Elfie the Elf

The idea is sweet. The message is appreciated. But this is in no way a professionally written or illustrated book. It is extremely wordy, and if I read it aloud (which was my intent), I would be exhausted. The illustrations in no way match the quality of the cover. The cover is beautiful with a sharp, vivid illustration. One of the illustrations inside the book is actually incomplete, and you can see where the illustrator drew in items with a pencil, but never filled them in. There's a "ghost" deer, house, and lamppost in one of the illustrations. I spent as much on this paperback as I have on other children's books that were professionally edited and illustrated. As far as I can tell, this book was self-published, and friends and family wrote rave reviews to entice buyers. It worked, because the reviews were the reason I purchased this book that I had never heard of. I might have been willing to pay two or three dollars for this book, but I will be sending this back to Amazon if I can.

Whenever I review a children's book I always make sure to break it down in several different layers. On the surface one would think a children's book is simple...well one would be wrong...WAY wrong. And that leads me to ELFIE. Nothing simple here folks. What we have here is a complexity of characters, in depth analysis of current and past social norms, and illustrations that will rival the paintings of Picasso. So here is my official review without any edits, perversions, or any input from any other source but just the source material. So when reviewing the source material without any distractions or perversions i like to start with acknowledging the origins of the material itself. I believe there is often a backstory that lends itself to the story. Upon reading the ABOUT THE AUTHOR on the back cover I came to find out that the story itself was written back in 1990! Yes, thats right...1990! The same year that lent itself to prized possessions such as Megadeth's Rust in Peace album and Slayer's Season of the Abyss. Not a bad year to be creative I must say. However, what is most astonishing is this 90's gem of a children's book didn't somehow make it to publishing until 2018! It's a shame that some kids growing up did not have the opportunity to be told the story of Elfie. I for one would have been 7 years old at the time and could have benefitted greatly from such a timeless classic. Looking back as a matter of fact and remembering some of the problems kids would face in the early 90's it does make me consider what my generation would have been like would they have had the ability to read about the ELF. And this leads me to the actual story itself.... The story follows a lonely girl in a town where she knows no one. But then she finds a lost and sad elf. Now is it really an elf? Or does the elf symbolize something else that Mrs. Devleeschouwer was trying to portray. See the elf could be you...it could be me...it could be your next door neighbor...it could be anyone. And the reality is the lonely little girl that had a need discovered someone else that also had a need. Through the girl's non-selfish act she decided to reach out and help someone else in need. And the result was not quite what you would expect. This is exactly what parallels the current state of the world and what makes Elfie in and of itself timeless. 2 different cultures. Both with similar needs. Both were able to help one another in the struggle we call life. Cherly D. does such good job at making the parallel that you cannot stop but think what would the world be like if more people acted the way the little girl acted. If we could each stop and look around and get out of ourselves for a minute there could be great change. Story aside the illustrations are absolutely fabulous. This is where Picasso gets a run for his money. If I could get my hands on each of these pages and blow them up into full x-large size photographs you can bet your ass they would be hanging on my walls. All four of them as a matter of fact! Nothing cheesy here folks...only grade A quality pictures. The whole family can enjoy. I'm an adult in my mid-thirties and I can't stop picking up the book! So to sum up the book...are the pictures great for kids? I answer that with a resounding YES. Does the story have meaning and purpose? HECK YES. Can we make a parallel between the 90's, the present, and what is going on in the world? You bet your ass! Would i recommend the book to kids? I would recommend the book to myself! So YES. The question is where do we go from here? Do we just let the book be a book? Or do we look for forward progress? Me personally? I hope for the latter. and I'll tell you what else. What I hope to see next from Cheryl Devleeschouwer...one word...SEQUEL!

The storyline is ok. I couldn’t get past the whole reason the girl found the elf crying was because it was lost but when asked/told to “take me to the Northpole”, it knew exactly how to get there. I really returned the book because the illustrations of the people (mainly the children) were creepy. See added photos.

I really wanted to love this book. It has an adorable cover and got excellent reviews. Unfortunately it just wasn't the book for us. The story felt very forced, it was far too wordy for a children's book and the illustrations inside the book didn't match the cuteness of the front cover. I had a few major hang ups with the book: the elf says he's lost but knows the way right back to Santa's workshop, the girl moves to the North Pole with her family but is worried Santa won't know where to find her, there isn't really even a clear message in the book. If it was worth returning I would.

The bookcover is so adorable I just had to have this book! However I was totally disappointed by the story. I did not like how it was written, or the story/verbiage and the ending was abrupt. Furthermore, the illustrations after the cute front cover did not meet my expectations. I gave it away as a gift hoping a kid may get more out of it then I did. Disappointing.

I bought this book based on the great reviews, but was disappointed. The story is oddly told with lots of inconsistencies. For instance, when the lost elf takes the little girl back to Santa Land, she talks of seeing huge, magical reindeer, but in the picture, only one average reindeer stands in front her. She talks of elves of different colors, but in the illustrations, all the elves are blue. Somehow on the journey to Santa Land, she figures out that the elf needs glasses, but no such clues are given to the reader along the way. The story ends abruptly with talk of listening to a tape in the morning. Most children today do not even know what a cassette tape is. My child was disappointed that there was no mention of what the song was on the tape. Lyrics could have been provided with "sung to the tune of..." As a second grade teacher and mother who has been reading children's books for twenty years, I do not recommend this one.

I’m fairly certain the author either paid for reviews or has a lot of friends and family who want to support her. That’s great but missed leading. This book is terrible. It feels like it’s likely self published and therefore not well proofread or professionally illustrated. The facial expressions on the characters are downright creepy. The language, word choice and sentence structure are poor throughout the book. And at the end of the day the story isn’t good. The young girl cries yourself to sleep, hates where she lives and follows an elf away from her home because she dislikes it so much. Which all leads to the grand revelation that the elf needs glasses. This book has a myriad of problems the least of which is that it’s just not entertaining to read. Even my three-year-old who will sit through 30 or more books a day never pulls this one off the shelf for me to read. A poor choice for a Christmas book for our family.

I regret buying it. The story is simple: a little girl who has recently moved and feels miserable meets an elf who is equally unhappy and helps him. The idea could have turned into much more than it did, but the story reads exactly as a writing homework assignment, which is what it was meant to be (the book explains this). Poorly written, amateurish illustrations. I wish I’d passed on this one.

Great Christmas time story. I am a former first grade teacher and have read quite a few books over the years and this one is a winner! It teaches children about bullying and how we are all different. The illustrations are beautiful and it has a "Christmas magic" theme that keeps kids engaged. I read this book to a room full of kindergartens and they were all focused on the story. Add Elfie to your Christmas book collection. He's a cute and charming little Elf!

In 1995 I sang a song in school called "Alfie the Elf." I remembered the words to this day, so I regarded it as a happy part of childhood. I saw the title of this book and decided to go for it. I was so excited!! I have often sang the song and tried to teach my kids, but this story made it come to life for them! Very cute story line, much like the old song. Making our yearly Christmas book basket now.

The idea is sweet. The message is appreciated. But this is in no way a professionally written or illustrated book. It is extremely wordy, and if I read it aloud (which was my intent), I would be exhausted. The illustrations in no way match the quality of the cover. The cover is beautiful with a sharp, vivid illustration. One of the illustrations inside the book is actually incomplete, and you can see where the illustrator drew in items with a pencil, but never filled them in. There's a "ghost" deer, house, and lamppost in one of the illustrations. I spent as much on this paperback as I have on other children's books that were professionally edited and illustrated. As far as I can tell, this book was self-published, and friends and family wrote rave reviews to entice buyers. It worked, because the reviews were the reason I purchased this book that I had never heard of. I might have been willing to pay two or three dollars for this book, but I will be sending this back to Amazon if I can.

Whenever I review a children's book I always make sure to break it down in several different layers. On the surface one would think a children's book is simple...well one would be wrong...WAY wrong. And that leads me to ELFIE. Nothing simple here folks. What we have here is a complexity of characters, in depth analysis of current and past social norms, and illustrations that will rival the paintings of Picasso. So here is my official review without any edits, perversions, or any input from any other source but just the source material. So when reviewing the source material without any distractions or perversions i like to start with acknowledging the origins of the material itself. I believe there is often a backstory that lends itself to the story. Upon reading the ABOUT THE AUTHOR on the back cover I came to find out that the story itself was written back in 1990! Yes, thats right...1990! The same year that lent itself to prized possessions such as Megadeth's Rust in Peace album and Slayer's Season of the Abyss. Not a bad year to be creative I must say. However, what is most astonishing is this 90's gem of a children's book didn't somehow make it to publishing until 2018! It's a shame that some kids growing up did not have the opportunity to be told the story of Elfie. I for one would have been 7 years old at the time and could have benefitted greatly from such a timeless classic. Looking back as a matter of fact and remembering some of the problems kids would face in the early 90's it does make me consider what my generation would have been like would they have had the ability to read about the ELF. And this leads me to the actual story itself.... The story follows a lonely girl in a town where she knows no one. But then she finds a lost and sad elf. Now is it really an elf? Or does the elf symbolize something else that Mrs. Devleeschouwer was trying to portray. See the elf could be you...it could be me...it could be your next door neighbor...it could be anyone. And the reality is the lonely little girl that had a need discovered someone else that also had a need. Through the girl's non-selfish act she decided to reach out and help someone else in need. And the result was not quite what you would expect. This is exactly what parallels the current state of the world and what makes Elfie in and of itself timeless. 2 different cultures. Both with similar needs. Both were able to help one another in the struggle we call life. Cherly D. does such good job at making the parallel that you cannot stop but think what would the world be like if more people acted the way the little girl acted. If we could each stop and look around and get out of ourselves for a minute there could be great change. Story aside the illustrations are absolutely fabulous. This is where Picasso gets a run for his money. If I could get my hands on each of these pages and blow them up into full x-large size photographs you can bet your ass they would be hanging on my walls. All four of them as a matter of fact! Nothing cheesy here folks...only grade A quality pictures. The whole family can enjoy. I'm an adult in my mid-thirties and I can't stop picking up the book! So to sum up the book...are the pictures great for kids? I answer that with a resounding YES. Does the story have meaning and purpose? HECK YES. Can we make a parallel between the 90's, the present, and what is going on in the world? You bet your ass! Would i recommend the book to kids? I would recommend the book to myself! So YES. The question is where do we go from here? Do we just let the book be a book? Or do we look for forward progress? Me personally? I hope for the latter. and I'll tell you what else. What I hope to see next from Cheryl Devleeschouwer...one word...SEQUEL!

The storyline is ok. I couldn’t get past the whole reason the girl found the elf crying was because it was lost but when asked/told to “take me to the Northpole”, it knew exactly how to get there. I really returned the book because the illustrations of the people (mainly the children) were creepy. See added photos.

I really wanted to love this book. It has an adorable cover and got excellent reviews. Unfortunately it just wasn't the book for us. The story felt very forced, it was far too wordy for a children's book and the illustrations inside the book didn't match the cuteness of the front cover. I had a few major hang ups with the book: the elf says he's lost but knows the way right back to Santa's workshop, the girl moves to the North Pole with her family but is worried Santa won't know where to find her, there isn't really even a clear message in the book. If it was worth returning I would.

The bookcover is so adorable I just had to have this book! However I was totally disappointed by the story. I did not like how it was written, or the story/verbiage and the ending was abrupt. Furthermore, the illustrations after the cute front cover did not meet my expectations. I gave it away as a gift hoping a kid may get more out of it then I did. Disappointing.

I bought this book based on the great reviews, but was disappointed. The story is oddly told with lots of inconsistencies. For instance, when the lost elf takes the little girl back to Santa Land, she talks of seeing huge, magical reindeer, but in the picture, only one average reindeer stands in front her. She talks of elves of different colors, but in the illustrations, all the elves are blue. Somehow on the journey to Santa Land, she figures out that the elf needs glasses, but no such clues are given to the reader along the way. The story ends abruptly with talk of listening to a tape in the morning. Most children today do not even know what a cassette tape is. My child was disappointed that there was no mention of what the song was on the tape. Lyrics could have been provided with "sung to the tune of..." As a second grade teacher and mother who has been reading children's books for twenty years, I do not recommend this one.

I’m fairly certain the author either paid for reviews or has a lot of friends and family who want to support her. That’s great but missed leading. This book is terrible. It feels like it’s likely self published and therefore not well proofread or professionally illustrated. The facial expressions on the characters are downright creepy. The language, word choice and sentence structure are poor throughout the book. And at the end of the day the story isn’t good. The young girl cries yourself to sleep, hates where she lives and follows an elf away from her home because she dislikes it so much. Which all leads to the grand revelation that the elf needs glasses. This book has a myriad of problems the least of which is that it’s just not entertaining to read. Even my three-year-old who will sit through 30 or more books a day never pulls this one off the shelf for me to read. A poor choice for a Christmas book for our family.

I regret buying it. The story is simple: a little girl who has recently moved and feels miserable meets an elf who is equally unhappy and helps him. The idea could have turned into much more than it did, but the story reads exactly as a writing homework assignment, which is what it was meant to be (the book explains this). Poorly written, amateurish illustrations. I wish I’d passed on this one.

Great Christmas time story. I am a former first grade teacher and have read quite a few books over the years and this one is a winner! It teaches children about bullying and how we are all different. The illustrations are beautiful and it has a "Christmas magic" theme that keeps kids engaged. I read this book to a room full of kindergartens and they were all focused on the story. Add Elfie to your Christmas book collection. He's a cute and charming little Elf!

In 1995 I sang a song in school called "Alfie the Elf." I remembered the words to this day, so I regarded it as a happy part of childhood. I saw the title of this book and decided to go for it. I was so excited!! I have often sang the song and tried to teach my kids, but this story made it come to life for them! Very cute story line, much like the old song. Making our yearly Christmas book basket now.

Even though it's summertime, we read this book to our grandniece and nephew and they LOVED it! The story is charming, the illustrations are delightful and it generated a great discussion afterwards about what it means to help others, be courageous and be a friend. Your little ones will love it and we will be re-reading this one many times over in the future!

6 entire pages of script are blurry beyond recognition! This was a gift and now I'm so embarrassed.

I really wanted to LOVE this story... the cover is beautiful, and inviting, but unfortunately, the story inside is amateur at best. The illustrations are bizarre, and the text needs polishing. A quick review by anyone with basic editing skills could have brought this story up a few notches. The concept is good, but the delivery is poor.

My kids really like this book. It's a cute Christmas story, about a grandmother who, as a child, visited the North Pole and met Santa. The illustrations are OK overall, but the PEOPLE look very creepy. The eyes remind me of Village of the Damned. Why not just draw some pupils?

Elfie the Elf was such a fun book to read to our son! It is a uniquely written story that captures the themes of friendship and never giving up all while incorporating every child’s favorite things about Christmas. It was uplifting and sweet. My son wanted to hear it again and again. Elfie the Elf will definitely be added to our Christmas reading collection and we are excited to have Elfie as a part of our Christmas tradition.

I bought 2 books by mistake but I was thrilled to have them so my grandkids can enjoy this book at their house & mine. Thank you for a cute story to read with grandkids!

Entertaining good book

Super fast shipping. In good condition can't wait to give this to my son, he adores Christmas books.

Kids loved the book

The illustrations are weak and odd. The story is too wordy and leaves you with unanswered questions about a song. Very disappointed

The story was meh. Nothing special. The illustrations were rather bizarre. The children looked alien like. Disappointed. Not sure what all the hype was about. Not a great story. Just an elf that gets picked then gets glasses. The end.

Christmas gift

So cute. My kids loved this book at Christmas and choose it many times over other Christmas stories.

This was a poorly written but with sub-par illustrations. The story abruptly ends - we were all just looking at eachother wondering what happened. Super disappointed.

Cute book granddaughter likes it

Very cute story and wonderful illustrations.

We bought this for my son who was almost 2 at the time and he could not get enough of it! All he was yelling all day was Elfie! Elfie! He sees it in his bookshelf and begs me to read Elfie. As he gets older, I am sure he will continue to enjoy it more and more as he learns to read. Such a sweet book for the entire family!

Such a cute book!

Elfie the Elf is a quick read that tells an adventurous story with that magical holiday appeal. I ordered this to give to my nephew for Christmas who will be 3, and look forward to reading to my own baby when they are old enough! The illustrations are nicely done as well.

Cute holiday book.

I purchased several of these book for my grandkids. It such a nice story. The kids enjoyed the book very much. It will become part of our annual Christmas time reading.

Our Elf on the Shelf is named Elfie. This was a great story that our Elfie left for my little one on Christmas Day.

A very cute and entertaining read! Perfect for the holidays. Our daughter picks her books to read each night and Elfie the Elf is always a front runner!

My friend wrote this book. So cute!

Lackluster. Not sure we will read it more than once.

Very cute and unique story for the holidays. The kids liked it.

Cute story for my little kiddo

This is a really cute story. My kids enjoy it.

We love reading this to our son. It’s adorably illustrated and, more important, has really great lessons on family, friends, helping others in need and the magic of the North Pole. This will remain in our library for many years to come!

My granddaughter loves it

I got my order in a timely fashion & am very pleased with my purchase!! It’s such a cute book and the book had no damages when I got it!

We love this adorable Christmas story! My six year old enjoyed it so much that he insisted on bringing it to school so his teacher could read it to the class. The pictures are really cute and the story has a great lesson about friendship.

My grandson loves this book! What a great holiday present.

This was the WORST children’s book that I have ever read to my child. I could have written and illustrated something better than this myself. We were extremely disappointed.

This is a heart-warming story. I learned a lot of life lessons as an adult. Friendship and kindness are such wonderful things that will give you confidence and the courage to face adversities. empathy and compassion to each other are great value to learn and I cannot wait to read this story to my little niece.

A sweet story about helping others. Became a bedtime favorite during Christmas.

This was a very cute book with a perfect lesson. My kiddos really enjoyed the book! We read it many times this year!!

The story has many holes and no character development. We were confused at the end if the book.

Sweet story!

Did not feel like a full story, ended weird

Cute

Loved spending time reading this book with my kids for the holidays! I’ll bring this book to my classroom to encourage my students to focus on bigger themes of holidays like friendship!

Dollar tree worthy

I absolutely loved reading this to my children! It sends an amazing message and it so cute! :)

This book will become a holiday classic in our house. Beautifully written, colorful illustrations, and a wonderful lesson about friendship. My daughters loved it!

Elfie the Elf is a charming story of a little girl who makes a friend at the North Pole. Beautifully illustrated and will become a Christmas standard in my house.

Super cute book.