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	ELEPHANT - ELEPHANTS Stories, Folktales, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Myths, Legends, Fables, Nursery Rhymes, Bible, Classics, General Info Scroll down or click on your choice below • Books about elephants - Children • Kindle Book Store - Elephants - Children • Toys, Games and other elephant products - Children • Online links to stories / info about elephants • SOS - Searching Out Stories / Info about elephants ...Advice/References - Storytellers, Teachers, Librarians	If this free web site is helpful to you, please consider making a donation so that we may continue this work. .........Thanks!

BOOKS ABOUT ELEPHANTS - CHILDREN

Book titles are in dark blue and underlined. Click on them to get more information.
To retell these stories, get permission from the copyright holder if material is not in the public domain.
In performance, always credit your sources.
Alphabetized with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.

FEATURED BOOK Elephant Dance by Theresa Heine with Sheila Moxle (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8) (Barefoot Books) Ravi and Anjali are fascinated by their grandfather's stories of India, where the sun is like a ferocious tiger, the wind is like a wild horse, and monsoon rains cascade from the sky like waterfalls. Ravi particularly loves to hear about the festival of Divaali, where parading elephants take pride of place in their grandfather's memories, and he dreams of having an elephant dance to the tune he composes on his flute. In addition to an evocative, beautifully written story, Elephant Dance also contains endnotes on the cultural heritage of India, making it a perfect introduction to Indian life and traditions.

	Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems (illus). (2008 - Ages 4-8) Featuring two lovable and funny characters, an optimistic (and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimistic elephant, these books make reading irresistible to the beginning readers.

Bonjour, Babar!: The Six Unabridged Classics by the Creator of Babar by Jean De Brunhoff with Kevin Henkes (introduction). Every one of the Babar stories is included, with not a word or picture left out. From The Story of Babar--in which the elephant is born, loses his mother, runs off to Paris, and returns to be crowned king--through The Travels of Babar, Babar the King, Babar and Zephir, Babar and His Children, and Babar and Father Christmas.

	But No Elephants (Once Upon a Time) by Jerry Smath (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8) Grandma Tildy lived all alone, until a salesman stopped by to sell her a pet. She welcomed a canary bird into her home, but made it very clear that she wanted NO ELEPHANTS!...but...

Elephant's Secret Sense, The: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa by Caitlin O'Connell. (2007) An unforgettable journey of scientific discovery, this book takes you deep into the wilds of Namibia, from the tops of isolated, desert observation towers to the jaws and claws of ravenous lions to aerial expeditions and dusty highways, where the naturalists do their difficult work in a troubled land.

	Ella Sets Sail by Carmela & Steve D'amico. (2008 - Ages 4-8) Ella loves the annual Elephant Island Carnival for its rides, its cotton candy and the fun she always has with her friends. But this year isn't looking promising: Belinda's being a pest, Ella's allowance is all gone, and it looks like a storm's coming. Has Ella's luck finally run out?

	Horton Hatches the Egg (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss. (1940 - Ages 4-8) Poor Horton. Dr. Seuss's kindly elephant is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing bird lazy Maysie, takes a break. Little does Horton know that Maysie is setting off for a permanent vacation in Palm Springs. He waits, and waits, and waits...

	Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss. (1954 - Ages 4-8) Horton the Elephant represents kindness, trustworthiness, and perseverance--all wrapped up in a comical and even absurd package. Horton hears a cry for help from a speck of dust, and spends much of the book trying to protect the infinitesimal creatures who live on it from the derision and trickery of other animals.

	I Am Invited to a Party! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems. (2007 - Ages 4-8) Piggie is invited to her first party. She doesn't know what to wear, though, so she asks her best friend Elephant for help. Elephant's advice is odd to say the least, so Piggie will try on all sorts of zany outfits before finally arriving at the party for a hilarious surprise.

	I Love My New Toy! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems (illus). (2008 - Ages 9-12) The books feature two lovable and funny characters: an optimistic (and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimistic elephant.

	I Will Surprise My Friend! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems (illus). (2008 - Ages 9-12) Review by a reader: As soon as we finished reading this, I was instructed to immediately read it three more times that morning and 2 more times that afternoon. He loves that he can retell the story based on the pictures, the expressions and the short phrases.

Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer. (1998) Modoc is the joint biography of a man and an elephant born in a small German circus town on the same day in 1896. Bram was the son of an elephant trainer, Modoc the daughter of his prize performer. The boy and animal grew up devoted to each other. When the Wunderzircus was sold to an American, with no provision to take along the human staff, Bram stowed away on the ship to prevent being separated from his beloved Modoc.

	My Friend is Sad (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems. (2007 - Ages 4-8) Elephant Gerald is down in the dumps. Piggie is determined to cheer him up by dressing as a cowboy, a clown, and even a robot! But what does it take to make a sad elephant happy? The answer will make even pessimistic elephants smile.

	Oliver (I Can Read Book 1) by Syd Hoff. (2000 - Ages 4-8) Oliver has always wanted to be a dancing elephant, but what will he do when he discovers the circus already has enough elephants? Beginning readers will laugh out loud as they follow Oliver's adventures and find out how this elephant of unique charm and talent finally achieves his dream.

	Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed (illus). (2008 - Ages 4-8) Pete is a perfectly predictable, practical, uncomplicated pig. At least, he was . . . before a runaway circus elephant named Pickles stampeded into his life, needing a friend. Pickles is larger than life and overflowing with imagination.

	Saggy Baggy Elephant, The (Little Golden Book) by K. Jackson and B. Jackson with Tenggren (illus). (1999 - Ages 4-8) No home library should be without this charming tale of the elephant who is trying to find his place in the jungle.

	"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!" by Patricia Thomas with Wallace Tripp (illus). (1990 - Baby-Preschool) The last time the elephant sneezed, he blew monkeys out of the trees, stripes off the zebra, and spots off the leopard. This rollicking new edition of the favorite nonsense verse again shows the panic that follows the elephant's dreaded announcement.

Story of Babar, The (Babar Books (Random House)) by Jean De Brunhoff. (1937 - Ages 4-8) It's amazing how much can happen to one little elephant in the course of one little book: Babar loses his mother to a hunter, wanders into the city, gets a new wardrobe, becomes the hit of high society, marries his cousin Céleste (totally acceptable in contemporary Elephantine society), and is crowned King of the Elephants.

	There Is a Bird On Your Head! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8) In There is a Bird on Your Head!, Gerald discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head- two birds on your head! Can Piggie help her best friend?

	Today I Will Fly! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems. (2007 - Ages 4-8) The story juxtaposes Piggie's optimistic ambitions with stodgier Elephant's naysaying. There are also plenty of quirky details to reward repeated readings, including the charmingly incongruous mystery of Piggie's real name (Elephant's, we learn, is Gerald).

	Uncle Elephant (I Can Read Book 2) by Arnold Lobel. (1986 - Ages 4-8) While his mother and father are away, a little elephant goes to visit his uncle. And what a time they have! Uncle Elephant makes wishes come true, tells amazing stories, and trumpets the dawn. The visit is perfect, except for one thing-it ends much too soon.

	When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals by Jeffrey Moussaleff Masson and Susan McCarthy. (1996) Animals do in fact lead emotional lives, according to Masson. He has managed to find hundreds of anecdotes from the published works and field studies of such noted behaviorists as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Cynthia Moss that support his theory.

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KINDLE BOOK STORE - ELEPHANTS - CHILDREN

To retell these stories, get permission from the copyright holder if material is not in the public domain.
In performance, always credit your sources.
Book titles are in dark blue and underlined.
Click on them to learn more about the books and how to buy them.
Alphabetized with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.

Adorina and the Elephant Choir by P.L. Chestney. (2003) The main character is a gypsy girl, called Dori, who started life as an abandoned baby, and grew up to become the star of a circus. She became an animal trainer or one of those people who have an affinity with animals and a special way to communicate with them. Dori had no mother in the beginning, but during her life in the circus is given two special mothers. She is a twin and finds herself in danger...

Ambush at Amboseli by Karen Rispin. (2004) When Anika discovers a baby elephant in the Amboseli Game Park in Kenya, she tries to find someone to care for the injured animal. But what begins as a harmless trip to find help quickly turns dangerous for Anika and her brother. Only her faith in the Lord will guide Anika out of the frightening ambush at Amboseli and deliver Anika and her brother safely into their parents' arms.

Cowboy and His Elephant: The Story of a Remarkable Friendship (The) by Malcolm MacPherson. (2001) The touching account of the incredible kindness and love shown by a real-life American cowboy toward an orphaned African elephant baby named Amy. The cowboy watched Amy grow and enjoy life until she was able to leave hisranch for the circus. Amy may have left the cowboys life, but she never left his heart. This is a story of mutual friendship, of genuine love and compassion, but, foremost, this is a story with roots that run deep in the values and traditions of the American West.

Elephant in the Playroom (The) by Denise Brodey. (2008) Moms and dads from across the country write intimately and honestly about the joyful highs and disordered lows of raising children who are "not quite normal." Laying bare the emotional, medical, and social challenges they face, their stories address issues ranging from if and when to medicate a child, to how to get a child who is overly sensitive to the texture of food to eat lunch. Eloquent and honest.

Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa (The) by Caitlin O'Connell. (2008) While observing a family of elephants in the wild, Caitlin O-Connell noticed a peculiar listening behavior-the matriarch lifted her foot and scanned the horizon, causing the other elephants to follow suit, as if they could -hear- the ground. The Elephant-s Secret Sense is O-Connell-s account of her groundbreaking research into seismic listening and communication, chronicling the extraordinary social lives of elephants over the course of fourteen years in the Namibian wilderness.

Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World by Paul Chambers. (2008) The colorful story of a magnificent animal. Captured in Africa in 1862, the young elephant, later called Jumbo, languished in Paris's Jardin des Plantes until 1865, when he was bought by the London Zoo. Under the care of a devoted keeper, Matthew Scott, the ailing elephant became the world's largest and the zoo's greatest attraction. In 1882, American circus magnate Phineas T. Barnum bought Jumbo, who became the star of the Greatest Show on Earth but died tragically in 1885, when he was hit by a freight train while on tour with the circus in Canada.

	Rosa Goes to the City (BookBox) by Amit Garq. (2007) Rosa, a baby elephant, escapes from the zoo and wanders about the city looking for someone. Let’s join in her adventures and see how she finds her home.

	Story of a Stuffed Elephant (The) by Lauara Lee Hope. (2009) According to Wikipedia: "Laura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis, Elizabeth Ward, Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams, and Nancy Axelrad.

	Umboo, the Elephant by Howard R. Garis. (2004) Oh, my! But it's hot! It is just too hot for anything! cried Chako, one of the monkeys in the circus cage. It is hotter under this tent than ever it was in the jungle! Whew! and he hung by his tail and swung to and fro from a wooden bar.

	Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel. (2008) While his mother and father are away, a little elephant goes to visit his uncle. And what a time they have! Uncle Elephant makes wishes come true, tells amazing stories, and trumpets the dawn. The visit is perfect, except for one thing-it ends much too soon.

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TOYS, GAMES AND OTHER PRODUCTS - ELEPHANTS - CHILDREN

Product names in dark blue and underlined.
Click on them to learn more about the products and how to buy them.
Alphabetized with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.

	Blue elephant - Baby Winks Baby Winks is a blue elephant created in the style of our most popular elephant styles, Winks, from our Pluffies collection. It makes the perfect first gift for the newest little angel in your life.

	Elephant Baby Seat Rider w/Top, Poolmaster Our Elephant Baby Seat Rider with Top brings the fun of the circus to your pool. Your baby will be the envy of the pool. Fun graphics and shade from the sun makes this a must have.

	Elephant Spray Backyard Pool - Tododler Kiddie Measures roughly 71 in. x 47 in. x 10 in. size • Strong Durable 10 gauge material • Holds 18 Gallons of water • Sprayer connects to garden hose • Comes with one repair patch

	Elephant, Tiger, Lion, Zebra, Monkey, Zoo Keeper ~ One Dozen (12) Safari/Zoo Theme Animal Rubber Ducks Hosting a kids birthday party with a safari theme or taking students to the zoo? Let each guest take home one of these animals. You'll receive a 12-piece assortment of elephants, tigers, lions, monkeys, zebras & zoo keepers.

	Grabby Taggies Elephant Our super soft Elephant friend is so easy to grab and hold and so hard to let go of. And what's that in his belly? It's his little friend, the Wiggle Mouse. Pull him out and he wiggles right back into place.

	Horton - Medium / Large - Manhattan Toy Dr. Seuss Read along with the beloved Dr. Seuss story Horton Hears A Who with your very own Horton character!

	Horton Hand Puppet - Manhattan Toy Dr. Seuss Act out Horton Hears a Who with our soft HORTON hand puppet.

	Horton Hears A Who Finger Puppets - Dr. Seuss Bring Horton Hears A Who to life with these beautifully crafted finger puppets. Boxed set includes Horton, Kangaroo, Vlad Vlad-I-Koff, and Wickersham Borther. Each puppet is approximately 4 inches high.

	Webkinz Elephant The virtual version of this plush animal comes alive online in Webkinz World when activated with the special code that comes with every plush animal.

	Webkinz - Fire Chief Elephant Webkinz Fire Chief Elephant Figure.

	Webkinz Lil' Kinz Elephant Elephants are big and so is their love for you! Elephants like to learn new things, but they also know how to have a good time! Elephants are great at playing games! If you ever want to make your elephant super-happy, pick up some Tender Leaf Cookies!

	Webkinz Velvety Elephant The velvety elephant is cool, funny and totally terrific. The velvety elephant is a lot like the elephant cousins, but it is just a bit softer. If you want to make your velvety elephant totally happy, just pick up a delicious peanut parfait.

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ONLINE LINKS TO INFORMATION AND STORIES ABOUT ELEPHANTS

Online links are in blue and underlined.
Click on them to go to the Internet for more information and stories.
Alphabetized for your convenience and to save you research time.


• http://www.fairystory.org/classic-oriental-fairy-tales/the-elephant-and-the-monkey.html
"The Elephant and the Monkey" - a tale from India

• http://tinyurl.com/cys37y
Elephant camps in Thailand from AsiaRooms.com

•http://www.socyberty.com/Folklore/Elephant-in-Myths-Mythology-and-Folklore.246321
Elephant in Myths, Mythology and Folklore

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_joke
Elephant jokes

• http://www.zftrans.com/bbs/simple/index.php?t9032.html
"The Elephant King of Goodness" - Fairy tale from Asia

• http://www.lankalibrary.com/
http://members.tripod.com/~hettiarachchi/elephant.html
Elephant lore in Sri Lanka

• http://www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/rumi/pages/01.htm
Elephant poetry by Rumi ("The Elephant in a Dark Room" and "Elephant in the Dark")

• http://tinyurl.com/dd5n68
Elephant Tales (DVD) - features live action video of elephants, a monkey, lion club and more.

• http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/rf-godselephant.html
"God's Elephant" (religious legend from the Katur Valley)

• http://www.yankeeweb.com/library/storytime/grimmbros/grimmbros_24.html
"The Hare and the Elephant" - a Grimms fairy tale

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAdxBepuXE
Krungsri AF Funtasia - Elephant fairy tale - sung on YouTube

• http://tinyurl.com/aqsf4y
More Pink Elephants: Fairy Tale Songs and Poetry (MMP3)

• http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/elephant/elephant.htm
What is an elephant? from Wayne State University students (extensive)

• http://www.travelbutlers.com/safari/wildlife-guide/folklore-trunk.asp
Why Elephant Has a Trunk - Facts about Elephants from Travel Butlers

• http://elephantwhispers.blogspot.com/
Elephant Stories: How these amazing animals are linked to an ancient sense of spiritual wonder. "Avryl at the Reedbed," "A Small Coincidence on Rhino Plains," "Growing in Peace," Avryl, the Elephant Matriarch at the Carcass" and "First Day with the Elephant Bull called Valli."

• http://elephantfootprintsbook.blogspot.com/
"Elephant Footprints Book": A photographic journal of the Gorah Elephant Camp in the Addo Elephant National Park by Nicola Schwim.

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SOS - SEARCHING OUT STORIES AND INFO ABOUT ELEPHANTS
Advice, Discussion and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)

Online links are in blue and underlined.
Click on them to go to the Internet for more information and stories.
Listed in chronological order as posts are received by Story Lovers World.

1) Try rattling this off (really fast) to your anesthesiologist and crew as they attempt to
put you under!"
Q. What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming?
A. "Here come the elephants!"
Q. What did Jane say when she saw the elephants coming wearing sunglasses?
A. Nothing. She didn't recognize them!
Q. Why do elephants wear blue tennis shoes?
A. Because their red ones are in the wash!
Q. Do you know why elephants paint their toenails red?
A. So they can hide in cherry trees.
Q. Have you ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree? (They always respond, "No")
A. It works, doesn't it!
Q. Why do elephants put springs on the bottom of their feet?
A. So they can jump out of cherry trees.
Q. Do you know what the most terrifying sound to a native?
A. BOING....BOING.......BOING.....BOING!!!!


2) My favorite jokes from my childhood (the first one ;-)
Why do ducks have webbed feet?
To stamp our forest fires.

Why do elephants have flat feet?
To stamp out flaming ducks.

I even have my Scholastic paperback book of elephant jokes!


3) And of course, the followup to that line is...
Q. What's that stuff between elephants' toes?
A. Slow natives. (or, if following up the BOING-BOING one, "Deaf natives.")

4) "No More Car Wash Blues" – Two elephants work at a car wash while pursuing their dreams
of becoming a chef and singer.
http://www.candlelightstories.com/Stories/NoMoreCarWashBlues.htm
Artie Knapp 2/5/08

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Created 2005; last update 7/16/11.

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