The Enormous Turnip

A Tiny Seed

Once upon a time, an old man planted a little turnip seed in his garden. He patted the soil and said, "Grow, little turnip. Grow big and strong and sweet."

The sun shone. The rain fell. And the turnip grew. And grew. And GREW.

Soon it was the biggest turnip anyone had ever seen. It was enormous! Its green leaves were as tall as the old man's head.

Pull, Pull, Pull!

"What a fine turnip!" said the old man. "Now I will pull it up for supper."

He took hold of the leaves. He pulled and he pulled. Heave-ho! But the turnip would not move. Not one little bit.

"I need some help," said the old man. He called the old woman.

The old woman held on to the old man. The old man held on to the turnip. They pulled and they pulled. Heave-ho! But still the turnip would not come up.

So the old woman called the little girl.

The little girl held the old woman. The old woman held the old man. The old man held the turnip. They pulled and pulled. Heave-ho! But the turnip stayed stuck.

More and More Helpers

So the little girl called the dog. Woof!

The dog held the girl. The girl held the woman. The woman held the man. The man held the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But the turnip would NOT come up.

So the dog called the cat. Meow!

The cat held the dog. The dog held the girl. The girl held the woman. The woman held the man. The man held the turnip. They pulled and they pulled. But still the turnip stayed fast in the ground.

The Smallest Helper of All

Then a tiny little mouse ran by. "May I help too?" she squeaked.

The cat looked at the little mouse and almost laughed. "You are so small! But come along — every helper counts."

The mouse held the cat. The cat held the dog. The dog held the girl. The girl held the woman. The woman held the man. The man held the turnip.

"One, two, three — PULL!"

They all pulled together. Heave-ho! And this time — POP! — the enormous turnip flew right out of the ground!

Everybody tumbled over in a happy heap, laughing and laughing.

That night, they cooked the enormous turnip into a great big pot of soup. There was enough for the old man, the old woman, the little girl, the dog, the cat, and the tiny little mouse. They all ate together and shared a wonderful supper.

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The moral: When everyone works together, even the biggest job gets done — and even the smallest helper matters.

Want more read-along tales? Try The Little Red Hen or The Tortoise and the Hare next.