An Eye For Elephants

by William Steig

Dozens of limericks about elephants, all based on the children's I asked my mother for fifty cents/To see the elephant jump the fence.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

William Steig was born in New York City in 1907. In a family where every member was involved in the arts, it was not surprising that Steig became an artist.

He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, embarking on a new and very different career.

Steig's books reflect his conviction that children want the security of a devoted family and friends. When Sylvester, Farmer Palmer, Abel, Pearl, Gorky, Solomon, and Irene eventually get home, their families are all waiting, and beginning with Amos & Boris, friendship is celebrated in story after story.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cracked me up when I first read it nearly twenty years ago, and I still enjoyed it when I happened to dig it out the other night. It's a slim collection of poetry about elephants, variations on the folk rhyme that begins "I asked my mother for 50 cents, the see the elephant jump the fence." Some of Steig's poems scan better than others. What makes the book hilarious are his accompanying illustrations in which the elephants generally look really distressed at their predicaments. This isn't actually a collection of limericks as stated in the book description, as the rhyme scheme of the original verse (and Steig's spin-offs) goes AABBB, but I'm aware I'm being a pedant for bothering to note this.

[Michelle Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

My 9 year old son likes the rhyming words and obsession with elephants. But wondered why people are obsessed with them. And why they eat snails.

I found it exceedingly long and boring.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too much of the same all at once.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book of elephant themed limericks. One of my favorite books from childhood. :-)