The Enormous Turnip

A Tale of Patience and Togetherness

For children ages 3–8. Approximate listening time: 11 minutes.

Transcript

The Enormous Turnip: A Tale of Patience and Togetherness Once upon a time, Grandpa and Grandma lived in a small wooden house. Their granddaughter, Lily, lived with them. Behind the house was a green garden. Grandma grew yellow flowers near the door. Lily liked to watch bees fly from flower to flower. Buddy slept in the sun beside his little house. Luna liked to sit on the warm steps. Pip lived in a safe hole under the fence. One warm spring morning, Grandpa went into the garden. He had one tiny turnip seed in his hand. He made a little hole in the soft earth. He put the seed inside and covered it with soil. Grandpa poured a little water over the spot. Then he placed a small stick beside it. The stick helped him remember where the seed was sleeping. "Grow, little turnip. Grow big and strong," Grandpa said. The sun warmed the garden. Gentle rain gave the seed water. Soon, two small green leaves came out of the ground. Grandpa saw the leaves and smiled. Each morning, he brought them fresh water. He pulled away the weeds so the little plant had room to grow. Sometimes Lily came with him. She carried a small blue watering can. She gave the turnip one careful drink and whispered, "Good morning, little plant." The turnip grew all spring. It grew all summer too. Its leaves became wide and green. The family watched the plant grow. Grandma looked through the kitchen window. Lily measured the leaves with her hands. Even Buddy and Luna came to look. The turnip grew bigger than a ball. It grew bigger than a basket. At last, it was almost as big as a little house! "What a wonderful turnip!" Grandpa said. Autumn came. It was time to pull the turnip out of the ground. Red and yellow leaves danced across the yard. The air was cool. Grandma wanted to make warm turnip soup for everyone. Grandpa held the thick green leaves with both hands. He put his boots firmly on the ground. "One, two, three, pull!" Grandpa cried. He pulled and pulled. He pulled as hard as he could. But the turnip did not move. Grandpa sat down on the grass. He was tired. "I cannot do this alone," Grandpa said. "I need help." He called toward the house. "Grandma! Please come and help me!" Grandpa called. Grandma hurried into the garden. She looked at the enormous turnip. "Oh my! That turnip is as big as a table!" Grandma said. "Hold on to me," Grandpa told her. "We will pull together." Grandma held Grandpa. Grandpa held the turnip. "Are you ready?" Grandpa asked. "Ready! I have you, Grandpa," Grandma replied. "One, two, three, pull!" Grandpa pulled the turnip, and Grandma pulled Grandpa. They pulled and pulled. But the turnip did not move. Grandpa leaned forward. Grandma leaned back. Their feet went scritch, scratch over the grass. The great turnip stayed still. They both fell back on the soft grass. "We need more help," Grandma said. "Lily, come quickly!" Lily ran into the garden. Her bright scarf danced in the wind. She had been putting red apples into a basket. When she heard Grandma call, she left the basket by the door and came as fast as she could. "Wow! That turnip is huge!" Lily said. "Please join our line," Grandpa told her. Lily held Grandma. Grandma held Grandpa. Grandpa held the turnip. "One, two, three, pull!" They pulled and pulled. Their feet slid over the soil. But the turnip did not move. Lily counted the pulls. "One pull, two pulls, three pulls!" Still nothing happened. The three helpers looked at one another and took a deep breath. "This turnip is very strong," Lily said. "We need Buddy!" She called across the yard. "Buddy! Come and help us!" Lily called. Buddy, the shaggy dog, ran around the corner. His tail moved from side to side. He gave one happy bark. Buddy loved to help the family. He guarded the garden at night and followed Grandpa during the day. Now he looked at the turnip and stood tall. "Woof! I am ready! We will pull it out together!" Buddy barked. "Good dog, Buddy!" Lily said. Buddy held Lily. Lily held Grandma. Grandma held Grandpa. Grandpa held the turnip. "One, two, three, pull!" They pulled and pulled. Buddy pulled with all his strength. But the turnip did not move. His paws pressed into the soft ground. His ears bounced with every pull. When everyone stopped, Buddy licked Lily's hand and waited to try again. Luna, the cat, came out of the house. She walked slowly across the grass and looked at everyone. Luna liked quiet places and warm blankets. She did not often hurry. But she could see that her family needed her. "Luna, please help us," Lily said. "Very well. Make room for me," Luna purred. "Small paws can help too." Luna held Buddy. Buddy held Lily. Lily held Grandma. Grandma held Grandpa. Grandpa held the turnip. "All together now!" Grandpa cried. "One, two, three, pull!" They pulled and pulled. The leaves shook. The soil moved a little. But the turnip stayed in the ground. "Did it move?" Lily asked. Grandpa looked closely at the soil. "Only a tiny bit," he said. "But a tiny bit is a good start." The helpers smiled. They were tired, but they did not want to give up. Everyone was tired. The sun was going down. Then a tiny brown mouse came out from a hole near the fence. His name was Pip. Pip had watched every pull. He had seen the boots slide and the green leaves shake. He wanted to help, but the long line looked very big. He touched his whiskers and thought for a moment. Then he lifted his little head and ran toward the family. "Wait for me!" Pip squeaked. "I am small, but I can help!" "Do you really want to help us?" Lily asked. "Yes! Every little bit of help matters," Pip replied. Pip held Luna's tail. Luna held Buddy. Buddy held Lily. Lily held Grandma. Grandma held Grandpa. Grandpa held the turnip. Pip's paws were small, but he held on tightly. Luna placed her paws firmly on the grass. Buddy bent his strong legs. Everyone found a safe place in the line. The long line was ready. "This is our last big pull," Grandpa said. "Is everyone ready?" "Ready!" Grandma and Lily cried. "Ready!" Buddy barked. "Ready," Luna meowed. "Ready!" Pip squeaked. Grandpa took a deep breath. "One... two... three... pull!" Grandpa pulled the turnip. Grandma pulled Grandpa. Lily pulled Grandma. Buddy pulled Lily. Luna pulled Buddy. And Pip pulled Luna. They pulled once. They pulled twice. They pulled one more time. The ground made a low, soft sound. A crack appeared in the soil beside the turnip. The great green leaves began to move. Pop! The enormous turnip flew out of the ground! Everyone fell backward into a soft pile. Grandpa fell on Grandma. Grandma fell on Lily. Lily fell on Buddy. Buddy rolled beside Luna. Little Pip landed in a pile of dry leaves. Grandpa's hat flew into the air. Lily's scarf landed over Buddy's nose. Luna's tail stood straight up. Pip peeked out from the leaves with one leaf on his head. For one quiet moment, nobody moved. Then Pip began to laugh. Soon everyone was laughing together. Buddy shook off the scarf. Luna cleaned one paw as if nothing strange had happened. Grandpa found his hat and put it on backward. That made everyone laugh again. The enormous turnip lay beside them. At last, it was out of the ground. That evening, the little house was warm and bright. A fire crackled in the fireplace. Grandpa and Grandma made a big pot of sweet turnip soup. Grandpa washed the turnip. Grandma cut it into pieces. Lily brought bowls and spoons to the table. Buddy waited beside her chair. Luna sat on a soft cushion. Pip sat beside a tiny piece of bread. The soup smelled warm and sweet. Steam rose from every bowl. Outside, the autumn wind moved through the trees, but everyone inside was warm. Grandpa, Grandma, Lily, Buddy, Luna, and Pip sat together at the table. There was enough soup for everyone. "We did it together," Lily said. "Grandpa was strong," Grandma said. "Grandma held on tightly," said Lily. "Buddy and Luna helped too," Pip said. "And you gave us the last little pull," Luna told Pip. Grandpa smiled. "Even the smallest helper can make a big difference," he said. And that is how one tiny mouse helped a whole family pull up an enormous turnip. The End.

The Enormous Turnip

Transcript

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