The Blue Elephant is the first book in the Blue Elephant Series. It begins with a father recounting his travels to Africa before his daughter is born. Along the way the father meets a giraffe, a zebra, a rhino, and a hippo — all of whom tell him he must look for the blue elephant. He learns that he will have beautiful, talented, brave, and strong daughters if he sees the blue elephant. The father looks in earnest, but fails to find the blue elephant. As the book reaches its climax we question whether the blue elephant really exists and whether or not the father will be lucky enough to see it. In the end the father experiences the magic of the blue elephant before returning home. 

The blue elephant, which will become a powerful influence in the young girl's life, only appears briefly in the first book. However, he becomes the central character in the subsequent stories that complete the series.