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.
This week's theme is How and Why Stories.
Today's story is from China.
It's told by me and it's called Why Rooster Brings the Sun.
So Super Great Kids, how are you?
I hope you had a happy week.
Did you try anything new?
I went on a cycle ride along the River Thames in London and I discovered an old church which is over a thousand years old.
If you live in Canada or the US, you are probably celebrating Mother's Day on the weekend.
Did you let your mum stay in bed a bit longer?
Or perhaps you tried telling her a story?
This week's story is from China, in East Asia, where there are dragons and giant pandas and golden spitting cats.
And the tallest mountain on earth, Mount Everest, sits between China and Nepal.
And just before I tell it, I have a little challenge for you.
This is a how and why story.
Can you think of any other how and why?
Stories which we've had on the podcast which explain why something is the way it is?
For example, why the sky is far away.
To get you going, here are clues for three stories you might know.
Stars, leopards and a whale.
Are you ready?
Off you go.
See if you can remember five.
Hello, super great grown-ups.
This episode is sponsored by Indeed.
Running your own business?
Need to hire good people fast?
If Red Riding Hood had found a great security guard quickly, she'd have escaped the wolf.
If Jack had fast access to a financial advisor, he wouldn't have had to sell Daisy the cow.
Whether you want someone strong or numerate, Indeed can help you find amazing candidates fast.
When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need.
Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites.
Indeed's sponsored jobs helps you stand out and hire fast.
With sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster.
So don't wait any longer.
Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed.
Listeners of this show will get a 75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeedcom.
Slash kids stories.
Just go to indeedcom slash kids stories right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
Indeed.com slash kids stories.
Terms and conditions apply.
Hiring?
Indeed is all you need.
Hello, super great kids.
I'm back.
Did you remember some how and why stories?
My clues were for the stories How the Stars Got Into the Sky, How Leopard Got Its Spots and Why the Whale Has a Sad Song.
There's also how the snakes got their poison, how the birds got their colours, how the rainbow got into the sky and why crocodiles sleep with their mouths open.
Oh, and there are many more.
Did you get five?
Well done if you did.
Give yourself a pat on the back.
And now.
It's time for this week's How and Why tale.
It's called Why Rooster, also known as a Cockerel, Brings the Sun.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Am I sitting comfortably?
Then let the story come crowing out.
Once upon a time long ago, when chickens had teeth and animals could talk, there wasn't just one sun in the sky.
There weren't two suns in the sky.
There weren't even three suns in the sky.
Do you know how many suns there were?
Nine.
Yes, nine yellow suns all blazing down on Earth.
Every day those nine suns would rise and do what suns were made to do.
Shine, shine, shine, shine.
They warmed the earth and made things grow.
But I'm sorry to have to tell you that the heat from all of those suns was so powerful that the trees shriveled.
Oomph!
The rivers dried up and the ground was so hot that the people could barely walk on it.
They yelled, hopping from foot to foot.
And the people, of course, were not happy.
They stayed indoors and sheltered from the heat.
The children couldn't play out and the grown-ups couldn't get to work in the fields.
What can we do?
What can we do? they cried.
They decided to have a meeting and to make a plan.
I think we should all move underground where it's cool, suggested one man.
No, how can we grow our rice and plant our vegetables without any light?
Plant needs sunlight to grow, everyone knows that, complained another.
How about if we cover the sky with a big sheet to stop the strong rays from reaching the ground, said one woman.
No, where are we going to find a sheet big enough to cover the sun, protested the other villagers.
Excuse me, piped up one little boy.
My dad, yeah?
He's really good with a bow and arrow.
He's the best archer in the whole village.
He could shoot all those suns out of the sky, easy peasy.
No, groaned all the grown-ups.
That is a rubbish idea because... because... because...
But the grown-ups couldn't actually think of a reason why that was a rubbish idea.
Maybe because it wasn't a rubbish idea after all.
And since no one else could come up with a better idea, they asked the little boy to go and fetch his dad.
His dad lived in a cool cave near the top of the highest mountain.
He arrived at the meeting.
He was not very big.
He was thin as a bean, had spiky hair small, bright eyes and a face which was wrinkled like an old apple.
He wasn't sure about the idea of shooting suns out of the sky, but he agreed something had to be done.
So he said he'd give it a go if that's what the people wanted.
Early next morning.
A crowd gathered just before dawn at the foot of the tall, tall mountain.
They could just make out the silhouette of an archer high up on the mountain ledge as the first sun rose.
Shine shine shine, shine.
The archer drew back his bow as far as he could And whoosh.
His arrow flew straight and true towards the sun.
And whee!
Crash!
It fell to the ground.
Then he aimed his arrow at the second son.
Crash!
And then he hit the next son.
Crash!
And the next son.
Crash!
And he kept on firing his long arrows until there was only one young son left.
And how do you think she felt seeing all her brothers and sisters plunging one by one out of the sky?
Well, you're right.
She was terrified.
And as quickly as she could, she took a U-turn in the sky and hid behind Grandfather Mountain.
And there she stayed, shaking in the shadow of his rocky arms.
Hooray!
Three cheers for the archer, shouted the people, dancing in delight on the cool earth.
But you know how it is.
You get what you really really want, and then you sometimes find that it isn't quite what you expected.
And so it was with the people of that village.
It wasn't long before they started to miss the sun.
Without the sun, it was dark and it was cold.
Without the sun, the grass didn't grow, the flowers didn't bloom and the vegetables didn't sprout.
What can we do?
What can we do? asked all the people who were shivering and hungry.
Well, we only shot down eight suns, so there's still one left.
But she must be hiding, said the village teacher.
I know.
Let's call out to the hiding sun and tell her we mean her no harm, that we'd like her to come out and shine for us, said the archer's son.
So they all sang a little song up to the sun.
Little sun come out to play, make us happy and start our day.
Make us warm and make us glow.
Help our food and flowers to grow.
Do you think you can help me?
You can go la la la if you want.
Little sun come out to play, make us happy and start our day.
Make us warm and make us glow.
Help our food and flowers to grow.
They stopped.
They waited.
They watched.
But the young sun did not come out from behind that mountain.
Well, maybe the sun is sleeping and can't hear us.
We need someone who is really loud to wake up the sun.
How about Tiger, shouted all the children.
Tiger has a magnificent roar.
That'll wake the sun up for sure.
So Tiger was duly fetched and padded proudly across to the foot of the mountain.
He opened his mouth and he roared.
Do you think you can help me?
Ready?
The tiger stopped.
He waited.
He watched.
But the sun did not come out from behind that mountain.
The sun is scared, said an old grandmother.
We need to find someone gentle, who can persuade the sun that we need her and that we won't hurt her if she comes out and shines on us.
OK, Grandma, maybe you could go.
You're wise.
She might listen to you, said all the villagers.
I don't think so.
The grandmother shook her head sadly.
The sun wouldn't listen to a human now, not after we've shot down all her brothers and sisters.
I know, said a farmer.
The birds sing for joy whenever the sun is coming up.
The sun knows that they're her friends.
Let's send a little bird with a beautiful voice to talk to her.
And everybody thought that was a tip-top idea.
They chose a little nightingale with a voice which shone like gold.
They asked it to fly as high as it could and sing for the sun.
The nightingale took flight and flew up and up and up and opened its beak and sang in her golden voice.
Can you help me?
We're going to go Twittery Twitter, Twittery Tweet.
Ready?
Twittery Tweet Twittery Tweet.
Twittery Tweet.
Twittery Tweet.
Twittery Tweet, Twittery Tweet, Twittery Tweet, Twittery Tweet.
She stopped.
She waited.
She listened.
But the little son... did not come out from behind that mountain.
Thank you, little nightingale.
You tried very hard and you did your best, but I think the sun just didn't hear.
You said the farmer.
I think the sun must be sleeping.
What we need is a louder bird.
I know, I know, piped up the son of the archer.
How about the rooster with his beautiful coloured feathers?
His voice isn't exactly beautiful, but it is very loud.
And that rooster, he never gives up.
He really likes the sound of his own voice, so he just keeps on crowing until everyone has noticed him.
If anyone can wake up the sun, he can.
Everyone thought this was a tip-top idea and so the village rooster was called for.
He was delighted and he came strutting and pecking and scratching at the earth.
He flip-flop-flapped over to the foot of the tallest mountain, perched on a rock, stretched his neck, threw back his head and screeched as loudly as he could.
Can you help me?
And then he sang the little song.
The sun sat quietly behind the mountain.
She certainly was not asleep, but she was still afraid that she'd be shot by an arrow.
She kept shaking and clinging even more tightly to Grandfather Mountain.
The rooster stopped.
He waited.
He watched.
Then he scratched the ground, stretched his neck, threw back his head and screeched again.
Can you help me?
Now the son was scared, but she was also curious.
What on earth could be making such a terrible noise?
By now, the rooster was enjoying himself with such a large audience.
He felt rather important and wanted to succeed.
Once again, he scratched the ground, stretched his neck, threw back his head and screeched.
And this time, all of the villagers joined in.
Can you help me?
You could be a person.
Little sun come out to play, make us happy and start our day.
A tiger, rah, rah, rah, rah, fa, la, la.
Or a nightingale, twittery, twitter, twittery, tweet.
Or a cockerel, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
OK, you ready?
Put your hands over your ears, grown-ups.
One, two, three.
When the sun heard the cockerel and the nightingale and the tiger and all the people in the village calling to her to come and help to make them warm and happy Well, she forgot her fears.
She just wanted to go out there and do what she was made to do.
So, very slowly, the first golden rays crept out from behind the mountain.
And slowly by slowly, the sun rose in the sky and started to shine gently down upon the world.
Shine shine shine shine hooray, shouted all the people dancing around in the sunshine, and they sang for the joy of singing.
Sister sun, come out to play, make us happy and start our day, warm us up and make us glow, help our flowers and food to grow.
And the sun was so happy to be shining again that she gave that rooster a little present.
She took some red from the evening sky and shaped it into a beautiful comb and gave it to the rooster, who proudly placed it on his head.
And that is where it's stayed ever since.
And that is how, to this very day, the rooster has a red comb on his head.
And that is why every morning, as soon as the rooster crows, the sun leaps out of bed and begins to shine.
Ready?
Shine, shine, shine, shine.
And that is where that story ends.
Next time you see a rooster strutting around and you hear him crowing, you'll know why he looks so proud.
He's letting you know that long ago he actually saved the world.
The sun is so important to us all.
Perhaps it's no wonder that people in lots of countries have made up different stories about how they think the sun got to be there.
Some people say the sun used to be the eye of a huge dragon who died.
One eye became the sun and the other the moon.
Others say it's the yolk from a giant egg.
I wonder if you could make up your own how and why story about how you think the sun became.
And now it's time. to say hello to some owlets who've joined our storytelling club recently.
So let's dig deep into our bag of happies and fly around the world with StoryOwl to welcome you to the club.
Let's begin in Houston, in Texas, in the US, where Frankie became an owlet for her fifth birthday.
Her favourites are all the Anansi stories, Sigournio and the Turtle Woman from Greece, The Great Race and The Slippers That Make No Noise from China.
And let's flip-flap-fly up to Portland in Oregon, next to greet owlet Skye, who recently turned six, and became an owlet, for her birthday.
Skye really likes the Chinese story about the zodiac animals, the great races.
She had an ocean themed birthday party where everyone wore blue.
They had a jellyfish piñata and a cake where the middle layer was jello with Swedish fish swimming in it.
Lucky you.
She lives in a share it square community where she joins in the painting of a mural on the streets every year.
And swimming across the ocean to the island of Hawaii.
Next, let's greet Ronin, who is seven, and his four-year-old sister, Safira.
Their current favourite story is The Hairy Toe.
But their all-time favourites are Anansi and the Hot Pepper Soup, and Gulbahar, which is the Iranian version of Rapunzel.
And we're off to Oakland in California now, where Kai, who is seven, listens every night at bedtime.
His favourites are Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Wolf and the Brave Little Hummingbird.
Kai and his family listen to Super Great Kids every night.
They say it's becoming a family tradition.
And staying in California, let's head to Long Beach to greet six-year-old Waverie.
His favourites are the Baba Yaga stories because of all the songs.
Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga, all of that good stuff.
And over to New Zealand, now to Hamilton, where Stella, who is nine, and Hank, who is six, love the Weeping Willow, the Hairy Toe, the Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Tom Tit Tot.
Let's fly up to Kingston in New Brunswick in Canada next, where Riley, who is eight, and Leah, who is ten, listen every night.
Riley loves the ghost of the bloody finger and Leah, well, Leah likes them all.
And let's head to Wrexham in North Wales now to greet Kitty, who is 10, and Frank, who is 5.
They listen at bedtime and they're big fans of eggshell soup.
And why crocodiles sleep with their mouths open.
Their favourite storyteller is Jason Buck, especially his version of The Old Woman and the Pig.
So you like funny stories, basically.
And up to the beautiful Lake District here in the UK.
Now to greet Owlet Heron, who is six, and four-year-old Finch.
They listen on car journeys, on nature adventures and on a Sunday evening when they're doing their jigsaws.
Their favourites are the Baba Yaga stories and Stick Woman.
They sing a ticky tacky tick, a ticky tacky tick whenever they go on long walks.
And staying in the UK, let's head to Charlesworth in Glossop in beautiful Derbyshire next to meet Isaac, who is eight, and his sister Rosie, who is four.
Isaac's current favourite is the velvet ribbon and Rosie's is Jack and the Two-Headed Giant.
They're coming to see us at Stealing Thunder.
Oh, that's exciting.
See you there then.
Welcome all of you to the club.
That's all for the Owlet Hellos this week.
More next week.
Thank you very much for your support.
And our pick of the week picture goes to Owlet Matias, who lives in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas in Mexico and who describes himself as a superfan.
Thanks for sending us your brilliant, scary illustration of the oni or ogre from the Japanese story Inch Boy.
What a terrifying red ogre he is, with pointed fangs and carrying an iron club with sharp studs.
I can almost hear his deafening roar.
Well done, Matias.
Thank you for sharing this.
It's lovely to have a listener in Mexico.
And you might like to know that The Inch Boy is one of the stories featured in our book, which will be published by Bloomsbury this autumn.
And thanks to all of you who are subscribing to our podcast.
A very tiny percentage of our listeners subscribe, so we really appreciate those of you who feel you can.
It's very generous of you.
If you subscribe on Patreon you get a choice of two tiers £3 a month, less than US4 to get advert free and access to all the scary stories.
And if you pay for the next tier up, which is £6 that's about US8 you'll get advert free, plus over 50 bonus stories and all the super great scary stories.
Plus you'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express, which cut to the chase and tell the story.
Great for listening to stories back to back.
If you subscribe on Apple, it's £6 a month for all the extras.
Visit our website for more details, supergreatkidsstories.com.
And you might notice a new feature which we're offering for everyone.
On a Wednesday in the middle of the month, we are going to dip into our archives and replay one of the best of Super Great Kids stories.
This week, we kick off with a how and why story.
Why the Whale Has a Sad Song, told by Toot.
It was the very first episode which went out on Super Great Kids Stories.
If you like it, perhaps you could send us a picture and we'll post it.
If you're a Patreon or Apple subscriber, you can hear this episode advert free in your subscriber feed.
That's it for now.
Have a happy week.
Keep telling those stories and singing all those songs.
This podcast was produced by Kim Normanton and David Smith at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
