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Elephi: The Cat with the High IQ
"A lighthearted concoction of extraordinary events, told with affection and humor." ― The New York Times.
"Oh, what an admirable cat is Elephi! (And what an admirable writer is Jean Stafford!) … Don't you miss knowing Elephi. (Or Erik Blegvad's apt illustrations.)" ― Publishers Weekly.
Elephi Pelephi Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives a comfortable life with a kind but dull couple who often leave him to his own devices. Being a cat with a high IQ, he longs for stimulating companionship, and when he spies a snow-covered car outside his Fifth Avenue apartment, Elephi recognizes the opportunity for an adventure. Taking advantage of an open door, the intrepid cat bolts out to the street and devises a rescue for the abandoned vehicle, a daring maneuver that leads to comic confusion and a surprising new friendship.
Splendid black-and-white drawings that evoke New York City of the 1960s complement this classic by the winner of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Jean Stafford is best known for her short stories, which appeared in the New Yorker and other literary magazines. Her own beloved pet inspired this tale of Elephi, Stafford's only children's book, which is clearly the work of someone who loves and understands cats.
"The drawings by Erik Blegvad endow both cats and cars with vivid personality." — The Emerald City Book Review
"Oh, what an admirable cat is Elephi! (And what an admirable writer is Jean Stafford!) … Don't you miss knowing Elephi. (Or Erik Blegvad's apt illustrations.)" ― Publishers Weekly.
Elephi Pelephi Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives a comfortable life with a kind but dull couple who often leave him to his own devices. Being a cat with a high IQ, he longs for stimulating companionship, and when he spies a snow-covered car outside his Fifth Avenue apartment, Elephi recognizes the opportunity for an adventure. Taking advantage of an open door, the intrepid cat bolts out to the street and devises a rescue for the abandoned vehicle, a daring maneuver that leads to comic confusion and a surprising new friendship.
Splendid black-and-white drawings that evoke New York City of the 1960s complement this classic by the winner of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Jean Stafford is best known for her short stories, which appeared in the New Yorker and other literary magazines. Her own beloved pet inspired this tale of Elephi, Stafford's only children's book, which is clearly the work of someone who loves and understands cats.
"The drawings by Erik Blegvad endow both cats and cars with vivid personality." — The Emerald City Book Review
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
About the author
Jean Stafford
94 books91 followersJean Stafford was an American short story writer and novelist, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford in 1970.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 4, 2019
Such cute little story about a cat with a high IQ, wearing as he states, a gorgeous tux, wanting a friend.
Cat owners will adore the multifaceted Elephi. Unbelievable of course, but charming and the black and white pictures are an added bonus. Made me smile!
Cat owners will adore the multifaceted Elephi. Unbelievable of course, but charming and the black and white pictures are an added bonus. Made me smile!
December 30, 2022
Storia tenerissima!
Vero voto 4,5/5
Vero voto 4,5/5
October 4, 2022
Absolutely delightful, timeless.
May 30, 2017
'Elephi: The Cat with the High IQ' by Jean Stafford with illustrations by Erik Blegvad is about a clever, but lonely, cat and the lengths he will go to in order to find a friend.
Elephi Pelephi Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives with his people in a posh apartment in New York. He got his odd name, Elephi, from a trip his people went on to Greek. His life is fine, but a bit boring. He really would like a friend. He spies a white Fiat, named Whitey, outside his window in the snow and the scheming begins. Elephi is a clever cat, but it's possible he is too clever for his own good. Hilarious, outlandish events follow as Elephi finds a way to meet Whitey.
It's a very cute story. It's also from another decade, but I think it holds up really well. The illustrations enhance the story, but Elephi is such a clever cat that the story would hold it's own without drawings. I found myself smiling as I read about this scheming cat.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Elephi Pelephi Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives with his people in a posh apartment in New York. He got his odd name, Elephi, from a trip his people went on to Greek. His life is fine, but a bit boring. He really would like a friend. He spies a white Fiat, named Whitey, outside his window in the snow and the scheming begins. Elephi is a clever cat, but it's possible he is too clever for his own good. Hilarious, outlandish events follow as Elephi finds a way to meet Whitey.
It's a very cute story. It's also from another decade, but I think it holds up really well. The illustrations enhance the story, but Elephi is such a clever cat that the story would hold it's own without drawings. I found myself smiling as I read about this scheming cat.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
January 13, 2012
Elephi Pelephi Well-Known Cat Formerly Kitten is lonely, and contrives to get the humans to rescue a small car abandoned in the snow to be his friend. Delightful, smart, oddball. Connie's childhood favorite. Full of 1960s NYC period details. A good read-aloud.
March 21, 2017
Goodreads is jumping all over the place right now, and it dumped review. I will be back later.
May 8, 2018
I loved, loved, loved this book! I completely enjoyed reading it.
June 18, 2017
What a great children's book about an apartment bound cat that longs desperately for a friend. Being a cat lover myself, I often ponder what my indoor cat is thinking when staring outside the window.....I missed this book growing up!
February 16, 2018
My favorite childhood book. I named my kitty this once, and I still have the original printing.
July 20, 2017
If you’ve ever wondered what your cat is thinking about, Elephi is the book for you.
Elephi Pelephi Well-Known Cat Formerly Kitten is also known as The Cat With the High I.Q. He shares his apartment with Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo (not their real names, they just act cuckoo so he calls them that).
He has everything he needs—plenty of high places to jump to, places to hide, countless objects to push to the floor. But he is lonely.
One cold, snowy, icy day, Elephi watches from the window of his apartment as a small white car skids around a corner and gets stuck. When days pass and no one comes for the white car, Elephi decides that the car would be the perfect friend.
Read Elephi, The Cat With the High I.Q., to find out if Elephi can use that high I.Q. to come up with a plan to make the white car his friend. A delightful look into the feline mind!
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review of the book.
Elephi Pelephi Well-Known Cat Formerly Kitten is also known as The Cat With the High I.Q. He shares his apartment with Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo (not their real names, they just act cuckoo so he calls them that).
He has everything he needs—plenty of high places to jump to, places to hide, countless objects to push to the floor. But he is lonely.
One cold, snowy, icy day, Elephi watches from the window of his apartment as a small white car skids around a corner and gets stuck. When days pass and no one comes for the white car, Elephi decides that the car would be the perfect friend.
Read Elephi, The Cat With the High I.Q., to find out if Elephi can use that high I.Q. to come up with a plan to make the white car his friend. A delightful look into the feline mind!
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review of the book.
October 27, 2019
Definitely meant for small children! I can imagine my nieces loving this when they get a year or two older. However, as an adult, everything seems exaggerated. You must accept things as they are stated in the text with little evidence or development to explain why things are as the author has indicated. For example, Whitey and Elephi believe each other to be great, compatible friends although Whitey tends to be very grumpy towards Elephi, but the narrator tells us that Whitey doesn’t hold Elephi to blame for the circumstances. Elephi has a very high IQ, but the cat seems to have not thought of much when Whitey questions or mentions things. The dialogue that is present is short and sounds exaggerated, so the characters seem to be very flat and dramatic. After saying all that, I have to admit the premise of the story is cute, and because of that, I cannot give it 2 stars, but I seriously contemplated doing that.
July 13, 2017
If you love cats, as I d0 and often wonder what your cat is thinking than Elephi is the book for you. While Elephi was written in 1962 and the book is the same age as I am, 55. Not only did the book win the Pulitzer prize in 1970 it is relevant today. The story is sweet and the illustrations are wonderful.
Elephi is the story of a Tuxedo cat that lives a posh of boring life in a high rise in New York City with owners he refers to as the Cuckoos because of the way they act.. Elephi has a high IQ so he is bored when suddenly an a potential friend takes him on an adventure outside of the apartment he didn't truly think through. Hiijinx ensue for Elephi but it all works out in the end. Jean Stafford wrote a great story that takes the reader inside the mind of a cat that both children and adults will enjoy. I received a copy of Elephi from NetGalley for an honest review.
Elephi is the story of a Tuxedo cat that lives a posh of boring life in a high rise in New York City with owners he refers to as the Cuckoos because of the way they act.. Elephi has a high IQ so he is bored when suddenly an a potential friend takes him on an adventure outside of the apartment he didn't truly think through. Hiijinx ensue for Elephi but it all works out in the end. Jean Stafford wrote a great story that takes the reader inside the mind of a cat that both children and adults will enjoy. I received a copy of Elephi from NetGalley for an honest review.
March 5, 2018
This is a cute story about a very smart cat who lives with humans called the Cuckoos.
Elephi, Pelephi, Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives in an apartment with the Cuckoos. He loves his wacky owners but he wants a companion of his own, another cat that he could play with--humans aren't all that fun.
He was watching out the window one day and saw a man driving a little white car. It quit running and the man got angry with it. He mistreated the car and left. Elephi wanted to rescue the car, maybe it could be a friend. But how could he do that?
Read the story and find out how smart Elephi really is. It's a delightful short read, a story that could be read during bedtime for a couple of nights to children.
Elephi, Pelephi, Well Known Cat Formerly Kitten lives in an apartment with the Cuckoos. He loves his wacky owners but he wants a companion of his own, another cat that he could play with--humans aren't all that fun.
He was watching out the window one day and saw a man driving a little white car. It quit running and the man got angry with it. He mistreated the car and left. Elephi wanted to rescue the car, maybe it could be a friend. But how could he do that?
Read the story and find out how smart Elephi really is. It's a delightful short read, a story that could be read during bedtime for a couple of nights to children.
March 30, 2022
A charmingly unbelievable tale of a sophisticated but lonely cat trying to befriend a small white car in the throes of a winter storm. Delightfully dated in its richness of language and social setting. But reader beware: you'll likely find yourself sad that this is the only children's book that Jean Stafford ever wrote, apart from some retellings of the Arabian Nights. My son enjoyed it so much that he immediately demanded to read Elephi's next adventure, so I've already promised to make up another Elephi story for him.
October 13, 2022
Smart and caring cat. All he wanted was a friend and he was willing to risk his life to get one. In the end, the lesson he learned was, he got what he wanted but just in a different way...although he thinks it was the perfect, being a cat and all.
Will read it many times when I am down. Only 73 pages and lovely old-timey drawings. Read it to yourself. Read it to your kids. Read it to your grandkids. Volunteer to read to all kids at the local library and seniors at nursing homes. Just read it!
Yeah, I'm keeping it!
Will read it many times when I am down. Only 73 pages and lovely old-timey drawings. Read it to yourself. Read it to your kids. Read it to your grandkids. Volunteer to read to all kids at the local library and seniors at nursing homes. Just read it!
Yeah, I'm keeping it!
February 11, 2020
Elephi Pelephi Well-Known Cat Formerly Kitten, aka The Cat With the High I.Q. is everycat, and like every cat, he is delightful, incredibly naughty, exceedingly noble, and oddly compassionate.
Loved this book!
Favorite quote: "Whenever Elephi was unhappy, or whenever he had done something wrong, or when he was faced with a problem that he could not solve, he found that the best policy was to go to sleep."
Loved this book!
Favorite quote: "Whenever Elephi was unhappy, or whenever he had done something wrong, or when he was faced with a problem that he could not solve, he found that the best policy was to go to sleep."
May 28, 2017
3.5 stars.
January 12, 2018
Cute story about a cat who gets lonely and rescues/steals a fiat to be his new companion. Worth a good laugh.
January 29, 2019
I am studying animal IQ so I really like this. If you want to know about your IQ you can take an IQ test online at IQ Test Online | EQ Test | Free Personality Test | Brain Games
March 9, 2020
Lighthearted and innocent but not cookie-cutter.
November 15, 2022
Letto in italiano per Adelph. Una storia dolcissima, adatta a bambini e adulti, dura la vita di un gatto molto intelligente.
January 12, 2023
What a sweet, silly, and lovely book! I adored Elephi and his big heart, as well as his humorous dialogue. The adventure with the car was adorable.
May 1, 2023
STUPENDISSIMO VOGLIO UN GATTO COME ELEPHI
March 20, 2017
This was one of my favorite books from my childhood that I read over and over!
February 19, 2019
Genre: Historically Significant
Awards: N/A
Audience: Grades 1st-3rd
A. I might use this book instead of a newer book to study about differences from an older time period. This book uses different words that are not commonly used today which would be important to explain to students. This book as a whole would be a fun way to introduce how daily life has changed from the 1960s to now.
B. The words used in the book are sometime not used as much today so it would be beneficial to stop and make sure my students understand what those words mean or represent. The setting is New York city in the 1960s and the story has several mentions of various stores, apartment decorations, or jobs that students might not be familiar with. When those items are mentioned, as a teacher, I should describe what those locations or items are and show the students images so they get a mental picture about what is being described in the story. For example, a ten-cent store, Radio City Music Hall, and laundry man are mentioned in the story, but students might not be familiar with these.
Awards: N/A
Audience: Grades 1st-3rd
A. I might use this book instead of a newer book to study about differences from an older time period. This book uses different words that are not commonly used today which would be important to explain to students. This book as a whole would be a fun way to introduce how daily life has changed from the 1960s to now.
B. The words used in the book are sometime not used as much today so it would be beneficial to stop and make sure my students understand what those words mean or represent. The setting is New York city in the 1960s and the story has several mentions of various stores, apartment decorations, or jobs that students might not be familiar with. When those items are mentioned, as a teacher, I should describe what those locations or items are and show the students images so they get a mental picture about what is being described in the story. For example, a ten-cent store, Radio City Music Hall, and laundry man are mentioned in the story, but students might not be familiar with these.
January 18, 2023
Elephi è un gatto che vive con i suoi padroni in un appartamento a New York. Si sente solo e così decide di avere un amico, ma quello che desidera è un amico molto speciale...
Questa storia è raccontata attraverso gli occhi di Elephi ed è un mix di dolcezza e sorrisi.
Elephi è un gatto molto intelligente che sa come ottenere quello che vuole. Infatti, studierà un piano d'azione molto accurato pur di ottenere quello che desidera.
Dall'altro lato poi ci sono i suoi simpatici padroni sempre attenti a viziarlo e a capire ogni sua necessità.
Uno dei temi fondamentali di questa storia è la voglia di avere qualcuno vicino, un amico con cui trascorrere del tempo insieme, ma anche che ti capisca davvero.
E questo vale sia per gli animali che per gli essere umani.
Questa storia è raccontata attraverso gli occhi di Elephi ed è un mix di dolcezza e sorrisi.
Elephi è un gatto molto intelligente che sa come ottenere quello che vuole. Infatti, studierà un piano d'azione molto accurato pur di ottenere quello che desidera.
Dall'altro lato poi ci sono i suoi simpatici padroni sempre attenti a viziarlo e a capire ogni sua necessità.
Uno dei temi fondamentali di questa storia è la voglia di avere qualcuno vicino, un amico con cui trascorrere del tempo insieme, ma anche che ti capisca davvero.
E questo vale sia per gli animali che per gli essere umani.
March 11, 2017
What a cute story about an intelligent cat named Elephi and a car. There are a lot of books written about friendships and this book tackles the same topic but from such a unique perspective and with humor. This is a book I would recommend to an older child.
I received a copy from netgalley.
I received a copy from netgalley.
March 7, 2017
Don’t you ever wonder what’s going on in your cat’s mind? This is the beauty part of Jean Stafford’s hilarious Elephi, The Cat with the High IQ.
Call it fantasy, call it whatever you wish, but this is a must read for any who are owned by their kitty and would like to know what just passes through the mind of at least one New York City apartment dwelling cat with a heart and the calculating mind you know all cats have.
But I want to know what happens next!
Call it fantasy, call it whatever you wish, but this is a must read for any who are owned by their kitty and would like to know what just passes through the mind of at least one New York City apartment dwelling cat with a heart and the calculating mind you know all cats have.
But I want to know what happens next!
March 3, 2017
I love cats.
July 27, 2015
This is one of those vintage books with a very curious plot. A cat with a high IQ arranges to have a small car saved from the snow and kept in the storage room of his owners' apartment. He can talk to the car? And nonsense ensues.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews