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Tinga Tinga Tales
Why Elephant has a Trunk
Featuring colorful Tinga Tinga artwork, this title tells the story of Elephant's transformation from a smelly, dirty beast with a short stubby nose into his glorious Tinga Tinga persona.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 21, 2015
There was once a time when Elephant did not have a nose. Consequently, he had no sense of smell, was very ‘smelly’ and could not understand why flies kept following him. One day he was so fed up with the irritating flies that he had no choice but to ask his other animal friends for advice. However, Monkey did not want to hurt Elephant’s feelings and Lion made some hurtful comments. Fortunately, Chameleon and Tortoise were much friendlier and suggested that he would benefit from taking a bath. Elephant visits the waterhole in the hope of having a bath but unfortunately Crocodile snaps onto the end of Elephant’s nose from the water. Luckily, the animals help to rescue Elephant who ends up with a very ‘long and wiggly nose’ from all the pulling! Rather than being disappointed, Elephant is finally ‘over the moon’ and able to use his new trunk to swat the flies away and even take a ‘big shower’!
I really enjoyed reading this book due to its imaginative story line, use of onomatopoeia and incorporation of a moral message. This book could be read to EYFS and KS1 pupils as it includes simple yet powerful description with keywords (verbs, adjectives and other key phrases) in bold. The vibrant and often humorous illustrations are also easy to understand (beautifully complementing the writing) and aid with predicting, questioning and summarising.
This story can be used in several ways in the classroom and promotes many learning opportunities. Educators can demonstrate sounds that the animals make to engage the pupils and to make the book memorable. In addition, this book is based on the ‘CBeebies Tinga Tinga Tales’ television series which could help pupils visualise all the different animals and important scenes. The bold and colourful illustrations, inspired by the ‘Tingartinga’ artwork of Tanzania, could encourage children in KS1 to research the artwork and draw their own animals for Art. Also, the themes of friendship, honesty and morality could be discussed as part of PSHE or ‘Personal, Social, and Emotional Development’. The teacher could additionally discuss the saying ‘good things do come from bad’ which resonates throughout the story and encourage pupils to think which animals did the right thing and which acted wrongly.
In terms of other learning opportunities, the story could inspire pupils to learn about traditional animal stories from Africa and to write their own creative animal story including how they have acquired certain features (body parts). The teacher could demonstrate interesting usage of adjectives and verbs. Furthermore, the use of some African words in the story could, for example, encourage discussion about cultures and languages in a Humanities lesson.
I really enjoyed reading this book due to its imaginative story line, use of onomatopoeia and incorporation of a moral message. This book could be read to EYFS and KS1 pupils as it includes simple yet powerful description with keywords (verbs, adjectives and other key phrases) in bold. The vibrant and often humorous illustrations are also easy to understand (beautifully complementing the writing) and aid with predicting, questioning and summarising.
This story can be used in several ways in the classroom and promotes many learning opportunities. Educators can demonstrate sounds that the animals make to engage the pupils and to make the book memorable. In addition, this book is based on the ‘CBeebies Tinga Tinga Tales’ television series which could help pupils visualise all the different animals and important scenes. The bold and colourful illustrations, inspired by the ‘Tingartinga’ artwork of Tanzania, could encourage children in KS1 to research the artwork and draw their own animals for Art. Also, the themes of friendship, honesty and morality could be discussed as part of PSHE or ‘Personal, Social, and Emotional Development’. The teacher could additionally discuss the saying ‘good things do come from bad’ which resonates throughout the story and encourage pupils to think which animals did the right thing and which acted wrongly.
In terms of other learning opportunities, the story could inspire pupils to learn about traditional animal stories from Africa and to write their own creative animal story including how they have acquired certain features (body parts). The teacher could demonstrate interesting usage of adjectives and verbs. Furthermore, the use of some African words in the story could, for example, encourage discussion about cultures and languages in a Humanities lesson.
January 10, 2013
This is a review on a book called ‘Why Elephant Has a Trunk’ by Claudia Lloyd, that I read time and time again with my reception SEN class as they loved the colourful, vibrant illustrations which are inspired by the Tingatinga artwork of Tanzania and the silly voices that I gave all the different animals.
This book is about a time when Elephant has no nose. ‘He was big, clumsy and very, very smelly and always covered in flies because his nose was too small to wash himself with’. He was very sad indeed and to make it worse all the other animals used to talk about how smelly he is behind his back, until one day one of the animals told him how much he smelled and needed a bath, miserably Elephant went to see Crocodile who lived near the waterhole to ask him if he would allow him to use if for a bath, but Crocodile said no.
One day when Elephant is sleeping next to the waterhole, Crocodile gets so cross that Elephant is still near his waterhole being smelly that he snaps onto the end of Elephants small nose. To try and set him free all the other animals come to his rescue and try to pull him free. As a result his little nose ‘stretches longer and longer until Crocodile finally lets go and Elephant ends up with a fine long and wiggly nose!’. Instead of Elephant getting upset that he has a very long nose, is gets very happy indeed as he is now able to swat those pesky flies away, blow his nose and finally wash himself using his new nose that he now calls a trunk.
This entertaining story about how elephant got his trunk is part of the Tinga Tinga tales series, which are inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa. This story in particular was a great way for my SEN children to learn the sounds of the animals that featured in the book, as they were able to copy my sounds and the more we read the book the more of the sounds they remembered independently. Towards the end of my placement some of the children would ask for me to read the book by just making their favourite animal sounds from the book which I thought showed how much the book inspired them.
I would again recommend this book for early years reading and also lower key stage 1. It is a great way to get children’s imaginations flowing as perhaps they could come up with innovative ways of how other animals got their characteristics and write about them independently or as a class. Also the book is a good way to introduce art as they could use the beautiful illustrations to inspire some creations of their own for a class display.
This book is about a time when Elephant has no nose. ‘He was big, clumsy and very, very smelly and always covered in flies because his nose was too small to wash himself with’. He was very sad indeed and to make it worse all the other animals used to talk about how smelly he is behind his back, until one day one of the animals told him how much he smelled and needed a bath, miserably Elephant went to see Crocodile who lived near the waterhole to ask him if he would allow him to use if for a bath, but Crocodile said no.
One day when Elephant is sleeping next to the waterhole, Crocodile gets so cross that Elephant is still near his waterhole being smelly that he snaps onto the end of Elephants small nose. To try and set him free all the other animals come to his rescue and try to pull him free. As a result his little nose ‘stretches longer and longer until Crocodile finally lets go and Elephant ends up with a fine long and wiggly nose!’. Instead of Elephant getting upset that he has a very long nose, is gets very happy indeed as he is now able to swat those pesky flies away, blow his nose and finally wash himself using his new nose that he now calls a trunk.
This entertaining story about how elephant got his trunk is part of the Tinga Tinga tales series, which are inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa. This story in particular was a great way for my SEN children to learn the sounds of the animals that featured in the book, as they were able to copy my sounds and the more we read the book the more of the sounds they remembered independently. Towards the end of my placement some of the children would ask for me to read the book by just making their favourite animal sounds from the book which I thought showed how much the book inspired them.
I would again recommend this book for early years reading and also lower key stage 1. It is a great way to get children’s imaginations flowing as perhaps they could come up with innovative ways of how other animals got their characteristics and write about them independently or as a class. Also the book is a good way to introduce art as they could use the beautiful illustrations to inspire some creations of their own for a class display.
January 8, 2013
This was the first story I have read in the Tinga Tinga Tales range and it is one I thoroughly enjoyed reading to my Reception class.
The story is about an elephant who is very smelly and all his friends keep trying to tell him that he needs to take a bath at the waterhole. The elephant can't smell himself as he doesn't have a nose.When the elephant eventually goes with his friends to the waterhole, a crocodile snaps at him whilst he is in the water. The elephant's friends help to pull him from the water and in turn pull out his trunk. The elephant does have a nose after all.
I researched this book before I read it and found an accompanying website to show the children a video clip of the water hole scene. This was a great visial aid to accompany the story and allowed the children to use the description they have heard to visualise the elephant.
I used the book to highlight the importance of friends, helping eachother and appreciation of each child's differences. The children were able to be actively engaged in the story as with lots of the descriptive words I added actions for the children to copy.
The book is beautifully written with lots of rhyme and the illustrations are of a kind I haven't come accross before. They appear to be of an African nature and are very colourful and powerful.
I would highly reccommend this book to a Reception class however it would also be appropriate for KS1 and KS2 as children could begin to appreciate moral values, rhyme and descriptive writing.
The story is about an elephant who is very smelly and all his friends keep trying to tell him that he needs to take a bath at the waterhole. The elephant can't smell himself as he doesn't have a nose.When the elephant eventually goes with his friends to the waterhole, a crocodile snaps at him whilst he is in the water. The elephant's friends help to pull him from the water and in turn pull out his trunk. The elephant does have a nose after all.
I researched this book before I read it and found an accompanying website to show the children a video clip of the water hole scene. This was a great visial aid to accompany the story and allowed the children to use the description they have heard to visualise the elephant.
I used the book to highlight the importance of friends, helping eachother and appreciation of each child's differences. The children were able to be actively engaged in the story as with lots of the descriptive words I added actions for the children to copy.
The book is beautifully written with lots of rhyme and the illustrations are of a kind I haven't come accross before. They appear to be of an African nature and are very colourful and powerful.
I would highly reccommend this book to a Reception class however it would also be appropriate for KS1 and KS2 as children could begin to appreciate moral values, rhyme and descriptive writing.
March 30, 2024
Actually the best book in the world
Also the best series like
Yasssssss
Also the best series like
Yasssssss
September 22, 2018
A modern take on Rudyard Kipling's just so stories. The book tells the story of an elephant who is feeling lonely because of the other animals telling him that he smells. One day he wonders near the river and asks hippo if he could share the water to get clean. Just as the elephant enters the water, he gets caught by a crocodile. The other animals soon come to his aid and start pulling at his stump of a nose. As the animals pull the elephant, his nose gets longer and longer. In the end, the elephant has a nose which he discovers can be used for different purposes.
February 3, 2019
Bright and colourful, I like that it's inspired by African animal stories
January 26, 2025
I thought this was a very clever plot!
September 3, 2012
Why Elephant Has a Trunk is one in a series of books from the Tinga Tinga Tales collection. The story is inspired by animal stories from Africa.
Ever wondered why an elephant has a long, wiggly nose? Well, this is a story about an elephant that does not have a nose. Without his nose he is unable to smell, which means he is very smelly and is surrounded by lots of flies. To get rid of these flies, Elephant decides to seek help from his animal friends who advise him that he needs to wash. Down at the waterhole, Elephant encounters the very ‘snappy’ crocodile and unexpectedly finds his nose!
I would recommend this book for a key stage 2 class. The book is beautifully illustrated with bright, bold colours, with an African art theme, which will attract the attention of young readers immediately. The story is very simple, yet imaginative and easy to follow, when reading to the class. As the story is inspired from Africa, I admire the use of African words, such as, ‘Jambo (hello), Mamba (snake) and Haraka (quickly)’ to inspire children to learn words from a new language. The book has a good moral in the story and teaches children about honesty and trust, and gently touches upon the issue of bullying. Some of these words are highlighted with a bold font to emphasize its importance.
This book can be used in the classroom to explore friendships and what makes a good/bad friend through role play and group activities, or to create their own imaginative stories about different animals. Students could also investigate the origins of the story by finding out about Africa and have a go at learning a new language. In an art lesson, students can get creative and paint their own animals with an African art theme.
Ever wondered why an elephant has a long, wiggly nose? Well, this is a story about an elephant that does not have a nose. Without his nose he is unable to smell, which means he is very smelly and is surrounded by lots of flies. To get rid of these flies, Elephant decides to seek help from his animal friends who advise him that he needs to wash. Down at the waterhole, Elephant encounters the very ‘snappy’ crocodile and unexpectedly finds his nose!
I would recommend this book for a key stage 2 class. The book is beautifully illustrated with bright, bold colours, with an African art theme, which will attract the attention of young readers immediately. The story is very simple, yet imaginative and easy to follow, when reading to the class. As the story is inspired from Africa, I admire the use of African words, such as, ‘Jambo (hello), Mamba (snake) and Haraka (quickly)’ to inspire children to learn words from a new language. The book has a good moral in the story and teaches children about honesty and trust, and gently touches upon the issue of bullying. Some of these words are highlighted with a bold font to emphasize its importance.
This book can be used in the classroom to explore friendships and what makes a good/bad friend through role play and group activities, or to create their own imaginative stories about different animals. Students could also investigate the origins of the story by finding out about Africa and have a go at learning a new language. In an art lesson, students can get creative and paint their own animals with an African art theme.
May 15, 2013
This book is a very child friendly book with easy to understand language and beautiful, colourful pictures to compliment the story and its meaning.
The story is about an elephant who is smelly and cannot have a bath to clean himself and how the chameleon was honest and told elephant that he should take a bath and clean himself. But since elephant did not have a trunk he could not clean himself or smell how bad he smelled.
When crocodile snapped his nose and the other animals pulled elephant by the tail to save him, the elephant's nose got longer and longer which ended up in a trunk.
The moral of the story is that good always comes out of something bad. The importance of being honest and truthful. To help others and to not give up in life.
I read this story to year 1 and they loved it. Children were engaged throughout the whole time I read the story to them. This book is ideal for guided reading time, PSHE or then library corner.
The story is about an elephant who is smelly and cannot have a bath to clean himself and how the chameleon was honest and told elephant that he should take a bath and clean himself. But since elephant did not have a trunk he could not clean himself or smell how bad he smelled.
When crocodile snapped his nose and the other animals pulled elephant by the tail to save him, the elephant's nose got longer and longer which ended up in a trunk.
The moral of the story is that good always comes out of something bad. The importance of being honest and truthful. To help others and to not give up in life.
I read this story to year 1 and they loved it. Children were engaged throughout the whole time I read the story to them. This book is ideal for guided reading time, PSHE or then library corner.
November 29, 2016
Folklore -
This is a fantastic story with wonderful illustrations and part of a series, which is why it makes it a WOW book for me. My class loved the story and the discussions around what made this a folklore story. This also led to discussions about how other animals became the way they are.
In this particular story, Elephant couldn't swat away flies, or clean his belly... so he was very smelly! Then one day snappy Crocodile snaps Elephant on the end of his small nose and he pulls, until... Ker-boiing! Elephants nose is all long and wiggly! Elephant decides to call his new nose a trunk and from that day on he can clean and swat away the flies and when he blows his new trunk he has the loudest trumpet in Tinga Tinga!
This is a fantastic story with wonderful illustrations and part of a series, which is why it makes it a WOW book for me. My class loved the story and the discussions around what made this a folklore story. This also led to discussions about how other animals became the way they are.
In this particular story, Elephant couldn't swat away flies, or clean his belly... so he was very smelly! Then one day snappy Crocodile snaps Elephant on the end of his small nose and he pulls, until... Ker-boiing! Elephants nose is all long and wiggly! Elephant decides to call his new nose a trunk and from that day on he can clean and swat away the flies and when he blows his new trunk he has the loudest trumpet in Tinga Tinga!
April 17, 2011
Cute read about the differeny animals which sleep at night and animals which wake up at night. This would be a good read for a Kindergarten class because of its rhyming words and colorful illustrations. It can teach them about the different types of animals which stay awake at night.
February 4, 2017
Read to the kids to teach about stories from another culture. the kids loved learning new words and using them in their writing
July 31, 2011
a funny story of how a smelly and dirty elephant got his trunk! good things do come out of some bad ones just like what the owl of Tinga Tinga said.
January 25, 2015
Good for grades k-2
July 24, 2015
kids liked it a lot
November 30, 2011
Brightly coloured and fun. Illustrations are great but rather busy.
October 1, 2017
A story about nose-less elephant who didn't realise how much he smelled until his friends told him and suggested ways he could get rid of the flies that followed him everywhere. A nicely illustrated book that could help children when it comes to being compassionate and thinking about others feelings. They all work together in the end and elephant gets his trunk.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews