The Saggy Baggy Elephant

by Kathryn Jackson, Byron, Gustav Tenggren (Illustrator)

After a parrot makes fun of Sooki’s big ears, long nose, and wrinkled skin, the “saggy baggy” elephant isn’t too sure of himself. But once he meets some beautiful creatures who look just like him, Sooki celebrates with a joyful “one-two-three-kick.” For over 50 years, parents and children have treasured this tale, with gorgeous art by Gustaf Tenggren, the illustrator of The Poky Little Puppy.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Classics, Kids, Fantasy

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Kathryn Jackson wrote hundreds of lively, witty stories for Golden Books, most of which were coauthored with her husband, Byron. The Saggy Baggy Elephant is one of the pair’s most famous titles. Golden Books that Kathryn Jackson wrote on her own include Tawny Scrawny Lion, Nurse Nancy, Pantaloon, Richard Scarry’s The Animals’ Merry Christmas, and Richard Scarry’s A Story a Day: 365 Stories and Rhymes.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nephew picked this out to read tonight. It's a Little Golden Classic from the 40s. He seemed to enjoy it. It was cute enough. He gave it 3 stars and I followed suit.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course I never noticed when I was little, but the writing on some of these Little Golden Books isn't the best. No matter the author, many seem to have a tendency to use impossible said bookisms (characters smiling or grinning their speech, for example).

This particular story is much like "The Ugly Duckling", except that the poor elephant wasn't raised by anyone. That brings up more questions than it answers (although I do wonder if that lion might've had something to do with it; did Sooki's parents get eaten at some point?). The parrot is the one that points out that Sooki doesn't look like anything else in the jungle, and he's not nice about it, either; the stupid bird laughs at the elephant, just because he looks different.

I really don't understand why Tenggren was such an acclaimed illustrator. The pictures are just okay for me. I'm not a fan of the way some of the animals look like they're on drugs (what is with their eyes?). Maybe there just weren't a lot of people doing illustrations for children's books back then. Compared to the wonderful variety in the gorgeous illustrations we get from the many talented artists working today, Tenggren's pictures don't quite measure up.

I honestly don't remember this particular Little Golden Book from my childhood, though I may have read it and just forgot. It's not particularly memorable, and I doubt I'd bother reading it again. Though it has a decent message, it's not that original... and there are probably more recent books that have the same theme that kids would enjoy more.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 3 year old friend and he was a huge fan of the crocodile and enjoyed the story. I thought the body positive messaging was great and overall lovely story for the very young.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little story about a good-humored little elephant who is too conscious of how different he is from others. A chatty parrot points out his differences and instead of feeling befriended, the little elephant now feels uncomfortable in his own skin! What’s a little elephant to do?

[Swankivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Illustrations were lovely, as usual, and as a kind of odd child I was pretty familiar with the primary subject: getting bullied and not fitting in. The elephant in the story gets harassed by a parrot who says he looks like his skin doesn't fit, unlike all the other animals he was partying with. So, predictably, he's hurt and tries to find (possibly painful and dangerous) ways to be like everyone else, until he joins up with other elephants whose skin is as baggy as his and he realizes he's fine the way he is. Now on the one hand, it's true that it's an immense relief when you're different and you get made fun of and then you find people who are just like you. And this book is reassuring to kids who wonder whether their pack is out there. But on the other hand, even if there weren't others like the elephant in the book, surely he could have still found a way to work toward self-acceptance. I know these books have to be simplified to appeal to very young children, but I wish the elephant's feelings of self-worth hadn't been contingent upon finding others like him. Some people never do find the other elephants, or they don't exist. Becoming proud of the skin you're in is still possible in a tribe of one, and I think I like that message better than the one this story told.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the Little Golden Books collection.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seemed sort of juvenile. And I could not relate to any of the characters.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diversity is the fabric of life but it’s tough loving your unique self sometimes. A classic that still holds up.

[Lauren Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my three year old's favorite book right now. We love these hand me down golden books!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I should count this as an audio book. It's the first book my parents ever read to me. It probably drove them nuts, reading the same story night after night until I fell asleep. But it is probably where I learned compassion for others less fortunate or different from my own small circle of family and friends. This and the other books in the "The Little Golden Books" series like "The Little Red Hen" and "The Poky Little Puppy" instilled in me my love of reading. Just like reading now, these stories allowed my imagination to take hold. What triggered the memory of this book now? It's probably because I'm reading Tess Gerritsen's latest novel, "Die Again," which is set partly in Africa. I'm sure glad this is not the story my parents read to me.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations of course and oh my, this little elephant is so cute I want to adopt him and give him a home in my suburban Sydney backyard. However, there are some issues worth addressing: There are several animals threatening to bite bits off the elephant or simply devour him whole, which is a bit too graphic for a little child's imagination in my opinion. Secondly, the message rubbed me the wrong way ever so slightly. In the end (spoiler ahead) the elephant meets other elephants and that makes him feel "accepted". But why did he have to find others LIKE him to feel accepted? Why not own it that he is one of a kind?

[Shanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child I remember not liking this book all so much.... in particular I remember the picture with the elephant floating with his round belly sticking up. I have no clue why I didn't like this book. I just remember a negative feeling.

Now I read it with my children I think it's a lovely book teaching children to be happy with who they are. Maybe I was having such issues as a child, who knows.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this Little Golden book was read to me as a child I have no memory of the story. Being a fan of elephants I'm partial to the illustrations and, of course, anything with the Little Golden book trademark has nostalgic appeal. The tale itself is a familiar one, akin to the ugly duckling story. Were this message not so currently in vogue I may have enjoyed it more. As it is, I found it merely fair to middling.

[Don Gubler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the handful of Little Golden Books that are priceless. About being comfortable in your own skin.

[Olivia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic golden book that I remember being read to me as a child. I love that I now get to share it with my boys.

[Staceyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute classic childhood book.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

great fun story my kids and then my grandkids have all enjoyed reading and having read to them.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just dance, like no parrot is watching...

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This parrot is very mean! I think every woman will understand our sweet Sooki. So happy he found his family ❤️

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Children's
Picture Books

Little Golden Books

The Saggy Baggy Elephant is about a little elephant that still needs to grow into their own skin.

[Vex Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would kill for sooki

[Laura]

In our read aloud(s) today with the kids, I was asking them questions about the books I had brought and read. When one of the boys asked me what I use to read when I was their age. The question stumped me and I couldn't think of any on the spot. The kids told me I had some hw to do so I thought that this would be the perfect place to do some research, hw for the kids, and a little stroll down memory lane!
I always read golden books, Disney books, Dr. Seuss, and many more! But for some reason the Saggy Baggy Elephant was one that I cherished. I always wanted it read to me. I remember the pictures and the story and how fun it was--plus elephants at the time were my favorite animal! I'm really glad the kids asked me that question and I was able to take a look back because sometimes as adults we loose sight of what shaped us into who we are today and those stories play a huge role in our childhood(s).

[Alisha]

The Saggy Baggy Elephant, written by K. and B. Jackson, follows Sooki, the elephant on his journey to find himself. After a parrot tells him he doesn’t look right with all his saggy skin, big ears and big nose. Sooki goes off to discover what he is. He asks all the animals he comes across if they know what he is, or how he could get his skin to be tighter, but none of their ideas work. When he finally asks a hungry lion, the lion responds, he isn’t sure, but he is hungry enough to eat him. Sooki lets out a bellow, and with that comes a herd of elephants. The herd scares off the hungry lion and Sooki find the place he fits in. This is a great story full of beautiful, colorful, pictures of many different animals. Children will love to hear the story of Sooki and how he finally found his home. This book is appropriate for children ages 4 to 9.

[Anna Johnson]

Sooki the baby elephant loved to dance until one day he met a parrot. The parrot told him that none of his features fit his body and that his skin was saggy and baggy. The parrot laughed at the elephant's appearance.The baby elephant tried everything to make his skin fit. Everytime he tried something new, he ran into danger and was forced to run away. Finally,he gave up and ran innto a cave to hide. he heard a lion coming up the path saying, "I am so hungry, I could eat a elephant. Sooki let out a loud trumpet, he heard a loud commotion as a herd of elephants came to his rescue. Sooki was so happy that he began to dance again. This is a great book to use to boost self-esteem, and to help children understand that their uniqueness is good. It demonstrates that although they may appear differeent to others within their own family or culture they are beautiful.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another Little Golden Book illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren -- he had quite a prolific career as a LGB illustrator -- so the artwork is extraordinary and extraordinarily good. I liked the tiger and elephant illustration that was used for the front cover, but the best illustration in the book has to be the line of dancing elephants. It is so incredibly sweet and quite funny.

The overall story is fine, even good, although I probably would have sat on the mouthy parrot a long time ago. I don't know how the very young elephant ended up on his own in the first place, but it is always wonderful when you find out where you do belong, even if there are dangers and distractions along the way.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, we've got this guy dancing through the forest. One two three KICK. One two three KICK. He's saggy. He's baggy. Aaaaaand... he's an elephant! Not that he knows it. All he knows is that he's getting laughed at for being so saggy and baggy, so he's gonna try to shrink himself.

No, not by talking to the tiger - you'll just get eaten up. No, not by soaking in the river - you'll get eaten up by crocodiles. Maybe hiding is the answer? Nope, you'll get eaten up by lions. (Luckily, at this point there's a bit of a deus ex elephanta and he's saved and discovers his true identity all in one fell blow.)

A little wordy, but still a great little book for little kids.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tale of the saggy baggy elephant was one of my favorites as a child. The poor little elephant Sooki is at first an innocent carefree creature of the forest, that is until confronted by a saucy parrot who makes him feel uncomfortable in his own skin, literally. Determined to become normal, Sooki sets out encountering sly and dangerous animals around every corner. Eventually however after meeting a whole heard of saggy baggy elephants, he comes to learn that being yourself is more than enough. Such a good story, I fond the vocabulary to be slightly outdated but nonetheless a timeless story.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I rated this a 3 because I liked it more than my children did. By the time by 2 boys were able to understand the moral/ meaning they were more in to superheroes and dinosaurs etc. My daughter liked and understood it but it wasn't one of her favorites(but as the last of three children and 17 grandchildren she had a ton of books to choose from). As a parent I give it 5 stars... But from my children's view....1.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book one and a half stars.
The lesson is good for readers that are beginning to appreciate the content of books that are read to them, and the story is humorous and quite memorable, especially considering its brevity.
Additionally, the understated illustrations by Gustav Tenggren are a nice touch. The drawing of the crocodile in the water is phenomenal!!!