The Blind Men and the Elephant

Charlotte has been requesting this book a lot lately.  She really likes the story.  It's a classic Indian tale often found in collections with other stories.  This version has wonderful illustrations with a simple color palate.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

Lillian Quigley

illustrated by Janice Holland

Basically the story is that six blind men describe an elephant.  But since they are all feeling different parts of the elephant's body, they are all describing it as something different.

"How smooth!  An elephant is like a wall."

"How sharp!  An elephant is like a spear."

"How wide!  An elephant is like a fan."

After an argument, the men learn that they must put all the parts together.

"Each of us knows only a part.  To find out the whole truth

we must put all the parts together."