bunch of dancing elephants!

In this completely hilarious and gloriously absurd story, the pair behind the tales of Captain Najork explore just what happens when a man builds a new table … a table sturdy enough for even an elephant to dance on. “This table,” said the man. “What about the table?” said the woman. “It’s wearing me out,” said the man. What to do? The man makes a decision. He finds a tablewood tree, cuts it down, saws it up and makes a new table. There’s nothing like a new table. This one is strong enough for elephants! But… “Where would we get the elephants?” said the woman. “Advertise in the Classified Section,” said the man. “Elephants wanted for table work. Must be agile.” It looks as if the man and the woman might need some more tables! “We could open a restaurant,” said the man. A restaurant with dancing elephants … where will it all lead?!

The combination of Russell Hoban’s brilliant idea for a very funny story and Quentin Blake’s illustrations (are) an absolute winner Newbury Weekly News
Hilarious ... brilliantly silly which becomes more and more absurd as you turn the pages Smallish

Russell Hoban is the author of many famous novels, including Turtle Diary and Riddley Walker, which won the John W. Campbell Award for science fiction. He also wrote over 50 children’s books, including such classics as The Mouse and His Child, The Sea-Thing Child and, most recently, Rosie’s Magic Horse. Born in Pennsylvania in 1925, he moved in 1969 to London, where he lived until his death in 2011.

Quentin Blake is one of the world’s foremost illustrators, particularly renowned for his collaboration with writers such as Russell Hoban, Michael Rosen, Joan Aiken and Roald Dahl. His books have won numerous awards, including the Whitbread Prize, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. In 1999 he was appointed the first Children’s Laureate, in 2005 was created a CBE and in 2013 received a knighthood for his services to illustration. He lives in South West London. and on twitter as @QuentinBlakeHQ.

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