pagE 8

PHOTOCOPIABLEwww.scholastic.co.uk

SECTION

3

Shared reading

R E A D & R E S P O N D: Activities based 0n Elmer

Shared reading

Extract 1

There was once a herd of elephants. Elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall or fat or thin. Elephants like this, that or the other, all different but all happy and all the same colour. All, that is, except Elmer.

Elmer was different.Elmer was patchwork.Elmer was yellow and orange and red and pink and purple and blue

and green and black and white.Elmer was not elephant colour.

Tex

t ext

ract

s fro

m E

lmer

by

Dav

id M

acke

e ©

198

9, D

avid

Mac

kee

(198

9, A

nder

son

Pres

s Ltd

) and

illu

stra

tions

from

El

mer a

nd F

riend

s: Fi

rst C

olour

ing/

Acti

vity B

ook

© 1

986,

Dav

id M

acke

e (2

000,

And

erso

n Pr

ess L

td).

Elmer_pg03to18.indd 8 10/22/2007 4:10:50 PM

Shared reading

www.scholastic.co.ukpagE 9

PHOTOCOPIABLE

SECTION

3

Shared reading

R E A D & R E S P O N D: Activities based 0n Elmer

Extract 2

After a while Elmer felt that something was wrong. But what? He looked around: same old jungle, same old bright sky, same old rain cloud that came over from time to time and lastly same old elephants. Elmer looked at them.

The elephants were standing absolutely still: Elmer had never seen them so serious before. The more he looked at the serious, silent, still, standing elephants, the more he wanted to laugh.

Tex

t ext

ract

s fro

m E

lmer

by

Dav

id M

acke

e ©

198

9, D

avid

Mac

kee

(198

9, A

nder

son

Pres

s Ltd

) and

illu

stra

tions

from

E

lmer

and

Frien

ds: F

irst C

olour

ing/

Acti

vity B

ook

© 1

986,

Dav

id M

acke

e (2

00, A

nder

son

Pres

s Ltd

).

Elmer_pg03to18.indd 9 10/22/2007 4:10:50 PM

pagE 10

PHOTOCOPIABLEwww.scholastic.co.uk

SECTION

3

Shared reading

R E A D & R E S P O N D: Activities based 0n Elmer

Extract 3

As they laughed, the rain cloud burst and when the rain fell on Elmer his patchwork started to show again. The elephants still laughed as Elmer was washed back to normal. “Oh, Elmer,” gasped an old elephant. “You’ve played some good jokes, but this has been the biggest laugh of all. It didn’t take you long to show your true colours.”

“We must celebrate this day every year,” said another. “This will be Elmer’s Day. All elephants must decorate themselves and Elmer will decorate himself elephant colour.” T

ext e

xtra

cts f

rom

Elm

er b

y D

avid

Mac

kee

© 1

989,

Dav

id M

acke

e (1

989,

And

erso

n Pr

ess L

td) a

nd il

lust

ratio

ns fr

om E

lmer

and

Frien

ds: F

irst C

olour

ing/

Acti

vity B

ook

© 1

986,

Dav

id M

acke

e (2

00, A

nder

son

Pres

s Ltd

).

Elmer_pg03to18.indd 10 10/22/2007 4:10:51 PM