Poems on Elephant for Kids to Recite and Enjoy

Have you ever seen an elephant? Just like other animals, they also live in jungles. You might have seen them in zoos and national parks too. They have a long trunk and ivory teeth. The elephants are known to be intelligent animals and are quite obedient. In many parts of the world, elephants hold an important cultural significance. Many poets have expressed their thoughts on elephants through poems.  

Here, we have provided some popular poems on elephants that will help you know more about this animal. So, let us learn the elephant poem and have a fun time reciting them.

An Elephant

Elephant Poems for Kids in English

Given below are a few popular poems on elephants. Read out the poems loud and start reciting them with us.

The Elephant 

The elephant is very large

And clumsy as a wooden barge,

With legs like tree-trunks, yet he's mild

And gentle as a little child.

The elephant walks far away

And sees strange children in their play,

And carries logs and iron bars

As easily as motor cars.

The elephant's a great big beast—

Not beautiful, but good, at least,

Strong as a tree, but withal mild

And gentle as a little child.

- Annette Wynne

Summary of the Poem

In the above poem, “The Elephant” written by Annette Wynne, the poet has described beautifully the physical features of an elephant. The poet has compared the huge body of the elephant to that of a wooden barge and its large, wide legs with a tree trunk. The poet also explained that the elephant can be a huge and strong animal but it is also very gentle just like a child. The poem also tells us how an elephant is strong enough to carry heavy logs and iron bars and is no less than a motor car. 

Tiger and Elephant

On Ganges banks roams the tiger,

And lion rules by the Niger,

Hunter heard shrill cry of peacocks,

In Indian jungles go in flocks.

And he saw tiger crouch and spring,

To crush a bird with beauteous wing,

But the tiger missed his aim,

And he hung his head with shame.

Then there came a mighty crush,

Of elephants rush through the bush,

The tiger cat-like crouched on ground,

And elephants rushed in with bound.

In front was baby elephant,

To crush its bones did tiger want,

But mother saw fierce forest ranger,

And she gave a cry of danger.

Leader of herd he madly rushed,

Resolved the tiger should be crushed,

But tiger strove to run away,

Willing to relinquish prey.

But when he found that he must fight,

On elephant's back, he strove to light,

But elephant struck him with his foot,

And then with tusks, he did him root.

So now once more must praise be sung;

To beasts who nobly fight for young,

And grateful feelings were now stirred,

Towards the leader of the herd.

- James McIntyre

Summary of the Poem

In the poem, “Tiger and Elephant” by James McIntyre, the poet has started the poem by describing how the tiger rules the banks of the Ganges. He has explained how in a jungle the tiger and the lion are considered the leaders. However, one day, a hunter arrived in the jungle. He saw the tiger, aiming to kill a bird. It crouched and jumped on the ground but missed to catch the beautiful bird. 

Then suddenly, there was a sudden noise, all the animals in the jungle gave a signal of danger. It was a fierce forest ranger who looked angrily at the baby elephant. The mother elephant took the lead and attacked the forest ranger to save her child. The tiger, the leader of the jungle, hunched behind the elephant’s back. However, the mother elephant stood strong and struck the fierce forest ranger with her foot. 

Thus, the poet has beautifully explained the boldness of the elephant through the poem and how the leaders of the jungle, i.e., the tiger and the lion could not fight with the man. The poet also tells that the elephant turned out to be the real hero and her bravery should be praised by all.

So, kids! These were a few fun poems on elephants. You must have seen elephants on TV, in books or even in the zoo. However,  we hope that reciting these poems has helped you to know more about elephants. So, next time you see an elephant, remember to recite this poem.