Mama Bird and Her Babies

Mama Bird was looking for a place to make her nest. She looked all over and finally found the perfect place---a hole high up in a tree.

She carefully made a nest from.... (ask audience what birds use)
and filled it up with soft..... (ask audience what birds use to make a soft lining in a nest)

Then she laid 3 eggs and sat on them for a long, long time.
One day she felt something and tap, tap, tap, one bird poked its head out.
Tap, tap, tap, the second bird poked its head out.
Tap, tap, tap, the third bird poked its head out.

Mama Bird sat on her babies to keep them warm and she fed them what baby birds really like.......(ask audience what that is and someone always says "Worms!")
Yes! Worms----regurgitated worms!

Well, those birds eat a lot and they grew and grew and grew till one day they were big enough to come out of their nest and learn to fly!
Oh, oh. The three baby birds had grown so big that they couldn't get out! So.......

Mama Bird asked the woodpecker if he/she* would peck a hole big enough so that her babies could come out and learn to fly and woodpecker said, "No, why should I?"

So... Mama Bird asked the snake if he/she would bite the big toe of woodpecker so woodpecker would peck a hole big enough so that her babies could come out and learn to fly and snake said, "No, why should I?"

So... Mama Bird asked the elephant if he/she would step on the tail of snake so the snake would bite the big toe of woodpecker so woodpecker would peck a hole big enough so that her babies could come out and learn to fly and elephant said, "No, why should I?"

So... Mama Bird asked the mouse if he/she would run up the trunk of elephant and tickle him/her so elephant would step on the tail of snake so the snake would bite the big toe of woodpecker so woodpecker would peck a hole big enough so that her babies could come out and learn to fly and mouse said, "No, why should I?"

So... Mama Bird asked the cat if he/she would chase the mouse up the trunk of elephant and tickle him/her so elephant would step on the tail of snake so the snake would bite the big toe of woodpecker so woodpecker would peck a hole big enough so that her babies could come out and learn to fly and cat said, "Oh! I love to chase mice."

So... Cat chased the mouse up elephant's trunk tickling elephant and elephant stepped on the tail of snake and snake bit the big toe of woodpecker and woodpecker pecked a bigger hole and Mama Bird's three babies came out and they learned how to fly.

*Note: Animal's gender depends on the participant. Also, I have the participants make movements that are common for these animals. For the woodpecker I have a wood clacker the child can use.
•••••
Contributed by
Marcia Gutiérrez

[A Sri Lankan Folktale adapted by Marcia Gutiérrez, Quilted Tales, from Judy Sierra's book Multicultural Folktales for the Feltboard and Reader's Theater (J398.2 Sierra). It's a chain tale and I use it as one of my bilingual stories changing the carpenter to a woodpecker so the child can use a clacker to make the woodpecker sounds. It's great for participation and I have used it with children of all ages in family settings. I have found that picking the child or adult who is to play an animal as I tell the story works much better than asking for volunteers before I begin. It's also a surprise for the participant for I have them make the movement of the animal before they themselves know what they are.]

Read more...

The Trial at Avichara-Pura

It happened one time in the village of Avichara-pura that a band of thieves broke into the house of a rich man and stole his money and jewelry. The victim reported the burglary, and police officers went out at once in search of the thieves. They found them nearby and brought them into court. The judge then listened to the complaint of the man whose property had been stolen. Turning to the thieves, he asked them: “Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

“Yes,” the thieves replied. “We weren’t really to blame for the burglary at all. It was the man who built the house who was responsible. He made the walls badly. They were thin and rotten and broke through at the slightest push. If it hadn’t been for the weak walls, we never would have been tempted to break into the house and steal.”

The judge frowned and pondered over this reply, “That is reasonable,” he said at last, “very reasonable.” And he ordered that the mason who had constructed the house should be brought before him. When the mason arrived, he was accused of responsibility for the theft at the rich man’s house.

“You see what your bad work has come to,” the judge said sadly. “It has ended in crime.”

“Oh, but the fault wasn’t mine,” the mason said. “It was the laborer who mixed the mortar who was responsible. He was careless, and the mortar he gave me to work with was so badly mixed that it wouldn’t hold the stones together.”

Hearing this, the judge shook his head solemnly and sent for the laborer who had mixed the mortar. When he came and heard of the crime he was charged with, he said: “Oh, but it wasn’t my fault. It is true that the mortar wasn’t good. But the culprit is the potter who sold me a cracked pot, which wouldn’t hold enough water to mix the mortar properly.”

The judge frowned at this news. And he sent for the potter. “You see what your bad pot has brought you to,” the judge said sternly. “Because of your poor work a crime has been committed. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Indeed I do,” the potter said. “A beautiful woman was the cause of it all. You see, just as I was working on that pot, she passed by, and I couldn’t tale my eyes from her. It was while I was looking at her that the pot developed a flaw.”

Now the judge’s temper was rising. “Bring the woman in!” he ordered.

The police went out and found the woman and brought her into court.

“So!” the judge said sternly. “At last it has been revealed that you are the one responsible for the burglary! Just when the potter was working on the pot, you went by and distracted him. He made a bad pot, which didn’t hold enough water to make a decent mortar, so that the walls of the house were weak and tempted these men here to enter and go off with the money and jewels. Do you have any defense?”

The woman answered: “I wouldn’t have been near the potter’s place at all if the goldsmith had sent my earrings as he had promised to do. I had to go after then myself, and I had to pass the potter’s house. The guilt belongs to the goldsmith.”

Then the judge angrily ordered the goldsmith brought in and accused him of the crime. The goldsmith couldn’t think of a single word to say in his own defense. The judge roared at him to speak, but the goldsmith was speechless. At last the judge ordered the man to be hanged.

But the people of the village protested. They said: “After all. We do need a goldsmith in our village. Can’t you suspend the sentence?”

“A crime has been committed,” the judge said sternly, “ and someone must hang for it!”

“Well, you are right,” the villagers said. “Justice is justice, and someone must hang. But since the goldsmith can’t be spared, let us hang the first stranger who comes through Avichara-pura.”

“That is a wise solution,” the judge said thoughtfully. And he decreed then and there that the first stranger to arrive in the village should be strung up without any further talk. The case was closed, and the court adjourned.

When word of the trial went from one place to another, people stopped coming to Avichara-pura altogether. And after that, whenever some silly act was carried out in the name of justice, people said: “Its just like the trial at Avichara-pura..”
•••••
Suggested by
Linda Conte
Croton-on-Hudson, NY USA

[found in The Tiger’s Whisker and other tales from Asia and the Pacific by Harold Courlander, Henry Holt & Company, New York Copyright 1959, 1987.]

Read more...

The Frog Prince

At a city there is a certain king; a widow lives at a house near his palace. She subsists by going to this royal palace and pounding rice there; having handed it over, she takes away the rice powders and lives on it.

During the time while she was getting a living in this way, she bore a frog, which she reared there. When it was grown up, the king of that city caused this proclamation to be made by beat of tom-toms: "I will give half my kingdom, and goods amounting to an elephant's load to the person who brings the Jeweled Golden Cock that is at the house of the Rakshasi (Ogress).

The frog took the bundle of rice, and hanging it from his shoulder, went to an Indi (wild date) tree, scraped the leaf off a date spike (the mid-rib of the leaf), and strung the rice on it. While going away after stringing it, the frog then became like a very good-looking royal prince, and a horse and clothing for him made their appearance there. Putting on the clothes he mounted the horse, and making it bound along he went on till he came to a city.

Hearing that he had arrived, the king of that city prepared quarters for this prince to stay at, and having given him ample food and drink, asked, "Where art thou going?"

Then the Prince said: "The King of our city has made a proclamation by beat of tom-toms, that he will give half his kingdom and an elephant's load of gold to the person who brings him the Jeweled Golden Cock that is at the Rakshasi's house. Because of it I am going to fetch the Jeweled Golden Cock."

The King, being pleased with the prince on account of it, gave him a piece of charcoal. "Should you be unable to escape from the Rakshasi while returning after taking the Jeweled Golden Cock, tell this piece of charcoal to be created a fire-fence, and cast it down," he said. Taking it, he went to another city.

The king of that city in that very manner having prepared quarters, and made ready and given him food and drink, asked, "Where art thou going?" The prince replied in the same words, "I am going to bring the Jeweled Golden Cock that is at the house of the Rakshasi." That king also being pleased on account of it, gave him a stone, "Should you be unable to escape from the Rakshasi, tell this stone to be created a mountain, and cast it down," he said.

Taking the charcoal and the stone which those two kings gave him, he went to yet another city. The king also in that very manner having given him quarters, and food and drink, asked, "Where art thou going?" The prince in that very way said, "I am going to bring the Jeweled Golden Cock." That King also being greatly pleased gave him a thorn. "Should you be unable to escape from the Rakshasi, tell a thorn fence to be created, and cast down this thorn," he said.

On the next day he went to the house of the Rakshasi. She was not at home; the Rakshasi's daughter was there. That girl having seen the prince coming and not knowing him, asked "Elder brother, elder brother, where are you going?"

The prince said, "Younger sister, I am not going anywhere whatever. I came to beg at your hands the Jeweled Golden Cock which you have got."

To that she replied, "Elder brother, today indeed I am unable to give it. Tomorrow I can. Should my mother come now she will eat you; for that reason come and hide yourself."

Calling him into the house, she put him in a large trunk at the bottom of seven trunks, and shut him up in it.

After a little time had passed, the Rakshasi came back. Having come and seen that the prince's horse was there, she asked her daughter, "Whose is this horse?"

Then the Rakshasi's daughter replied, "Nobody's whatever. It came out of the jungle, and I caught it to ride on."

The Rakshasi having said, "If so, it is good," came in. While lying down to sleep at night, the sweet odor of the prince having reached the Rakshasi, she said to her daughter, "What is this, Bola*? A smell of a fresh human body is coming to me."

Then the Rakshasi's daughter said, "What, mother! Do you say so? You are constantly eating fresh bodies; how can there not be an odor of them?"

After that, the Rakshasi, taking those words for the truth, went to sleep.

At dawn on the following day, as soon as she arose, the Rakshasi went to seek human flesh for food. After she had gone, the Rakshasa-daughter, taking out the prince who was shut up in the box, told that prince a. device on going away with the Jeweled Golden Cock: "Elder brother, if you. are going away with the cock, take some cords and fasten them round my shoulders. Having put them round me, take the cock, and having mounted the horse, go off, making him bound quickly. When you have gone, I shall cry out. Mother comes when I give three calls. After she has come, loosening me will occupy much time; then you will be able to get away."

In the way she said, the Prince tied the Rakshasa-daughter, and taking the Jeweled Golden Cock mounted the horse, and making it bound quickly came away.

As that Rakshasa-daughter said, while she was calling out, the Rakshasi came. Having come, after she looked about (she found that) the Rakshasa-daughter was tied, and the Jeweled Golden Cock had been taken away. After she had asked, "Who was it? Who took it?" the Rakshasa-daughter said, "I don't know who it was." After that, she very quickly unfastened the Rakshasa-daughter, and both of them came running to eat that Prince.

The Prince was unable to go quickly. While going, the Prince turned round, and on looking back saw that this Rakshasi and the Rakshasa-daughter were coming running to eat that Prince.

After that, he cast down the thorn which the above-mentioned king of the third city gave him, having told a thorn fence to be created. A thorn fence was created. Having jumped over it, they came on.

After that, when he had put down the piece of stone which the king of the second city gave him, and told a mountain to be created a mountain was created. They sprang over that mountain also, and came on.

After that, he cast down the charcoal which the king of the first city gave him, having told a fire fence to be created. In that very manner, a fire fence was created. Having come to it, while jumping over it, both of them were burnt and died.

From that place, the prince came along. While coming, he arrived at the Indi tree on which he had threaded the rice, and having taken off it all that dried-up rice, he began to eat it. On coming to the end of it, the person who was like that prince again became a Frog.

After he became a frog, the clothes that he was wearing, and the horse, and the Jeweled Golden Cock vanished. Out of grief on that account, that frog died at that very place.
•••••
Source: H. Parker, Village Folk Tales of Ceylon (1910), v. 1, pp. 59-62.
*"Bola" is a word without any special meaning in English, often used in addressing a person familiarly and somewhat disrespectfully. [footnote by Parker]

[H. Parker, Sri Lanka (Northwestern Province)]

Read more...