home

MU Digital Storytelling Camp

media type="custom" key="6449659"

Why Frog and Snake never play together
Once upon a time, the child of the frog was hopping along in the bush when he spied someone new lying across the path before him. This someone was long and slender, and his skin seemed to shine, with all the colors of rainbow.

“Hello there,” called Frog-child. “What are you doing lying here in the path?”

“Just warming myself in the sun,” answered the awesome new, twisting and turning and turning and uncoiling himself. “My name is Snake-child. What’s yours?”

“I’m Frog-child. Would you like to play with me?”

“So Frog-child and Snake-child played together all morning in the bush.

“Watch what I can do,” said Frog-child, and he hopped high into the air. “I’ll teach you how, if you want,” he offered.

So he taught Snake-child how to hop, and together they hopped up and own the path through the bush.

“Now watch what I can do,” said Snake-child, and he crawled on his belly and climb into trees.

After a while they both grew hungry and decided to go home for lunch, but they promised each other to meet again the next day.

“Thanks for teaching me how to hop,” called Snake-child.

“Thanks for teaching me how to crawl up trees,” called Frog-child.

Then they each went home.

“Look what I can do, Mother!” cried Frog-child, crawling on his belly.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” his mother asked.

“Snake-child taught me,” he answered. “We played together in the bush this morning. He’s my new friend.”

“Don’t you know the Snake family is a bad family?” His mother asked. “They have poison in their teeth. Don’t ever let me catch you playing with them again. And don’t let me see you crawling on your belly, either. It isn’t proper.”

Meanwhile, Snake-child went home and hopped up and down for his mother to see.

“Who taught you to do that?” she asked.

“Frog-child did,” he said. “He’s my new friend.”

“What foolishness,” said his mother. “Don’t you know we’ve been on bad terms with the Frog family for longer than anyone can remember? The next time you play with Frog-child, catch him and eat him up. And stop that hopping. It isn’t our custom.”

So the next morning when Frog-child met Snake-child in the bush, he kept his distance.

“I’m afraid I can’t go crawling with you today,” he called, hopping back a hop or two.

Snake-child eyed him quietly, remembering what his mother had told him. “If he gets too close, I’ll spring at him and eat him,” he thought. But then he remembered how much fun they had together, and how nice Frog-child had been to teach him how to hop. So he sighed sadly to himself and slid away into the bush.

And from that day onward, Frog-child and Snake-child never played together again. But they often sat alone in the sun, each thinking about their one day friendship.

//--an African folktale taken from **The Book of Virtues** pages 284-286.//

from http://kaleidosthoughts2.blogspot.com/2005/10/why-frog-and-snake-never-play-together.html

A long, long time ago, Leopard was the plain, solid brown-yellow color of the desert. He was so plain he was almost invisible against the brown-yellow desert. When he headed out to hunt, Giraffe and Zebra and the other animals didn't know which way to jump. To escape Leopard's appetite, Giraffe and Zebra headed into the great shadowy forest. When Leopard tried to follow them, he stood out like a bright-yellow sunflower against a dark fence. He could not hunt at all. Giraffe and Zebra saw yellow Leopard right away, and ran off deeper into the forest. Leopard had to do something. He asked his human friend to help him. So the Man carefully dipped his five fingertips in black ink and painted spots all over Leopard's fur. Now Leopard could blend into the shadows, and once again he became a great and powerful hunter!
 * HOW THE LEOPARD GOT ITS SPOTS **

A long, long time ago, Mosquitoes didn't buzz, they talked. And talked and talked and talked. One day, Mosquito was talking to Iguana, telling him about his vacation, about every minute of his vacation. Mosquito would not let Iguana say one word. Iguana was so annoyed that he walked away, leaving Mosquito still talking. Iguana grumbled and waved her tail. She was still grumbling when she passed her friend Snake, and forgot all about saying hello. Snake's feelings were hurt. He felt so sad that he slithered down a rabbit hole. "Help," yelled Rabbit as she scurried out of the hole, terrified of Snake. "What's wrong?" cawed Crow as he saw Rabbit racing. Danger must be near. "Run for your lives!" cawed Crow. Monkey heard Crow's warning and took off through the treetops, leaping branch to branch. When monkey landed on Owl's branch, high up in a leafy tree, Owl's nest tipped off the branch and fell to the ground, breaking Owl's eggs. Owl was heartbroken, so much that she didn't hoot for the sun to come up. The whole jungle was in darkness. Everyone was mad at Mosquito. Finally Owl hooted for the sun to come up and when it did, Mosquito lost his voice. All he could do was buzz in everyone's ears: "Zzzzzz! Is everyone still mad at me?"
 * WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE'S EARS **

A Read-Aloud Retelling ** A long time ago, there was no day. It was always dark and always summer. This was because the Kachina, a very powerful people, had stolen the Sun and the Moon and locked them away in a box. In the dim light, Coyote and Eagle, two friends, wandered the desert. Coyote and Eagle had always hunted together, but Coyote could not hunt anymore because he could not see at night. Coyote suggested that they go to find the Sun and Moon and make them light up the world. Eagle was worried. He reminded Coyote that the Sun and Moon were very strong, and it was dangerous to try to trick them. In the end, Eagle agreed to help Coyote. While the Kachina were sleeping, Coyote and Eagle crept into their village, stole the Sun and Moon, and headed into the hills. Coyote told Eagle that he wanted to open the box containing the Sun and the Moon. Eagle said no. They must wait until after their travels and open it with their eyes closed. Coyote grumbled. He couldn't wait to see what was in that box. Finally he grew so curious that he threw it open. The light of the Sun was so bright it blinded Coyote's eyes. The Sun and Moon laughed and flew far away, up into the sky where they are today.
 * WHY THE SUN AND THE MOON LIVE IN THE SKY

Why rabbit has a short tail

How the Red Bird Got it's Color

How the Milky Way Came to Be

Native American How and Why Stories

Grade 4 Porquoi Stories

