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Ernest is a happy baby elephant. But when his curiosity gets the better of him and he leaves the rest of his herd to explore the alluring and dangerous jungle, he becomes very lost indeed. Amongst the undergrowth, he meets a rude gorilla, a weary lion, an impolite hippo and an uncaring crocodile. Will anyone help Ernest find his way out of the jungle and home to his mum?

English:

• Ernest the Elephant has a name that includes alliteration. Can you think of alliterative names for other animals and plan a story about one (e.g. Martin the Monkey, Penny the Pig)?
• Write a diary entry from Ernest’s point of view.
• Think of some speech / thought bubbles to accompany the illustrations of Ernest throughout the story.
• This story is written in the third person. Can you rewrite a few pages in the first person?
• Think of some questions that you would like to ask Ernest about his travels. How might he respond?
• Make a ‘Lost’ poster to help Ernest’s family find him again.
• Throughout the story, Ernest meets several unhelpful creatures. Can you design a new page for the story where he meets a different animal?
• Write a new story about Ernest. What other adventures might he have?
• Find some other books about elephants and compare them to this book. How are they similar / different? Which is your favourite? Why?
• Write an acrostic poem based on the word ELEPHANT.
• Write a review of this book for the shelves of a bookshop or for an online bookstore.

Maths:

• Count the number of animals you can see in the illustrations. How many eyes, legs, trunks and tails do they have? Could you use this information to write some problems for a friend to solve?
• Can you find any patterns in the illustrations?
• Compare the size of elephants to other animals.

Science:

• Find out more about elephants and write a report about them. Include information about their habitat, diet and behaviour.
• Research the habitats of the animals featured in the story.

Computing:

• Can you make an audio, video or multimedia presentation about elephants?
• Design a game in which Ernest travels through a jungle to find his herd.
• Create an animation that shows an elephant walking.

Design Technology:

• Can you make a sculpture of an elephant?
• Make some puppets to represent the animals in this story and use them to perform part of it to an audience.

Art:

• Create your own drawings and paintings to show an elephant.
• Make a collage to show a jungle scene.
• Use our free templates to create an illustration of an elephant.
• Complete the missing half of these free elephant pictures.

Music:

• Compose a soundtrack that could be used in a trailer / advert to promote this book.
• Listen to this African wildlife soundtrack. What individual sounds can you hear?

Geography:

• Make a story map that shows Ernest’s journey. Add labels to show what happened in each place.
• Learn about elephant conservation efforts around the world. Can you do anything to help? The WWF has some useful information.
• Research and compare different jungles around the world.
• Map the regions where elephants live on a world map.

Physical Education:

• Create a jungle-themed obstacle course for some friends to traverse.
• Mimic the movements of some of the animals shown in this book.

Languages:

• Learn the word for elephant in different languages.

PSHE:

• The gorilla, lion and hippo chose not to help Ernest. How did this make them feel? Why did the mouse choose to help him?
• Think of a time when you have helped somebody in need.