Sharon, Lois & Bram’s One Elephant Went Out to Play

One Elephant Went Out to Play starts on a starry night in the jungle where a group of adults and children are enjoying the wild roaming animals along with a song or two. The group begins by noticing the spider gracefully spinning its trampoline-like web in the evening. In the morning, an elephant notices the bouncy web and joins the spider on it to play. The elephant enjoys it so much she calls her baby elephant to join her. The party continues to expand with the elephant calling the giraffe, crocodile, five little monkeys and a snake to come and join, one by one, until the entire jungle is bouncing on the spider’s web. Soon the weight of everyone is too much for the web to bear, and all the animals and people go tumbling into the water below, to wait for the next day’s web to be spun.

Randi Hampson captures the fun sing-along style of Canadian icons Sharon, Lois and Bram, including their likenesses in the three adults (guitar in tow) leading the children into the jungle. Adapting their famous song “One Elephant, Deux Elephants” to include other jungle animals, the story’s rhyming couplets will keep children entertained and singing along.

Qin Leng’s illustrations mimic the messy, colorful fun of the story, their watercolours showcasing the rich earth tones of the jungle and its inhabitants. Numbers in vivid primary colours are also shown on each page to assist child readers in counting each addition to the spider’s web.
While simple in story, this easy reader harnesses the classic children’s song, using the rhyming and repetition to ensure the participation of even young readers, with illustrations matching the playful tone.