Do you know that the elephant is the largest land animal? Yes, it is true.
The size of the elephant makes it one of the strongest mammals too. Many children’s stories have been written around an elephant, and the “Elephant and Friends” story in English is one such short story with a great moral lesson for kids.
However, in this story, what if we tell you that no animals wish to be friends with the elephant? Strange, right? To know why the other animals do not want to be the elephant’s friend, let’s read the “Elephant and Friends” full story below.
Origin And History Of Elephant And Friends
Stories have been a part of children’s early education for centuries now. The “Elephant and Friends” is one such story that helps kids learn moral values. Unfortunately, the origin of this story cannot be determined, as it has been passed down from one generation to another through word of mouth.
Story Type Of Elephant And Friends
The “Elephant And Friends” is a moral story for kids that they can enjoy as a bedtime story. Reading this story will help children with brain development and imagination, develop their language and emotions, and enhance their vocabulary.
Story Characters
The “Elephant and Friends” story involves the following characters:
- The brave lonely Elephant
- Monkey
- The small Rabbit
- The tiny Frog
- Fox
- The big Bear
- The fierce Tiger
Elephant And Friends Story For Children
Let’s read the “Elephant and Friends” story with pictures.
A lonely elephant was wandering the forest looking for friends. He came across a monkey and asked him, “Will you be my friend, monkey?”
The monkey replied, “You are too big and cannot swing on trees as I do. So, I cannot be your friend”.
The elephant then came across a small rabbit and asked him if he could be his friend.
The rabbit replied, “You are too big to fit inside my burrow. How can you be my friend?”.
Next, the elephant met a tiny frog and asked if he could be his friend.
The frog replied, “You are too big and heavy and cannot jump like me. I am sorry, but we cannot be friends”.
The elephant walked ahead and asked a fox, but he again got the same reply, that he was too big to be his friend. The next day, all the animals in the forest were running here and there in fear. The elephant stopped a bear running by and asked him what was happening. The bear told him that a tiger had been attacking all the animals.
The elephant wanted to help the distressed animals and went to the tiger and said, “Please, sir, leave my friends alone. Do not kill them”. The tiger didn’t listen to him and asked the elephant to mind his own business. Seeing no other way to solve this problem, the elephant kicked the tiger hard and scared him away.
He then went back to the other animals and told them what had happened. On hearing how the brave elephant saved their lives, the animals agreed in unison, “You are just the right size to be our dear friend”.
Story Summary
Let’s read the summary of “Elephant and Friends” story below:
A very lonely elephant was wandering in a forest in search of friends. He asked several animals, such as a monkey, rabbit, frog and a fox, to be his friend, but everyone refused to be his friend as he was huge in size.
The next day all the animals were running in fear as a tiger was attacking them. The elephant went to the tiger and asked him not to bother his friends, but the tiger didn’t listen. The elephant then kicked the tiger, and the tiger ran away to save his life. On hearing what the elephant had done, all the animals who initially denied his friendship, said in unison that the elephant was the just right size to be their friend.
Moral Of The Story
The moral of this short story is “Friends come in all shapes and sizes!”
In the story, all the animals first thought that the elephant was too big and different to be their friend. But in the end, when the elephant scared the tiger awat, all the animals understood how good-hearted and helpful the elephant was, and requested to become his friend. So, this story helps us understand that in friendship, the size doesn’t matter, but the person (in this case- the animal) does.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Of The Story In Their Real Life?
Friendship is one of the most beautiful relationships on this planet, and true friends for a lifetime are the gems we earn in this relationship. We must teach our children that when we make new friends, we should not judge them based on their size, colour or background. But we must look for characteristics like honesty, trustworthiness, and loyalty. By embodying this moral, children will be able to make some good friends in their life.
It’s not about how your child understands the term “friend”. It’s about how you, as a parent, can help your child learn the true meaning of the most beautiful relationship – “friendship”. We hope this story helped your child understand that we should not body shame someone and deny being friends with someone just because they are too big or too small. A real friend will always stay by your side and help you in times of need, irrespective of their shape and size.
Also Read:
The Blind Men and The Elephant Story for Children
Moral Story of the The Elephant and The Dog for Kids
The Elephant and The Ant Story for Children with Moral
