Story time is one of the highlights of my day – yet mini MSE won’t let me get away with just reading them out of a book. I have to make up a story on demand (or often repeat an old one she was particularly fond of).
Last summer, I wrote down her favourite, my the biggest elephant in the world story, and relatively recently she said to me, “Tonight daddy I want the story of the littlest elephant in the world.” So below is what came out – now a new firm favourite.
I’ve written it down, partly for me, for posterity, and partly in case you’ve little ones and are looking for a new story. It’s not perfect, but Sapphire seems to love it.
Tiny – the story of the littlest elephant in the world
Page 1
One fine day in the rainforests of Africa, four different mummy elephants gave birth to calves.
All were cute, grey and friendly. But one was slightly smaller than the rest.
At first no one took much notice – they cooed and smiled and played.
Yet, as the years passed, all the calves started to grow, except the little one.
It stayed tiny and soon that became her name.
Page 2
The elephant calves went from being babies, to children, to teenagers.
Tiny though stayed well, err, tiny; and sometimes the bigger elephants picked on her.
“Elephants are meant to be big and strong, you’re tiny!”
“You shouldn’t be allowed to call yourself an elephant at all!”
Poor Tiny didn’t like it, so she hatched a plan.
Page 3
The elephants’ land was surrounded by a big, dry, arid desert.
No elephants could travel through it, as one big slurp of their trunks would drain the few watering holes.
But Tiny knew she was much smaller, so wouldn’t need as much water.
So on her 18th birthday, she packed a little bag, put it on her shoulder, and said goodbye to her mummy and daddy.
Page 4
She walked through the desert with a tromp, tromp, tromp.
Tromp, tromp, tromp.
Tromp, tromp, slurp.
Tromp, tromp, tromp.
Page 5
Many tromps later, she came out of the desert, and found herself in a grassy land.
The first creatures she met were funny dogs, called laughing hyenas.
The leader of their pack said, “What type of animal are you?”
Tiny said, “I’m an elephant!”
The hyena said, “Heh-heh-heh, elephants are big, you’re tiny, you’re no bigger than us, heh-heh-heh.
“Still, you can stay and play, whatever you are.”
Page 6
So Tiny made friends with the dogs, and ran about with their pack.
They soon became fast friends. The hyenas loved Tiny, and her spray nose.
Whenever they got dirty, instead of having to roll in the dust to get clean, Tiny doused them down.
After many months though, she started to get homesick, missing her mummy and daddy.
And the laughing hyenas soon became crying hyenas when she told them it was time to leave.
Page 7
Tiny headed back across the desert with a tromp, tromp, tromp.
Tromp, tromp, tromp.
Tromp, tromp, slurp.
Tromp, tromp, tromp.
Page 8
When she arrived home, the land of the elephants was in consternation.
All the big elephants were clustered round the King.
Tiny tried to ask what was wrong, but no one would answer her.
They hadn’t realised she was back and thought she was just a child.
So she pushed her way forward, into the circle of big elephants.
Page 9
When she heard the news, she hung her head.
The King of the Elephants had lost his crown. It’d dropped off his head and fallen down a hole.
Worse news was yet to come; the next day a parliament of all the animals in the rainforest had been called.
If the King didn’t have his crown for that, the elephants would look silly, and may even be ignored.
Page 10
So Tiny took a little step forward and said, “Can I help?”
The elephants looked down, and down, until all faces were turned to her.
Then one of the biggest, brute elephants, turned around and roared,
“PAH! All of us long trunks have tried, to no avail. What can you do, little trunk?”
Page 11
Tiny ignored him, and stepped forward to the hole.
She pushed with her feet and squeezed her shoulders through.
Inside the hole was dark, damp and dingy.
Yet one step at a time, she pushed herself farther into the hole.
Step, step, step, step.
Page 12
Then she saw something glistening and glinting in the distance.
A huge crown with gold and jewels.
She stretched out her trunk and wrapped it round the crown’s prong.
Then she inched her way back to the entrance.
Page 13
Finally she backed out into the light.
With her final step out, the crown was revealed.
She lifted it up toward the King.
And a hush fell over all the elephants.
Page 14
Then like a wave over the ocean, every elephant let out an almighty roar.
They hooted their trunks, lifted their legs and danced.
The King quietened them down, took the crown and said,
“Let it be known, that from this day forth, all elephants, whether big or small, will be judged on what they do, not on their size.”
Page 15
Soon Tiny was appointed an adviser to the King.
Then after lots of hard work, she became his Chief Adviser.
And she was known by all as Big Tiny.
As while she was small in stature, her status was huge.
