"Stand Back," said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"

1971, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books

"The zebra yelled, ""Yipes,
You'll blow off my stripes,
Plus lots and lots
Of the leopard's spots,
And all of the snakes will be tied in knots!"

The hippopotamus
Said, "A lot of us
Will fall right on our bottom-us
If you sneeze.
So please,
Don't sneeze."

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Patricia Thomas

Thomas (1934 - ) began her career as a copywriter/editor but quickly discovered she liked to write children's books.  Red Sled, a children's board book, and "There Are Rocks in My Socks," said the Ox to the Fox are also children's favorites.

Wallace Tripp

Tripp (1940 - 2018) illustrated more than thirty-nine children's books, drew animals for the Pawprints Greeting Cards, a family owned business, and art for the Richard Purdum Animation Studio.  Our favorite Thomas book has always been Marguerite, Go Wash Your Feet!

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Book Synopsis

The water buffalo, zebra, hippopotamus, monkeys, birds and so many other animals remind Elephant what happens when he sneezes. Turns out laughing may not be better for the other animals!

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Picture book, 32 pages. Elephant's warning gives all of his animal friends time to prepare!

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
The rhymes will certainly bring out the giggles, but reading with as much over-the-top drama  as possible will have your children -- and partner -- holding their sides from laughing too much.

Classroom Resource
This is an excellent title for a literacy unit focused on Readers' Theater Projects. You can find a good RT lesson plan at ReadWriteThink.

Learning at Home
This title is a fun way to see if your kiddos understand the different habitats around the world.  All of these animals couldn't possible be Elephant's friends in the same biosphere.

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