The Elephant And The Bad Baby

(the original by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs)

1. Once upon a time there was an Elephant.

And one day the Elephant went for a walk and he met a Bad Baby. And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "Would you like a ride?" And the Bad Baby said, "Yes."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk, and picked up the Bad Baby and put him on his back, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road.

Very soon they came to the ice-cream man and the butcher's shop.

And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: an ice- cream or a pie?"

   

2. And the Bad Baby said, "An ice-cream." So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took an ice-cream for himself and an ice-cream for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the ice-cream man running after.

Next they came to the pork butcher's shop and the baker's shop. And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: a pie or a bun?"

      

3. And the Bad Baby said, "A pie." So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took a pie for himself and a pie for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, with the pork butcher running after.

Next they came to the baker's shop and the snack bar.

And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: a bun or some crisps?"

      

4. And the Bad Baby said, "A bun."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took a bun for himself and a bun for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the baker running after.

Next they came to the snack bar and the grocer's shop.

And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: some crisps or a chocolate biscuit?"

      

5. And the Bad Baby said, "Some crisps."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took some crisps for himself and some crisps for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the snack bar man running after.

Next they came to the grocer's shop and the sweet shop.

And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: a chocolate biscuit or a lollipop?"

      

6. And the Bad Baby said, "A chocolate biscuit."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took a chocolate biscuit for himself and a chocolate biscuit for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the grocer running after.

Next they came to the sweet shop and the fruit barrow.

And the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "What would you like: a lollipop or an apple?"

      

7. And the Bad Baby said, "A lollipop."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took a lollipop for himself and a lollipop for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the lady from the sweet shop running after.

Then the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "Would you like riding even more?"

And the Bad Baby said, "Yes."

      

8. And the Bad Baby said, "An apple."

So the Elephant stretched out his trunk and took an apple for himself and an apple for the Bad Baby, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the barrow boy running after.

Then the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "Would you like riding even more?"

And the Bad Baby said, "Yes."

      

9. Then the Elephant said to the Bad Baby, "But you haven't once said please!" And he said, "You haven't ONCE said please!"

Then the Elephant sat down suddenly in the middle of the road and the Bad Baby fell off.

And the ice-cream man, and the pork butcher, and the baker, and the snack bar man, and the grocer, and the lady from the sweet shop, and the barrow boy all went BUMP into a heap.

And the Elephant said, "But he never once said please!"

And the ice-cream man, and the pork butcher, and the baker, and the snack bar man, and the grocer, and the lady from the sweet shop, and the barrow boy all picked themselves up and said, "Just fancy that! He never once (italics) said please!"

And the Bad Baby said: "PLEASE! I want to go home to my Mummy!" So the Elephant stretched out his trunk, and picked up the Bad Baby and put him on his back, and they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the ice-cream man, and the pork butcher, and the baker, and the snack bar man, and the grocer, and the lady from the sweet shop, and the barrow boy all running after.

When the Bad Baby's Mummy saw them, she said, "Have you all come for tea?"

And they all said, "Yes, please !"

So they all went in and had tea, and the Bad Baby's Mummy made pan cakes for everybody.

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