Future Planning: Elephant Theme

One of the things I was hoping to do this summer is to create some "themed" units in the UnTextbook. Right now, all the units are based on regional reading units. What I would like to do is to create additional themed units that would be anthologies of stories drawn from different regions, re-using stories already in the UnTextbook, and adding new ones too.

For example, I would like to do a collection of elephant stories! I've listed the elephant stories already in the UnTextbook (11,400 words), and that means I'd have room to create a few more pages. Here's what I've added to the UnTextbook so far:

Aesop: The Lion and the Elephant (Greece: 300 words)
The Crab and the Elephant (India: 800 words)
The Blind Man and the Elephant (India/British: 300 words)
The Elephant-Fighting Hare (India: 300 words)
The Liberation of Gajendra the Elephant (India: 500 words)
The Little Blackbird (India, a cumulative tale, 1200 words)
The Louse and the Crow (another cumulative tale from India, 800 words)
The Judgment of Baboon (South African chain tale, 400 words)


Some more possibilities:

The Great Elephant (Jataka - Inayat)
The Hungry Elephant (Indian folktale)
The Tricked Elephant (Tibetan)
The Elephant's Trunk (Yoruba)
Tortoise, Elephant, and Hippo (Yoruba)
Akiti the Hunter (Yoruba)

Already in the UnTextbook:

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Panchatantra: How the Rabbit Fooled the Elephant. This is one of those trickster rabbits, and even the elephant-king is no match for him.


Santal: The Elephant and the Ants. In this story, the elephant is defeated by even smaller creatures: the ants.

Sindbad: Seventh and Last Voyage. In this adventure, the elephants reveal a secret to Sindbad.

Laos: Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops. A story about the elephant's anatomy.



South Africa: Elephant and Tortoise. A story about a time of drought.

South Africa: The Judgment of Baboon. This is a chain tale involving an elephant, among others!

Jataka: The Elephant that Was Honored in Old Age. The story of a mighty she-elephant.


Jataka: The Elephant that Spared Life. The story of a discerning elephant.

Jataka: The Well-Trained Elephant. A story of the Buddha's past life as an elephant.



Nigeria: Why the Elephant has Small Eyes. Another story about the elephant's anatomy.


Nigeria. Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are Bad Friends. These two animals are enemies even today.

Nigeria. How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus. The story of a tortoise who is stronger than he looks.

Jataka. The Foolish, Timid Rabbit. This is the "Henny Penny" of Jataka stories, and the elephant is part of the crowd.








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