Bryon Jackson

My 2 1/2-year-old grandson enjoyed this story. I like that it is a children's book with an older copyright (1947). I also like that it tells the story of an animal who isn't sure that he is comfortable about his own appearance, but that he learns he is fine the way he is...and, in fact, looks very much like other elephants! :)

First sentence: A happy little elephant was dancing through the jungle. He thought he was dancing beautifully, one-two-three-kick. But whenever he went one-two-three, his big feet pounded so that they shook the whole jungle. And whenever he went kick, he kicked over a tree or a bush.

Premise/plot: Sooki, an elephant, LOVES to do his one-two-three kick. The other animals, however, not so much loving it. In fact, their words--intentional or not--discourage him in many ways by their critical show more nature. He begins to feel like he doesn't quite belong. What joy when he finds other elephants who are just like him!

My thoughts: I love this one. I can't believe I've never reviewed it before! I definitely grew up with this classic Little Golden Book. show less

A golden books classic. This one is about a little elephant who is happy to dance and kick around the forest until his reveries disturb the parrot. In irritation, the cranky bird laughs at elephant's saggy baggy skin and demands to know what kind of animal looks like that. Elephant, suddenly unsure of his identity, becomes ashamed of his appearance and tries to abolish his extra skin. Exercising and soaking do no good, though, and he declines the tiger's offer to eat it off. In despair, show more little elephant slinks in to a dark cave to hide his odd skin from the world. Luckily, a troop of elephants find the poor elephant and help him acquire confidence in his unique identity.

A simple story with correspondingly simple drawings, used to convey the message of self esteem and identity in terms young children can understand. Although the story imparts the importance of identity, it doesn't embrace the idea that different types of creatures should respect differences in others. The parrot mocks the elephant, other animals try to take advantage of him, and he's not happy until he is finally with his own kind. I find it interesting that the book promotes accepting one's own peculiarities but not those of others. A reflection of its times. The message is limited and other books should be read to children to emphasize an appreciation of differences. Despite this drawback, the story is cute, and the message of confidence in your own identity is an important one for children. show less

A little elephant stomps about the jungle and meets a cheeky parrot who teases the elephant for having saggy, baggy skin. After a number of run-ins with other jungle animals, the little elephant finally meets some adult elephants and realizes how beautiful they (and he) is - baggy, saggy skin and all.

This is a cute story about learning to accept one's own image, with appropriate accompanying illustrations. There's a few funny moments, like when the tiger offers to help the little elephant show more out by nibbling on him a bit to help get rid of the excess skin. The version I have is the little Little Golden Book, which makes it a neat book for small hands. show less