Cody, want to hear a story?
Yes, I do.
Can I please help tell it, too?
Yes, listen close.
Let's imagine and rhyme.
It's Cocomelon Storytime.
Are you having fun, Cody?
I love the zoo.
There's so many different animals.
Who do you want to see next?
The tigers.
Grrr.
I wish I was a tiger.
Why is that?
Hmm, they're big, they're strong and their stripes are super cool.
That actually reminds me of a story from india about a little mouse who wish he could be a tiger too.
This story is based on that one.
It's called just a mouse.
There once was a family of mice who lived in a deep jungle in india.
They had just finished digging up a cozy new burrow.
After all that digging, the rest of the mice wanted to play catch with an acorn.
But not Chotu, the smallest mouse.
He thought, Mice play catch every day.
I want a cool new way to play.
I think playing catch with an acorn would be fun.
It sure would be.
But Chotu was tired of it, so he looked around the jungle for something else to do and saw a cat climbing up a tree.
Chotu said, If I want a mouse, think what I could do.
I could climb that tree just like you.
A hermit crab happened to be passing by and heard Chotu.
The hermit crab said, Little mouse, is there anything I can do to help you?
Chotu replied, If I was a big... wouldn't have to play catch with a mouse.
I'd climb a tree up high, high, high.
Taller than the tallest house.
This hermit crab had a special drum called a tabla.
He tapped his claws on the drums.
Tack-a-tack-a-tack-tack.
Why?
So he could turn shotu from a mouse into a cat.
Wow.
The hermit crab's drums are magic.
Yes, Cody.
Chotu was super excited to be a cat.
He pranced on his new cat paws over to a tree and started climbing.
His claws scratched the bark with every step.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Just then, Chotu saw a majestic tiger pass by.
He said, If I weren't a cat, think of what I could do.
I could run around the jungle just like you.
The hermit crab with the magic tabla heard Chotu and saw him admiring the tiger.
He asked, Hello again, little mouse.
Is there anything I can do to help you?
Chotu replied, Being a cat is pretty grand.
But if I were a tiger, I'd rule the land.
The hermit crab tapped his claws on his magic tabla.
What do you think happened next, Cody?
He turned Chotu from a cat into a tiger.
Grrr.
That's right.
Chotu was now a big, cool, striped tiger.
He ran past the jungle vines.
Crunch, crunch.
He swam across the river.
Splash, splash.
And he roared so loud, the whole jungle shook.
Chotu couldn't wait to show his family he was a big, cool tiger.
He stopped outside their burrow and shouted, I'm home.
But when the mice came outside, they didn't see their Chotu.
They saw a tiger.
They didn't know the tiger was Chotu.
Right, Cody.
Chotu realized that and said, It's me, Choo Choo.
His family peeked out and asked, Choo Choo, is that really you?
Yes, it's me.
But I'm a mouse no longer.
I'm a tiger now.
And I'm bigger and stronger.
I ran fast, crossed the river, and let out a mighty roar.
I'm nothing like I was before.
I'm big. wish you were a tiger like me.
What did his family say?
They said, you're a tiger now, Chotu.
We didn't recognize you.
That sounds nice for a tiger day, but we had fun too in our own mouse way.
Chotu asked, what did you all do?
Well, we tossed the acorn and danced in the reed.
Then we got hungry and ate some seeds.
We splashed around in a little the burrow to cuddle.
That sounds super fun, his family asked.
Would you like to come inside too?
But Chotu can't fit in the tiny burrow, now that he's a big tiger.
Exactly.
Chotu wanted to join them.
He said, I'd love to come inside, but as a tiger, I'm too tall and too wide.
Luckily, The hermit crab with his magic tabla was nearby.
He said, Hello, my dear friend.
Do you need my help again?
I thought I'd be happy as a tiger, doing things I couldn't do before.
But there's lots of things a mouse can do that I can't do anymore.
If I was just a mouse, I could sleep inside my cozy house.
Chotu wants to be himself.
Yes, Cody.
Being yourself is the best way to be.
The hermit crab was glad Chotu had learned his lesson.
He tapped his claws on his magic tabla.
Tat, tat, taka taka.
Tat, tat, taka taka.
And he turned Chotu back into a mouse.
Yes.
Chotu climbed into his cozy burrow house and snuggled up with his family, happy to be just a mouse.
Original podcast produced by Moodbug.
