Elfrida Vipont worked as a teacher, singer and writer. She wrote over 30 books and won the Carnegie Medal in 1950 for Lark on the Wing. Raymond Briggs has produced wonderful children's books including the classic titles The Snowman, Father Christmas and When the Wind Blows - all made into immensely successful films. Raymond lives in Sussex.
What better than an elephant with a thieving trunk and impeccable manners! Would you like a ride? and Would you like an ice cream?. . . a meat pie?... a bun? the Elephant asks the Bad Baby, proceeding to steal from every tradesman in town. ( And they went rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta, all down the road, with the ice cream man, and the butcher, and the baker, and the snack shop man all running after. ) `But you haven't once said please! You haven't ONCE said please!' Then the Elephant sat down suddenly in the middle of the road and the Bad Baby fell off and their pursuers piled up behind - and they were all equally appalled. PLEASE! I want to go home to my mother - who asks if they've come to supper ( Yes, PLEASE ) and whips up pancakes for everybody. Then the Elephant went rumpeta, rumpeta. . . . But the Bad Baby went to bed. As good as it sounds, it looks even better - you have only to see the dirigibuilt Elephant to suspend disbelief, while the townsfolk fare no better than those who made sport of The Bear on the Motorcycle. A hugely amusing turnout altogether, thank you. (Kirkus Reviews)