Hello and welcome to Super Great Kids Stories.
Wise tales from storytellers around the world which will make you laugh and sometimes cry.
Recommended for ages 5 to 105.
I'm Kim and I love stories.
Today we have two stories.
The first is called How Turtle's Back Was Cracked.
It's a beautifully told how and why tale told by Cherokee storyteller Gail Ross.
A word of warning.
There are moments of violence in this story and things do not end at all well for the wolf.
Some listeners might find it unsettling.
So for that reason, we're adding another story this week, which is suitable for all ages.
It's told by Liz Weir from Northern Ireland and it's called The Three Bears Rap.
Did you have a good week, Super Great Kids?
I wonder if you learned anything new?
I spent a few days in a house in a big woods and I learned how to play a game called croquet.
There's a famous version of a croquet match in a children's book called Alice in Wonderland, where the game is played using hedgehogs instead of a ball and flamingos in place of the stick to hit the ball.
But you'll be pleased to hear that we just used regular balls and regular sticks.
Another reason to be cheerful is that this week our first super great book was published in the United States and Canada.
It has 30 of your favourite stories, including The Ghost of the Bloody Binger and A Nancy and the Hot Pepper Soup.
We're very pleased with it.
It's a good looking gift book.
It would make a lovely Christmas or birthday present.
You can buy it online or in bookshops.
Look for more details on our website under news at supergreatkidsstories.com.
We're also marking our 300th story on the podcast.
Now that we have so many, we've decided to keep 150 of them available for everyone and reserve the rest for our Owlet subscribers.
And thanks to all of you who are subscribing to our podcast.
We really appreciate all our Owlets who support us on Apple or Patreon.
It helps us to pay our storytellers and it gives you access to all the super great scary stories.
And, depending on your level of subscription, to loads of bonus stories, plus 200 more stories in our new archive.
And you'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express, which cuts straight to the story.
Great for listening to stories back to back.
Now, just before we begin our how and why story from the Cherokee Nation about how Turtle got his cracked shell, I'd like you to have a think about what you might tell a story about if you were telling a how and why story.
It might be why leopard has his spots, or why giraffe has a long neck, or how the stars got into the sky, or anything else that you can come up with, like I don't know why your dog yawns.
So have a think about that while we have a quick word with the grown-ups.
Ready?
Off we go.
You go.
Hello, super great kids.
I'm back.
Did you think about what how and why story you tell?
I'd like to tell a story about how the stars got into the sky.
People around the world have come up with all sorts of different versions of that story.
A Navajo legend explains that stars are the result of Coyote the Trickster scattering jewels into the sky.
And a Maori tale says that an explorer sprinkled pebbles into the sky to help guide his canoe, and those pebbles became the first stars.
So now it's time for our how and why.
Story from the Cherokee Nation about how Turtle got his cracked shell.
And just to remind you, this story has moments of violence and could be upsetting for some listeners.
Things do not end well for the wolf.
So if you're feeling brave, settle down and let's give a warm welcome to storyteller Gail Ross.
Hello friends.
My name is Gail Ross and I'm a Cherokee storyteller.
OCO is how we say hello in Cherokee.
I want to share with you a story that takes place in the fall of the year which, in our homeland, in the Smoky Mountains, is really beautiful.
The color of the leaves and the mountains changing, it also is the time for hunting and gathering.
Now, back in the days when all creatures spoke the same language.
Possum and turtle were best friends.
Now, does that sound funny that two such very different people would be good friends?
Well, Possum and Turtle knew they actually have a lot in common.
Neither of them are ever going anywhere in a big hurry, and they both love persimmons.
Have you ever tasted a persimmon?
It's a bright orange fruit, and when it's ripe, it's very sweet.
But 30 minutes before it gets ripe, it's very bitter.
So you have to know the good persimmon trees are And you have to know when they turn ripe.
Now, possum and turtle had a particular persimmon tree that they loved a lot.
And they made their way to that tree.
And then they had a very unique way of sharing persimmons.
Possum would climb all the way up in the tree, wrap that strong tail around a branch and just hang there.
And he could swing up and pick a persimmon for himself.
Then he could swing up, pick another persimmon and then he would hang straight down, take very careful aim and drop that persimmon right in Turtle's mouth.
Now the two friends were enjoying persimmons that way one day when a wolf came along.
And the wolf watched them for a while.
And he thought he saw a way to play a funny joke and get a free lunch all at the same time.
He went and stood behind Turtle.
Now, do you know when Turtle opens his mouth wide, his eyes shut?
So he would see Possum drop the persimmon, but before it could get to his mouth, Wolf would leap up and snatch it right out of the air.
All Turtle knew was that he saw Possum drop the persimmon, but there weren't any landing in his mouth.
Now Possum from up there in the tree, he saw what Wolf was doing.
Now, if you have a best friend and you want to share something with that best friend and somebody comes along and steals it, It can make you angry.
And that's how it was with Possum.
He thought to himself, I'll fix that greedy wolf.
And he looked all over the tree.
He found the biggest, ripest, gushiest persimmon he could find.
And he didn't just drop it.
With all the strength he had.
He threw it as hard as he could.
An old greedy wolf leaping into the air with his mouth wide open.
That persimmon went right down his throat, stuck there, and he choked.
Well, Possum didn't think any more about it.
He went back to eating persimmons.
But Turtle, he was on the ground with the wolf and he was just figuring out what had happened.
And the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He began walking back and forth next to the wolf saying, Rotten, no good, greedy wolf.
Got what you deserved.
Now, after a time, Turtle convinced himself that he, the mighty hunter, had slain the awful, no-good greedy wolf.
Now, this was important because you see, when hunters are hunting not animals for meat, but other predators, there is a special thing they do.
When you kill a predator, you have the right to take a tribute from the animal something like fur, feathers or teeth to make something useful or beautiful.
And Turtle convinced himself that he had the right to take a tribute from that wolf, even though, of course, Possum was the hunter who had killed him.
Turtle cut off wolf's ears and he tied them on to two sticks and made wolf ear spoons.
Now, when Cherokee people go visiting, the very first thing they that the person they are visiting will do is offer hospitality something to eat or drink.
And many families have a special dish on a little fire outside the door of the lodge, keeping it going at all times.
It's a thick dish corn soup and you would keep it ready for a visitor anytime.
So turtle stuck his wolf ear spoons in his belt and he went visiting.
He visited all the people he knew.
He visited people he had only met once or twice.
And then he started visiting people he had never met.
All so he could pull out those fancy wolf ear spoons and eat corn soup with them.
And pretty soon, everyone was talking about what a mighty hunter turtle was.
He was eating corn soup with wolf ear spoons.
Word got back to the wolves and it made them angry.
This was an insult.
An insignificant little creature like turtle sharing corn soup with spoons made of wolf ears.
They determined they would find turtle Now, you may have noticed wolves are faster than turtles.
They had no trouble catching turtle, but then, in the manner of wolves everywhere, they began to argue about what they should do with them.
One wolf said, I know what we'll do with you, turtle.
We'll throw you in the fire and roast you.
Turtle thought very quickly.
He said, oh, please do.
Throw me in the fire.
You see these big strong feet?
I could stamp out every spark of your fire before I would even get warm.
And the wolves didn't like that.
So another wolf said, well, I know what we'll do.
We'll put a cauldron of water on that fire, bring it to a boil, throw you in and make turtle soup.
Turtle thought very quickly.
He said, oh, please do.
You see these big strong feet?
I could stamp your pot to pieces and the water would put out the fire.
Well, the wolves didn't like that.
Then another wolf said, I know what we'll do with you, Turtle.
We'll cut off your head.
Turtle thought very quickly and said, I take my head off myself at night.
It feels good when I do that.
And the wolves didn't like that.
So another wolf spoke up and said, I know what we'll do with you, Turtle.
We'll take you to the river, throw you in, and we'll stand on the bank and watch you drown.
Turtle said, Oh, no, not the river.
I am so afraid of the river.
So the wolves hoisted Turtle onto their shoulders and, singing and chanting, they carried him all the way to a great big bluff over the river and they threw him as hard as they could, which would have been fine.
Turtles live in the river.
But Turtle didn't land like he thought he would.
He was tumbling end over end, and he landed whack on a big flat rock on his back.
Now he bounced into the water and began to swim to the other shore and he felt his shell shifting and moving in a way that he had never felt before.
And when he crawled out on the opposite bank and looked over his shoulder, he saw that his beautiful, shiny shell had been cracked in a dozen places.
Now, Turtle is not a mighty hunter or a fierce warrior, but he knows medicine.
He knew the right herbs together and how to process them, and he spent all one night doctoring his shell and singing, I am sewing myself together.
And you know, all those cracks hardened back into his shell.
But if you look at Turtle today, you can see all of those lines where his back was cracked.
And there's another thing you can see.
You can follow Turtle everywhere he goes.
Watch everything he does.
You will never see another turtle eating corn soup with wolf ear spoons.
Wado.
Oh, thank you very much to Gail Ross for that story.
Or as Gail says, wado, which means thank you in the Cherokee language.
I wonder how you might help a friend like Turtle if they were being cheated or tricked by someone like Wolf.
Maybe ask your grown-ups what they would do.
And you might want to design your own tortoise shell by cutting out a big shell-sized piece of paper and colouring in the shapes, or even sticking autumn leaves on them.
And now...
It's time to fly around the world with StoryOwl to say hello and thank you to all the owlets who've recently joined our storytelling club.
Starting in Chicago in the US, where James, who's eight, and his sisters Melly, who's five, and Bridget, who's three, have been waiting for a very long time for me to say hello.
James's favourite story is The Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Melly's is The Two Silly Witches.
Bridget loves anything with a princess or a monster.
Thank you for being so patient.
And moving next to Greece, where Melina, who's eight, lives in the capital Athens.
Melina, who's half Greek and half Persian, says it's difficult to choose her favourite story, but one of her favourites is Monkey Liver Soup.
Oh yes, that is an interesting story, isn't it?
I agree.
Back to the US now, up to the state of Maine. where last week we said hello to Autumn.
But I didn't mention her favourite stories, which are La Llorona, Little Half-Chick and The Mermaid and the Piper.
And this time I also want to say hello to her sister Ruby, who is three.
Her favourites are The Scaries, The Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Molly and the Skeleton.
Off now to Austria to say hello to seven-year-old Annabelle, who's from South Africa.
She listens every night before bedtime.
And her favourites are any of the scary stories.
Oh, you're very brave, Annabel.
Back to the US, to New Hampshire.
Now to greet Wren, who is eight, who listens to the stories with her dad.
Her favourites are Troll Ale, The Cat That Ate the Palace and A Nancy and the Magic Pot.
I can see you like funny stories, Wren.
Great choices.
Heading down the east coast of the US to Ardsley in New York next to say hello to Teddy, who is nine Isa, who is seven and Felix, who just turned five.
Isa's favourite is The Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Felix especially likes The Johnny Cake Man.
They all love the scary stories.
And a very short hop to Rhode Island now, where Sufian, who is four, listens almost every night and on longer car trips.
His favourites include Why the Whale Has a Sad Song, The Old Woman Up the Hill and Why the Sea is Salty.
Good choices.
And I'd like to say hello and thank you to some of our fans who attended our online show last weekend.
Hello to Sully from Vermont and Zoya Mira Raya and Luca, who were Zooming in from near Paris, in France.
And to William, who's five from Toronto, and his sister Zoe, who had a birthday recently.
And hello to Beatrice and Arthur from Buxton in England.
And to Ava and Jack in California.
And to Maeve, Emma and Devon.
And to eight-year-old Evan from Bristol, who drew a brilliant howling wolf.
Thanks very much to all of you who came.
It was lovely to meet you.
And our Pick of the Week picture is from six-year-old Lucy.
And after listening to The Devil is a Hog Seller, I think we can call her super brave, Lucy.
She drew a very good picture of this story with a terrifying devil who has huge horns, long fingernails and thick black hair.
The red paper you've used makes the whole picture look even more scary, Lucy.
Thanks for sharing your imaginative drawing.
And yes, more good news.
We have a new picture gallery for those of you who want to send us a picture but don't have access to Facebook.
Do send any of your pictures inspired by our stories to our website supergreatkidsstoriescom or to our Facebook page facebookcom.
Forward slash supergreatkidsstories and we'll post them.
That will get Story Owl hooting with delight.
That's it for now.
Remember, there's another little tale this week for those listeners who don't like unsettling stories.
It's called The Three Bears Rap and it's great fun.
Keep telling your stories and singing your songs and have a happy week.
This podcast was produced by Kim Normanton and David Smith at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
