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 continue the theme of animal tales and we have a quest story from France which is also told in Iraq.
It's called The Sassy Chicken and it's told by Danielle Free who is new to Super Great Kids stories.
Hello Super Great Kids and how are you?
I'm very happy because it's holiday time here in the UK, so me and my family can go for walks in the woods, listen to the birdsong and eat Easter eggs.
And another reason to be cheerful is that today we have a new storyteller from Shropshire in England, which is near to the border with Wales.
And her version of the sassy chicken story originally came from France.
One fun fact about France is that lots and lots of tourists go there.
It's the most visited country on earth.
And probably not surprising because the food alone is scrumdiddlyumptious.
Ooh la la.
Now, just before we get to our story, I have a little game for you.
I wonder how many countries you can think of.
There are nearly 200 countries.
See how many you can come up with.
To get you started, how about...
Japan, where last week's story came from.
And we've got a South African story coming up soon so you can add South Africa into the mix.
See how many countries you can think of while we have a quick word with the grown-ups.
Ready?
Off you go.
Hello, super great kids.
I'm back.
How many countries did you remember?
It's quite a hard challenge this week.
Give yourselves a pat on the back if you got five.
And if you got ten, wow, you are a world globetrotter.
Maybe ask your grown-ups how many countries they can think of after the story.
Now, are you ready for our story about a cheeky chicken?
It seems sort of right at Easter time to be having a chicken story.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Am I sitting comfortably?
Then let's give a very warm welcome to storyteller Danielle Free.
Hello, you super great kids.
I'm Danielle Free, a storyteller based in Shropshire in the UK.
And I've been listening to super great kids stories for such a long time now.
Every time me and my son sit down to have dinner, we listen to a new story every night.
And so what a treat it is to be able to tell you a story today.
There was once a farmer.
And this farmer lived in a big farmhouse surrounded by all of his fields and loads of woodland.
And in one of these fields is where he kept all of his hens.
And one sunny, bright, hot day, all of those chickens were in that field sunbathing.
Can you imagine?
With their little sunglasses on, laying on their sunbeds.
Actually, have you ever seen a bird sunbathe?
It looks really funny.
I think they all do it the same way they put their bellies in the mud and they spread their wings out flat and wide and they look like they've just fallen from the sky or something, but it's just them having a little rest.
So imagine then a field full of chickens doing this, all except For one.
There was a speckled hen in the corner of the field who was peck peck, pecking and scratch scratch, scratching and dig dig, digging in the mud, looking for juicy worms and grubs to eat.
When she peck, peck, ow, she hit her beak on something hard.
When she looked down.
There was a tiny little golden ball.
Well, she kept pecking and she kept digging and she kept scratching, until that golden ball turned into a clasp and that clasp was attached to her purse.
Well, it just so happened that the farmer was in this field on this lovely hot sunny day and he saw all of the chickens sunbathing.
And then he saw all of this commotion in the corner coming from Speckled Hen.
Oh you stupid hen, he said, and he marched over and he looked down at her and said Oi hen, what are you doing?
And hen.
She turned her head ever so slowly to look at the farmer.
She raised a chicken eyebrow and peered at him through her beady black eyes and then she carried on digging and pecking until the purse was loose enough in the ground.
She bit her beak around that golden clasp and she tugged and then out from the mud there flung vroom vroom, vroom through the air, the purse.
And it landed on the floor and spilled out, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, ten golden coins.
Hen's mouth.
Her beak was so wide and she looked up at the farmer and the farmer's eyes were wide.
And then the farmer got a big grin on his face.
And before him could even do anything about it, the farmer had bent down, scooped those golden coins into his hand, into his pocket, and said, ha ha, stupid hen, you don't need money, these are mine now.
And then he marched off across the field hen oh, she couldn't believe it.
She chased after him, she flapped and she kicked and she tried to scratch, but farmer was too fast.
He marched right to the edge of the gate, threw it open, slammed it shut and she watched as he walked across the fields all the way back home.
Hen was not happy.
She went that evening and told all of her chicken brothers and chicken sisters about what had happened, and they all came up with lots of different plans.
You ever seen that film where the chickens do that, where they pull big maps and big sheets of paper and have glasses and rulers and they measure all of the things and come up with crazy inventions?
It was a bit like that, except these chickens were all tired after a long day of sunbathing in that warmth and they were all a bit sleepy and the best idea that they could come up with was to make a bit of a chicken ladder.
And the next morning, that's exactly what they did.
There was a wobbly tower of feathers leading up into the sky.
And hen, while she hopped from head to head and wing to wing, until she was right at the top.
And she closed her eyes.
She bent her knees.
She braced herself.
And as she leapt up and up and up into the air, she flapped her little wings as hard as she could.
And then she, thud, landed on the floor.
She opened up her eyes.
But she'd done it.
She was the other side of the fence.
And all of her chicken brothers and sisters were cheering baka, baka and hen.
While she rustled up her feathers, she held her head up high and then she struck struck struck struck, struck all the way across the first field and she struck struck struck struck struck, all the way across the second field and then she struck struck struck struck struck, into the third field.
In that third field there was a shed, a big wooden shed that the farmer used to keep all of his tools and old equipment in.
And propped up against his shed was a ladder.
This ladder was not made of metal.
It was made out of old logs and branches that had been hammered together and stuck with the sap that oozed from within them.
Now we're in the world of story.
Remember where strange things can happen.
And this ladder saw chicken strut strut strutting so fast across the field that he desperately wanted to know where she was going in such a hurry.
So with all of his might, he lunged himself backwards and landed thud in front of Chicken's feet.
And he said, Hey, Chick, where are you going?
And Chicken did that thing, where you know they bob their heads around in quite a frantic way.
She couldn't quite tell where the voice was coming from, and so ladda spoke again and said hey, down here chick, tell me where are you going in such a hurry?
And chicken looked down and she could not quite figure out where the mouth of this ladda was.
But it didn't matter, she didn't have time for this to-day, she was on a mission.
So she said to the ladder the farmer has stolen my golden coins and i'm going to get them back.
Are you going to help me or not?
Ladder thought about all the times that that farmer had climbed his heavy body up his wooden bones and how much his aching body hurt afterwards.
He didn't really care much for farmer.
So he said yeah chick, i'll come with you.
And then he shrunk down and down and down and down until he was the size of a tiny sunflower seed.
Well, hen looked and she peck, she gobbled him up and as she rustled up her feathers she held her head up high and she continued to strut strut strut strut, strut all the way across the field down into the woodland.
Well, at the edge of the wood there was a big river and hen was pacing back and forth looking for ways to cross over.
But she couldn't see anywhere.
And all the while river was watching.
And river became curious and so she said to the hen hen, where are you trying to go in such a hurry?
It was a very bubbly river and hen, while she could not really tell where this voice was coming from, but she was on a mission and she said the farmer has stolen my 10 golden coins and i am going to get them back.
Are you going to help me or not?
And the river thought for a moment And she thought back to all of the times that the farmer had washed his muddy boots in her clean water and she too did not care much for this farmer.
Hen, I will help you.
Hen dipped her beak into the water and she began to slurp and slurp and slurp.
Until the riverbed was completely dry.
And hen she now wobbled and strutted because she's obviously full of water across the dry riverbed.
Wobble, wobble, strut, strut, wobble, wobble, strut.
Into the woodland.
And she was strutting and wobble, wobble, wobbling until she heard a rustling in the bushes.
And she froze.
And she did that thing that chickens do where they wobble their heads around in a frantic way.
And out from the bushes came Fock.
A big orange fox with a fiery-looking tail that glistened in the sun.
And Fox licked his lips as he looked at the juicy, speckled hen.
Oh, hello, hen, he said.
Where are you going in such a hurry?
He prowled around her.
But Hen wasn't scared.
She was on a mission.
And she rustled up her feathers, she held her head up high and she said The farmer has stolen my ten golden coins.
I'm going to get them back.
Are you going to help me or not?
Fox's ears pricked up and his eyes went wide.
He had never been spoken to like this before, especially not by a chicken.
But he thought for a moment about all of the times that the farmer had chased him and how, in the winter, he was hunted, and he too didn't care much for the farmer.
And so he said to Chicken, Fine, I will help you on this occasion.
And he too shrunk down and down and down and down until he was the size of a sunflower seed as well.
And Hen delighted in the fact that she was about to eat a fox.
She, peck and gulp and gulp, swallowed him up into her belly.
It's not very often you come across a chicken that can eat a fox, but she rustled up her feathers, she held her head up high and then she continued to strut strut strut, strut and wobble wobble, wobble as well she's still full of water all the way through the woodland until she could see the farmer's house.
She got to the door, she readied herself and she karate, kicked it open and she landed in such a mighty and strong pose in the farmer's kitchen.
And the farmer turned his head in such a shock and looked at the hen and saw her standing there and ha ha ha.
You stupid hen.
What are you doing?
And chicken.
She stood with her head tall and she called out farmer, you have stolen my money.
I want my golden coins back.
Give them to me.
But before she could realize it, the farmer was already right by her.
He picked her up by the neck and he walked her outside and he threw her down a well And Hen landed in the water at the bottom of the well.
And it was cold.
And it was dark.
And Hen, she tried to call, but it was no use.
There was no one around that could hear her.
And she began to scratch at the floor, but It was so hard and she began to peck at the walls, but all it did was hurt her beak, and Oh hen.
All she could do was sit down in the water.
She began to feel a little bit sad and sorry for herself.
But after a little while she started to get this scratchy feeling at the back of her throat and she coughed.
And as she coughed, little bits of wood came up and she remembered do you remember who was the first person, the first thing that she met on her journey?
Of course it was ladder.
She remembered that ladder was in her belly and she called out ladder ladder, out of me.
And the ladder sprung from hen's beak and it grew and grew and grew and grew until it went all the way to the top of the well.
Come on, chick, said the ladder.
Up you come.
Go and get your golden coins back.
And hen.
She rustled up her feathers, she held her head up high and she hop hop hop bop bop bop bop, bop all the way up the ladder.
Thank you, she said.
And she struck, struck, struck back over to the farmer's door.
She kicked it open with a karate chop and she landed in a mighty pose in the farmer's kitchen.
And the farmer this time scowled at her. and said, you stupid hen, what are you doing?
And chicken said, you have stolen my golden coins.
I am here to get them back.
Give them to me.
And this time, the farmer was even quicker.
He was around her neck but hen was feisty and she was kicking and scratching and the farmer didn't know what to do with her.
Until he saw his oven.
He pulled open the oven door, he threw her inside, he turned the heat up and then he jeered through the glass.
Ha ha ha, stupid hen.
And then he turned and went back to his fire.
And now hen was in the oven and it was getting hotter and hotter and little beads of sweat were trickling down her face and on her feathers, and The edges of her feathers were starting to get a bit singed and oh no.
But then her belly started to rumble and it started to bubble.
Now is not the time to feel hungry, she said to herself, but then she remembered.
Do you remember who is the second person or thing she met on her journey?
You are absolutely right, it was river.
And river was starting to bubble and boil inside of hen.
And hen remembered too, and she shouted river, river out of me.
And the river gushed from hen's beak with such a force that it threw open the door of the oven and out slid hen and she stood soaking wet, but she held her head up high, she rustled her feathers and she held a mighty pose and she shouted at the farmer farmer, you have stolen my ten golden coins and i want them back.
And this time The farmer was seething with anger.
A vein pulsed in the side of his head and his face was red.
Your stupid hen, he said.
And he marched over to hen.
He picked her up and he led her outside into a field full of cows.
And he threw her into the middle and he clapped his hands to scare all of the cows.
And the cows began to run in a circle all around Hen.
Hen, she screamed, frozen in fear.
And then she was dodging all of the big black hooves and there was a blur of black and white spots all in front of her face.
Oh no, she said.
But then she remembered.
Do you remember who was the third person or thing that she met on her journey?
That's right, it was fox.
While Hen, she had cowered underneath her wings and she shouted out Fox Fox, out of me.
And Fox leapt from Hen's beak.
He saw all of the cows and he began to chase them into one big stampede that started to run down the field towards the farmer's house.
The farmer was in his kitchen and he was washing his dishes, looking out at the field and he could see.
What's that?
Oh, he couldn't quite tell.
What on earth is that coming over the hill there?
And then he heard the thundering hooves and his eyes went wide.
And he took a gulp as he could see a herd of cows racing towards his house.
And in a quick flash, he turned around and he ran out the back door.
Just as the front door burst open and all of the cows ran through his house, being chased by Fox.
And behind Fox struck struck struck struck, was speckled hen and she struck struck, struck over the door that had been trampled to the ground and she bobbed her head around in that strange way that chickens do, looking for her golden coins when she saw them up high on the farmer's table while she all the way up to the table and she scooped those coins underneath her wing.
And as she rustled up her feathers, she held her head up high and she strut strut strut strut, strut all the way back home, feeling very happy with herself.
Until next time, super great kids, thank you for listening to my story of the sassy speckled hen.
Thank you very much Danielle for sharing that funny story with us.
I love the way that cheeky chicken was determined to get back her gold and not let that farmer keep it.
Danielle wants to know what you think happened next.
What did the chicken do with all those gold coins?
Maybe she built a swimming pool and had a swim party for all her chicken friends, including party bags containing swim rings and some fried worm chips.
I like the idea of sunbathing chickens.
I'll have to have a look out and see if I can spot some.
Did you like Danielle's chicken noises?
I wonder if you can make some funny clucking noises.
Give it a go.
That's a great thing about storytelling.
You can always include lots of fun sound effects.
So here's my question.
What would you do with a bag of gold coins?
Ask your grown-ups what they'd spend it on.
Now, do you think you could draw a picture of the story this week?
What would you draw?
Maybe a field of sunbathing chickens?
Or perhaps you'd draw a picture of the red fox with his flaming coloured tail chasing a bunch of black and white cows.
Send your drawings via our website to supergreatkidsstoriescom and we can share them with other story lovers on our website picture gallery and on our Facebook page facebookcom.
Forward slash supergreatkidsstories.
And now...
It's time to fly around the world with Story Hour to say hello and thank you to the owlets who've recently hopped into our nest and joined our storytelling club.
Let's start in Australia and say hello to Ollie, who is six.
And Lachie, who is three, who live in the capital, Canberra.
They especially like you've guessed it The Ghost of the Bloody Finger.
And Bring Me a Light, another scary story.
A long, long flight next up into the Northern Hemisphere and all the way to Germany.
And let's say to Elliot, who is five and a half.
Elliot currently lives in Val, but he's also lived in Oregon and Michigan in the US.
Elliot says he likes to hear where the other listeners are from.
And his favourite story is The Magic Pear Tree.
A short hop across the North Sea now to the UK, where Crispin, who's five and three-year-old Angus, live in the beautiful Ashtown Forest with their dogs Pickle and Hedgehog.
Lucky you, I do love dogs.
Crispin and Engus prefer the non-scary stories.
Me too.
And across the Atlantic now to Manchester, in the US state of New Hampshire, to say hello to Charlie, who recently became an owlet for her ninth birthday.
Her favourites are Baba Yaga and The Anansi Stories.
She especially likes stories where Toop sings funny songs, like in Anansi and the Hot Pepper Soup.
I'm with you on that one, Charlie.
The king likes the soup.
The queen likes the soup.
Oh, Kim, stop it.
That's enough.
A very short flight down to Duxbury in Massachusetts.
Now to greet Alden, who is seven, and Lila, who is four.
They listen regularly with their family, including on long road trips.
Their favourites include The Anansi Stories and All the How and Why Tales.
Alden and Lila hope to introduce their new baby sister Sienna, to super great kids stories when she's a little bit older.
Well, that is a very nice thought.
I love babies.
They just get more interesting every day.
Let's head west now to Leelanore Peninsula in northern Michigan to say hello to Josephine, who's been listening since we began.
Wow, that makes you a super duper fan, Josephine.
She is now 10 and still loves the stories.
That is just brilliant.
I hope you're starting to tell a few yourself now.
An all-time favourite of Josephine's is eggshell soup.
Yep.
I love that one too.
Kate Corkery is so good at doing the changeling's voice.
I want whiskey.
I want tobacco.
We'll stay in Michigan this time, hovering over Marquette where eight-year-old Oakley has been listening since he was four.
Oakley's favourites are All the Anansi Stories and Bonita the Tricky Sheep.
And let's take a long flight south-west to Willow Park in Texas now to say hello to Millie, who is eight, and five-year-old Coulter, who listen every morning on their way to school.
Among their favourites are Stick Woman, the Ghost of the Bloody Finger, and The Boy Who Drew Cats.
They received the Super Great Kids Stories book for Christmas and love reading it every night.
Well, I'm very pleased to hear that.
Thank you.
And flying east now, all the way to Miami, Florida, let's meet Lucia, who recently turned eight.
She listens on her way home from school and she was very happy to see the ghost of the bloody finger in our book, as that is her favourite story.
I'll tell Tienan and he'll be very pleased.
She also recently enjoyed Tatterhood and Lettuce.
And her family is still hearing her impression of the wide-mouthed frog.
Well done, you.
And finally, let's head up the east coast to Haddonfield in New Jersey to say hello to Nora, who is nine, and Sylvie, who is seven.
And they've been listening for almost five years. sometimes at breakfast and sometimes in the car.
They're fans of the Baba Yaga stories, especially Baba Yaga and Little Brother, as well as River Mama.
That's it for the Owlet Hellos this week.
And we so enjoy seeing all your drawings.
So our pick of the week picture goes to seven-year-old Johan for his imaginative model of the trickster rabbit Chistou from Cherokee folklore.
Johan has used scrap materials and coloured masking tape to build his rabbit.
We love it.
We like Chistu's magnificent long ears, little twitching nose and big feet.
And of course, in his hand, he's carrying that rattle which caused him so much trouble.
Thank you for sharing it.
If you want to see that picture and others, go to our website supergreatkidsstoriescom and click on the tab artwork and photos, or go to our facebook page, facebookcom forward slash super great kids stories and if you follow us on instagram, you can see our picture gallery at super great kids underscore r.
Thanks to all outlets for your super great support.
It's because of you that we can find new storytellers around the world.
If you'd like to support us on Patreon or on Apple Podcasts, And over 60 bonus stories.
Plus.
You'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express with short introductions, no adverts, purely story.
Great for listening to stories back to back.
Visit our website for more details, supergreatkidsstories.com.
Well, that's it for today.
Keep telling your stories, singing your songs.
If you're celebrating easter or passover, i hope you have a happy holiday, and if you're an owlet, we've got a scary story and a very lively bonus story for you this week.
This podcast was produced at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
