The elephant who went to the Moon

V. ShSytaomralya IllustJruAahtdiioibns



Story by V. Shyamala

Illustrations by Juhi Adib
Title doodle by Ananyaasri (9 yrs)

Can’t stop reading it!

Princess and Paniyaram Publications, New Delhi

The Wish

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his mother. HPaeniyloaroakmedPubulicpataiotnsthe night
sky. It was a clear night. Eshan could see
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in the sky and a full moon that shone like silver.

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as far as it would go.

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system, or transmittedin any form or by any means

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otherwise) without the priorwritten permission of the

Mcaopsymrigilhetdowannedr. hugged him with her trunk.
She said, ‘The moon looks near enough to
touch, but it is really very far from Earth.’

Eshan said, ‘But I want to touch the moon.
Can I touch the moon if I climb up a tree?
Can we build a big ladder and climb up to
tVoisuitcwhwtwh.perinmceososann?d’paniiynaforarmmpatuioblnic.ations.com for any further

1

The Wish

One night, Eshan the elephant
was standing at the window with
his mother. He looked up at the night
sky. It was a clear night. Eshan could see
thousands and thousands of stars twinkling
in the sky and a full moon that shone like silver.

‘The night sky is so beautiful,’ Eshan said.

‘You are right, Eshan,’ Ma said.

Eshan lifted his trunk and stretched it out
as far as it would go.

‘What are you doing, Eshan?’ Ma asked.

‘I am trying to touch the moon,’ Eshan said.

Ma smiled and hugged him with her trunk.
She said, ‘The moon looks near enough to
touch, but it is really very far from Earth.’

Eshan said, ‘But I want to touch the moon.
Can I touch the moon if I climb up a tree?
Can we build a big ladder and climb up to
touch the moon?’

1



Ma laughed, patted
Eshan on his head, and
said, ‘The distance between
Earth and the moon is
approximately three hundred and
eighty-four thousand and four hundred
kilometres. It means we can fit in thirty
Earths between Earth and the moon. You have
to go in a spacecraft. It takes about three
days to reach the moon.’

Eshan was astounded. ‘I never knew this,
Ma,’ he said.

Ma said, ‘You can become an astronaut
when you grow up, and then fly to the
moon.’

Eshan said excitedly, ‘Yes, I will become an
astronaut when I grow up.’

Ma was very proud and said, ‘If you work
hard, you can become whatever you want.’

Eshan hugged his mother and went to
sleep with a smile on his face.

3

The Advice

The next day, Eshan told
his teacher and his friends
that he would become an
astronaut and go to the moon. His
teacher, Madam Giraffe, was very happy.
She gave him some books that had pictures
of outer space and facts about the sun,
moon, planets, and stars.

But his classmates were not so impressed.
They teased him a lot. Damini Deer laughed
and said, ‘Eshan, you? An astronaut?
Unbelievable! You are so big. How will you
fit into a spacecraft?’

Mayank Monkey said, ‘You have to be very
fit. You must be good at running,
jumping, and climbing. Do you think you
can do it?’

On hearing this, Eshan became very sad.
When he reached home, Ma hugged
Eshan and asked him how his day had
been. Eshan did not reply. Ma understood
that something was troubling Eshan.

4



There was a knock
at the door. Eshan’s best
friends, Raju Rabbit and
Sundari Squirrel, came in
carrying Eshan’s big water bottle.

‘Here, Eshan, you forgot your bottle.’ Raju
handed it over.

Sundari said, ‘Can we also look at the
books that our teacher lent you? They
seem interesting.’

Eshan’s mother made lemonade for all
of them, and the three had a very good
time looking at the pictures and reading
interesting facts about the universe.

That night, Eshan’s mother told him the
story of how her mother_ Eshan’s
grandmother_climbed the tallest
mountain in her village despite being
teased not only by her friends but also
by her family!

She said, ‘If you really want to achieve
something, you should just put in all your
effort and ignore negative comments.’

6

The
Competition

A month passed. Eshan’s
classmates had stopped teasing
him, but Eshan had not lost interest in
becoming an astronaut. He had read all
the books in the school library about outer
space. He had become a walking
encyclopedia on space facts!

His parents were happy about his interest
and even gifted him a telescope on his
birthday! Eshan would gaze through the
telescope and wonder at the magnificence
of the universe.Sometimes he would go to
sleep hugging his telescope!

One day in the school assembly, the
principal announced that a nationwide
competition had been organised by the
famous Space Academy. The winner would
be part of the team that was going to
visit the moon!

The principal went on to explain the rules
of the competition.

7



In the first round,
there would be a
written test.

In the second round, there would
be a project presentation.

In the third round, there would be a physical
test.

In the last round, there would be an
interview.

Eshan wanted to participate, but he was
afraid that his classmates would start
teasing him again.

Then he remembered the story of his
grandmother and put his name forward.
Some of his classmates, including Raju and
Sundari, cheered loudly. A few classmates
jeered, but Eshan ignored them.

9

The Practice

The competition was to
start in six weeks, and the
best part was that Eshan’s school
was the host!

Every day, Eshan would get up early in the
morning and do exercises for one hour.
His father would train him in running and
climbing. His mother would train him in
jumping and swimming. Then he would
go to school. His teachers encouraged him
and gave him many books full of
interesting facts about outer space.

After school, he would stay back at the
library and pore over the books. Raju and
Sundari too would sometimes stay back
to give him
company.

Mayank Monkey would sometimes tease
him, saying, ‘Eshan, will you be able to fit
into a rocket?’

10



Damini Deer would say, ‘I don’t
think the rocket will be able to
bear Eshan’s weight!’
Eshan would feel hurt, but he never replied.
He had learnt to ignore the teasing.

12

The written
Test

Eshan got up really early and
looked out. It was raining outside.

He made sure he had everything he
needed for the written test: pencils, pens,
eraser, sharpener.

His mother made him wear his raincoat
and gave him a tight hug. She said, ‘Be
cool! You have studied hard, and I am sure
you will do well.’

His father dropped him to school. He
patted Eshan’s head and said, ‘Best of luck,
Eshan!’

The bell rang for the participants to be
seated for the test. Just then, Eshan
heard Raju and Sundari calling, ‘Eshan,
wait!’ They were carrying Eshan’s big
water bottle. ‘You forgot your water
bottle again. Here you go. All the best,
Eshan!’ they chorused.

13



Eshan found most of
the questions very easy.
Some were a bit difficult, but
he was sure he had got them
right.
The results came out in the evening, and
Eshan found that he was shortlisted for
the next round! Eshan’s friends
congratulated him. He ran home to tell
his mother, who was anxiously waiting for
him. She hugged him and gave him a kiss.
Now he had a presentation to prepare!

15

The Project
Presentation

Eshan presented his project on
eclipses. Though he had prepared
well, as he climbed onto the stage he felt
nervous, his heart beat faster, his hands be-
came sweaty, and he dropped his stuff.
A few people in the audience giggled,
but Eshan gathered up his courage and
started his presentation. Once he started
speaking, the words just flowed!

He also used a globe, a ball, and a torch to
demonstrate how lunar and solar eclipses
occur.

Then he answered some questions from
the audience. There were a few questions
that he could not answer. He noted down
those questions and said he would
research and find the answers.

Everyone clapped for Eshan. His parents,
who were in the audience, were very
proud of him!

16



The results were
announced in the evening.
Eshan had made it to the next
round! Now he had to take the
physical test.

18

The Physical
Test

The day dawned bright and clear.

The height, weight, and other
measurements of all the students were

noted down.

The first event was a race. Elephants can
walk long distances but are not really that
fast in running short distances. Eshan
tried his best, but he ended up third.

Next, the participants had to use a rope
to swing across a pit. Eshan pulled the
rope towards him with his trunk and tried
to swing on it. But the rope broke with
his weight, and he fell into the shallow pit.

He felt very embarrassed and was on the
verge of crying. His friends Raju and
Sundari came to him carrying his big
water bottle.

Raju said, ‘Eshan, the competition is not yet
over. Drink some water, wash your face, and get
back into the race!’

19



Sundari said,‘All
the best, Eshan.
You can do it!’

Eshan felt energised. The next
event was swimming. Eshan did
his best, and he came first in the race!
All those morning workouts with Ma and
Pa did help after all!

Eshan was exhausted and sat down under
a tree. His mother and father came and
sat beside him. His mother had brought
his favourite snack_bananas! Eshan was so
hungry that he ate five bananas one after
the other!

Ma ruffled his hair and said, ‘Eshan, we are
so proud of you.’

‘The winner is not yet announced. There
is still one more round to go,’ Eshan said.

‘It is not about winning, Eshan,’ said Pa.
‘We are proud of the interest you have
shown and the effort you have put in.’

Eshan felt peaceful and happy that he had
tried his best. As a special treat, his parents took
him out for dinner.

21

The Interview

At school the next day, the
teacher came in and said,
‘Congratulations, Eshan! You have been
selected for the interview.’

The whole class clapped for him. Eshan
could not believe it! He had made it to the
final round!

In the afternoon, he was called for the
interview. They asked him questions about
his hobbies, interests, and a few questions
about his presentation.

One interviewer said to Eshan, ‘Never
before has an elephant visited the moon!’

Pat came Eshan’s reply, ‘Then I will be the
first!’

Another interviewer said, ‘We do not have
spacesuits in your size.’

Eshan immediately answered, ‘Then you should
make one for me!’

22



The interviewers
were very impressed
and congratulated
Eshan on clearing the
interview with flying colours!
Eshan would now have to undergo
a ten-week training programme at the
Space Academy.

Eshan could not contain his happiness.
He came back to his classroom and gave
a big whoop of joy. His teacher shook
hands with him and congratulated him.
His friends hugged him. The whole class
cheered, even Damini Deer and Mayank
Monkey! He was allowed to leave early so
that he could run home and tell his
parents.

On hearing the news, his parents were
so proud of him! His mother hugged him
tight and gave him a big kiss. His father
twirled him around the house in
joy.

24



Off to the
Moon

The ten weeks of training flew by.
Eshan learnt a lot in that time.
The day was fixed when Eshan would fly to
the moon as part of the team. It was
shown live on television and on the
Internet. Wearing a spacesuit made
specially for him, Eshan became the first
elephant to go to the moon!

26



Do you know who was the first man
to go to the moon? Yes, it was Neil
Armstrong.
And do you know who was the first elephant to
go to the moon?No? Flip open this book to read the
exciting story of young Eshan _the first elephant to go
to the moon!

V. Shyamala is a cost accountant, a
homemaker, and a writer. She loves to
weave stories and is on a continuous
quest to seek new and creative ways
to teach children. When not writing,
reading or thinking up stories,
Shyamala mentors CIMA students,
strives to workout, loves tweaking
South Indian heritage recipes, and
translates Tamil works to English. She
is also a member of AWIC (Association
of Writers and Illustrators for Children) and volunteers at a
local library twice a week.

Juhi Adib is a cheerful and outgoing
schoolgirl who enjoys drawing and is an
insatiable bookworm with a flair for all
subjects imaginative. The Elephant Who
Went to the Moon is 12-year-old Juhi’s
second book as an illustrator.

Can’t stop reading it!

Princess and Paniyaram Publications, New Delhi

www.princessandpaniyarampublications.com