Long ago in old Peking, a rich, bored young boy called Sing Lo asks to see the Imperial Elephant, who, people say, hasn't slept a wink since the old emperor died. Sing Lo takes with him a huge bag of the elephant's favourite buns - but the animal asks for 'Honey above, ginger below, milk between'. It takes all Sing Lo's ingenuity to solve this riddle, but there are yet more tasks he must complete before bedtime if the elephant is to get to sleep...Diana Reynolds Roome's tale, delightfully illustrated by Jude Daly, evokes the vanished elegance and courtesy of old China and will strike a chord in all children with their own special bedtime rituals.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2004 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

Diana Reynolds Roome taught English as a foreign language in Nepal and is now a freelance writer specialising in travel. Jude Daly was born in London and emigrated to South Africa as a young child. She went to art college in Cape Town, and now lives there with her husband, the writer and illustrator Niki Daly, and their two sons.