The Elephant and the Frogs

Jul 17, 2026

The Elephant and the Frogs is a Mozambican folktale, written down in 2013 by students at Universidade Pedagógica-Maxixe and edited by their English teacher, Ingrid Schechter. Illustrated by Amir Bachir António Necas, this storybook is copyrighted 2014 by Mozambican Writers and available under a Creative Commons license, allowing for commercial use, adaptation, and distribution provided the copyright and credits are maintained. The narrative begins with Mr. Lion, the king of the bush, sending his animals to investigate and quell a persistent noise emanating from a small lake. When his animal subjects fail to resolve the issue, an elephant volunteers for the task. The elephant is dispatched as a guard and, upon hearing the noise at midnight, begins to kill the frogs. This action is repeated daily. After several weeks, King Lion expresses satisfaction as the elephant has successfully eliminated the noise. However, approximately a month later, the community observes a significant proliferation of insects on their farms, suggesting an unintended ecological consequence of the elephant's actions. The story highlights themes of problem-solving, executive authority, and the potential for unforeseen repercussions in environmental management.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time26 min

The Elephant and the Frogs

FAQs

What is the origin of The Elephant and the Frogs story?

The Elephant and the Frogs is a Mozambican folktale that was written down in 2013 by students at Universidade Pedagógica-Maxixe, Mozambique, from their memories of stories told at home.

Who are the creators of this published version of the story?

The story was edited by their English teacher, Ingrid Schechter, and illustrated by Amir Bachir António Necas. The publication is a Saide Initiative from South African Institute for Distance Education.

What problem did the elephant solve, and what was the unintended consequence?

The elephant was tasked by King Lion to stop the noise coming from a small lake. He succeeded by killing the frogs, but a month later, a large number of insects appeared on their farms.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Emma Wilson