The Kind Elephant and the Wicked Tiger Story in English for Kids

The tiger and elephant story is a one of a kind, exceptional story that portrays the concept of kindness, wickedness and how each is met with different treatments and views. The story is about a tiger who is extremely wicked and an elephant who is too kind and how the tiger decides to exploit the goodness of the elephant while he (elephant) is completely oblivious to it. It teaches the importance of being kind but calculative, and to never be wicked against the innocent people who have always done good to and for us. This story is a good read as it provides the brutal and real side of nature and this article tries to showcase that brutality and reality in simple ways to help children understand the story and its morals.

The Tiger and Elephant Story in English Summary

Long ago in a thick forest, there once lived a tiger that was very, very cunning, sly and wicked. He came across a herd of elephants who were crossing to the other side of the forest and wanted to know why. The next day, he slowly approached the herd and had noticed that one elephant was slower than the rest of them and hence was trudging behind. Taking the opportunity, he went over to the elephant but he was kind and helpful and wasn’t scared of the tiger. He asked the elephant if they could be friends and the elephant happily agreed to do so.

The next day, the tiger told the elephant that he wanted to eat some fresh sugarcane from the next village. However, in order to reach the village, a large river needs to be crossed. Realising this, the tiger lied to the elephant by saying that his leg was wounded so he wouldn't be able to swim across the river. The elephant - totally oblivious to the tiger’s intentions - innocently suggested that he carry the tiger while he swam, offering his back to the tiger, to which the tiger more than eagerly accepted. When they almost reached the village, the tiger began to claw the back of the elephant and killed him.

The tiger then calmly walked over to the sugarcane farm and ate a lot of sugarcane. He also killed some unfortunate cows that were grazing nearby and ate it to his heart’s content. When he was finally full, he decided to leave the village and get back to the forest. It was only then that the realisation hit him - it was too hard to cross the river and if he wouldn’t have killed the elephant, he’d have still been able to swim the river by now. Accepting his mistake, he started to feel really guilty for killing the elephant who was innocent and befriended him with genuinely kind intentions, unlike the tiger. By the time he could do something about his sorry state, the villagers had found that their crops had been destroyed and their cows were killed and had also spotted the tiger who was the culprit responsible for the loss of their crops and animals. Quickly grabbing sticks and other weapons, they beat the tiger to death.

Given Below is a Graphical Representation of the Story

The Moral of the Story the Kind Elephant and the Wicked Tiger

The moral of the elephant bedtime story is quite self-explanatory as it is to never trust a wicked person and that God will always punish the wicked people. Here, the elephant should have never trusted the tiger and the tiger should have never been wicked towards the elephant. That way, the elephant and the would still be alive in both scenarios. The tiger relishing the feel of the sugarcanes and feasting on the cows right after he killed the elephant before being g=beaten to death by the villagers is an example that by cheating, manipulating or betraying somebody might give you the rewards you have always wanted but it is short-lived, always, and that you will always be punished accordingly. Another hidden moral of the story, the kind elephant and the wicked tiger which goes unnoticed or ignored by parents and children, is that just because you are good to the world, it does not guarantee that the world will be good to you. That is like expecting the tiger not to eat you because you didn’t eat the tiger, as seen in the story “The Kind Elephant and the Wicked Tiger.” Most of us tend to do good for the sole purpose of expecting that same good to come back to us, but such is not the case, unfortunately. That is the way of the world and the earlier children come to realise that, the more they will be prepared to face whatever it is that life throws at them.

Note To Parents on the Elephant Bedtime Story

The elephant bedtime story is an excellent story to expose children to to teach the important moral values to avoid wicked people, God punishing wicked people and that doing good does not guarantee good to return to you. As mentioned before, most parents shy away from the last hidden moral of the story the kind elephant and the wicked tiger and it is advised to avoid doing so. Children have a right to know every and all things present in this story starting from how being innocent and naïve will do no good, to wicked people getting what they rightly deserve. Explaining this story in the form of story-telling is a very good idea to improve their reading and bonding habits.