The Elephant Who Liked to Smash Small Cars

by Jean Merrill

What is your favorite thing to do in the whole world? Whatever it is, odds are that you don’t like doing it as much as the elephant in this book enjoys smashing small cars. He’ll smash any small car that drives down his road. He smashes yellow cars, he smashes blue cars, he smashes red cars, all the while singing a special car-smashing song. Then one day a man comes to town and opens a small-car store right on the elephant’s road. You can probably guess what the elephant does next, but the real fun starts when the man turns the tables on the elephant—and his plan is a smashing success. Jean Merrill’s story of gleeful destruction, revenge, and conciliation is accompanied by Ronni Solbert’s colorful crayon drawings. Rarely has property damage looked so adorable.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Cars, Juvenile, Classics

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 1967

About the author

Jean Fairbanks Merrill.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine recommended this to me, saying it was a little demented for a child's book. Boy, was he right!

The plot is as follows: An elephant likes to smash small cars(although in one instance, it looks like he's attempting to have sex with one.) He's a car wrecking machine. One day, a car dealership specializing in small cars opens in the neighborhood and an orgy of car smashing destruction ensues. The dealer, his business obviously ruined, starts stocking large cars, too big for the elephant to smash. He then proceeds to repeatedly run over the elephant for the sole purpose of teaching him a lesson...

Edit: They finally reprinted this gem and I had the lady of the house read it aloud for my amusement. I took great glee in seeing her grow increasingly appalled as the elephant got his comeuppance. Anyway, the illustrations from the original edition are intact, as is the moral of the tale: "If you act like an asshole, sooner or later, someone is going to settle your hash for you."

I wish my mom would have read this to me when I was a youngling. Funny stuff, even for adults.

2023 Update - I read this to my son for the first time last night and proceeded to read it four more times. I don't know why he loved it so much, maybe the bright colors, maybe cars getting smashed, or maybe me singing the elephant's car smashing song.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once there was an elephant who liked to smash small cars.

Okay, that's the selling point. The rest is mainly pointless, but whatever, learn to enjoy things for what they are, you pedants!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the gift ship of the New York Public Library on 42nd St. So bizarre. But it gets 5 stars for the title, which made my day.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Merrill may be best known for The Pushcart War (1964) but I know her through The Elephant Who Liked to Smash Small Cars (1967). This book about an elephant and his thing about smashing small cars is one my husband grew up with. It's really a strange book but oddly entertaining.

The story is simple and absurd. An elephant in some unnamed town terrorizes the highway by smashing all the small cars that drive by. When a car dealership opens up in his territory, the elephant gleefully smashes all the inventory. The dealer, not about to be chased away by this elephant gets his revenge. In the end the elephant learns his lesson but doesn't lose his love of smashing cars.

The illustrations by Ronni Solbert (who illustrated most of Merrill's books) are minimalist, lacking in the bells and whistles so common in illustrations for children's books. They are none the less effective and well suited for this bizarre story.

The elephant also has a theme song. The sheet music is included in the book on page seven. It's called "The Smashing Song." My kids love to sing it.

My husband grew up with this book. His family's copy has fallen apart from so much reading and he wanted to get a copy for our children. The process of finding a copy and then one that we could afford took about six years of on and off searching the various used book sellers on the internet. While the rest of Merrill's books seem to be still in print, The Elephant Who Liked to Smash Small Cars isn't. Instead it seems to be in some sort of publishing limbo. It's currently listed with a "new" price of $5.99 but it's not actually in print. The 1967 copies fetch a handsome price from $52 and up. The current most expensive copy is $200 but I've seen it offered for as high as $400. A year or so ago I found someone who didn't know the going rate for this book and I snatched it up for about $20 (including shipping).

It's a cute book and the four of us enjoy it but I personally wouldn't pay what most people sell it for.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an hour and a half to prepare a story time.

I would be giving away small toy cars as a gift following story time so I needed a story that included cars. I thought of this story which I have shared over the years.

Alas, my copy of the story and my small plush elephant and toy cars which I use to tell this story were at home amidst the rubble of a recent move. What to do?

I was hoping to find a story synopsis on-line to refresh my memory of the story details.

To my surprise I found that used copies of the book are selling for more than $200 on Amazon.

To my delight I found a YouTube link where pages of the book are turned, allowing the viewer to read the story.

I didn’t have a plush elephant on hand but I did have an armadillo hand puppet. So I changed the story to “The Armadillo Who Liked to Smash Small Cars” and dramatized it from memory.

My performance was far from perfect but the children loved it. They were delighted to each get a small car after the story.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. I learned about this book through an online list of beloved books that are now out of print. Fortunately it is now back in print. It is violent and has no moral--two qualities I enjoy in books for young children. (Let's face it, they're gonna be lectured to for most of their lives, so why start lecturing before they've even started school?)

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was chosen by the New York Review, Children's Collection as a great book for young children. It may be appealing to intellectuals who think they know what is best for children, but it certainly would not entertain the young children I know. I got this book to go through with my youngest grandchild. I didn't even bother showing it to him when he came over.

[Jsrott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps it's just me, but I didn't find the book to have a particularly good message, especially for kids. Basically, if somebody messes with your stuff, the best way to solve the situation is to hit them over and over. Perhaps this meant something different back when it was written, but the sort of thing I would read to a small child of today.

[Monica Edinger]

This is out of print and available copies on amazon cost hundreds. However, a kind soul has created a youtube video of it that you can see here.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashing cars. Smashing cars. How I love to smash small cars!

[Liaken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is bizarrely memorable. I really did not expect to have the violence of retaliation toward the elephant in the book. I suppose this counts as spoilers, so I'll just go for it. This book is about an elephant who really loves to smash small cars. It ends up smashing all the cars in a car lot, and the owner of the car lot buys bigger cars and smashes the elephant with the cars until the elephant agrees not to smash any of the little cars anymore. There is even a smashing song in full musical notation. It is very strange but very memorable.

[Maria Shuffit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky, funny little book about an elephant who smashes cars, including all the small cars that a dealership tries to sell, until the man who runs the dealership starts selling big cars instead of small cars and uses the big cars to smash the elephant instead. Not sure how I feel about this book being given to kids since it gets kind of twisted, but as an adult, I enjoyed it immensely!

[Alaina Kozma]

Actual rating: 1 star/5 star simultaneously. This is a well-told, very engaging tale. It's a lot of fun to read aloud, and it's accompanied by excellent art. The topics are of high interest to most kids. Also - I really dislike it: smashing elephants isn't equivalent to smashing cars, and I think this story equates the two.

[Jeani · Rating 1 out of 5]

I might be too used to stories having a moral of some sort, but this was just disappointing. This elephant really just likes to smash small cars and only stops because a man smashes him with big cars. Yikes. Even my 4 year old said, "Well, that wasn't a very good story."

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky little "do unto others" story about an elephant who causes problems for a small cars salesman because he likes to smash small cars. I thought it was ridiculous and funny and I especially LOVED the demented little tune in the story.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple, whimsical picture book that revels in its tale of comeuppance. The elephant, gleeful smasher of cars, changes his ways after receiving a taste of his own medicine. Solbert’s crayon illustrations evoke the spirit of preschool paintings or early computer games.

[Clare Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why but I loved this I thought it was hilarious

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but rather slight.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

My littles are going to so enjoy this rollicking little book about a rambunctious elephant who loves smashing small cars! It even has a song!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin.

[Diane Baima · Rating 1 out of 5]

An eye for an eye. Not the message I'm interested in teaching kids

[Lu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like neither the story nor the illustrations.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a bizzare kid's book. Cute though.

[Tiuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤣🤣🤣

The elephant came along and said, "I wouldn't open a car store here, if I were you.
"Why not?" said the salesman.
"I like to smash small cars," said the elephant. "That's why."

[Reading By Faerielight · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite kids books...ever? The book is exactly what it sounds like: an elephant smashes small cars. 10/10, no notes. Needs a reprint because it's absolutely brilliant.

[Daisy Magner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big smashing energy

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations a lot. They were well-done and simple. They didn’t overshadow the story of an elephant that needs to learn to be gentle. At first, the story might seem a little violent, but be patient with it. I think we have a flannel story for something similar to this at the library!

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing so fine as an elephant who loves to take out small cars. Take them out you may ask? Take them out on a date? Oh my no...take them out by smashing them flat. Doesn't matter the colour or the make of the car...as long as it's small it is fair fodder for his game.

He is intolerant of these little metal beasties that drive down his road and he will have none of it. Then one day a man comes to town and guess what his occupation is? He is a small-car salesman and he opens up a huge lot of various small cars right on the elephant's road.

Well what is a crushing-crazed elephant supposed to do but go on a breaking binge and pop those puppies flat real good! Undaunted by the elephant's rampage the wise man thinks up a way to stop that infringing elephant once and for all and his plan works smashingly.

The illustrations are simple, colourful, crayon drawings done in primary colours. The elephant does learn his lesson and sees the errors of his ways by a little coaxing, (and probably a little pain) administered by the prudent man who just wants to sell cars...make car deals, not deal with an obsessive, mischievous elephant who loves to sing his special car-smashing song while doing his dastardly deeds of mayhem. It's a fun, whimsical book not to be taken seriously and I loved it's vibe from the beginning to the end.

[Christine Kallner · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I do appreciate the lesson (do unto others...), I really didn't care for this picture book. I just didn't enjoy reading aloud a book about elephants smashing cars, even though there was an important point to be learned by the end.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Elephant Who Liked to Smash Small Cars is a 40 page picture book that has thrilled children for nearly 40 years. In this story, there is an elephant who likes to smash small cars. It doesn't matter what color car. If it's small and drives down his road, he smashes it! One day a car salesman opens a small car store, and the elephant smashes all his cars. The man is upset, but thinks about it, and decides to sell large cars instead. The elephant is unable to smash these small cars, so the man rams the elephant with the large cars. The man and elephant eventually reach a conclusion of no smashing small cars and no ramming the elephant with the large cars. This is a cute story with simple crayon-like illustrations that is a delight for myself and my son, and is quickly becoming a household favorite.