Somewhere in this jungle a small blue elephant is hiding, and every hole cut through the pages is a clue to where. Peek through the first one and a spotted leopard peers back, with a sloth hanging from the vines overhead. Turn the page and it is a pair of blue lizards, then two gorillas, and each time the question comes round again: are you there, little elephant? By the last page even a baby knows the answer is coming and leans in for it.

It is the same peek and find game every baby already plays with a blanket, made into a book sturdy enough to survive being chewed. The die-cut holes give small fingers something to poke through and the textured patches give them something to stroke, so a six month old gets the story through two senses at once. Sam Taplin keeps the words to a rhythm you can read half asleep, and Emily Dove paints the jungle in warm, friendly color with ants, caterpillars and butterflies to find on every page.

Small enough for a diaper bag, sturdy enough for the crib, and a lovely first book to give. The rest of the series here: Are You There Little Tiger? and Are You There Little Puppy?.