The Gigantic Turnip

Tonight’s story comes from Russia. Winters there are long and cold, with snow covering everything, so in the short summer every family hurries to grow vegetables in the garden. Around the villages stand birch trees with white trunks, and the houses are made of wood.

Long ago there was an old man. One day he went into his garden and planted a turnip seed. When he had finished, he patted the soil and said, “Grow, little turnip. Grow sweet, and grow big.”

And the turnip listened. It grew and grew and grew. Its leaves spread out wide and green, and the turnip itself got bigger and bigger, bigger than a basket, so big that nobody in the village had ever seen a turnip like it.

When harvest time came, the old man went out to the garden. He took hold of the turnip’s leaves, planted his feet firmly and pulled.

He pulled and he pulled, but the turnip would not come up.

So he called the old woman to help. She held on to the old man, the old man held on to the turnip leaves, and they pulled together.

They pulled and they pulled, but the turnip would not come up.

So the old woman called their granddaughter. The granddaughter held on to the old woman, the old woman held on to the old man, the old man held on to the turnip leaves, and they all pulled together.

They pulled and they pulled, but the turnip would not come up.

So the granddaughter called the dog. The dog held on to the granddaughter’s skirt, the granddaughter held on to the old woman, the old woman held on to the old man, the old man held on to the turnip leaves, and all four pulled.

They pulled and they pulled, but the turnip would not come up.

So the dog called the cat. The cat held on to the dog, the dog held on to the granddaughter, the granddaughter held on to the old woman, the old woman held on to the old man, the old man held on to the turnip leaves, and all five pulled.

They pulled and they pulled, but the turnip would not come up.

So the cat called the mouse. The mouse was so small that, standing next to the turnip, you could hardly see it. But it ran over anyway and held on to the cat’s tail.

The mouse held on to the cat, the cat held on to the dog, the dog held on to the granddaughter, the granddaughter held on to the old woman, the old woman held on to the old man, and the old man held on to the turnip leaves.

One, two, three, pull!

Pull, pull, pull some more… pop!

Up came the turnip. The whole line tumbled over backwards in a heap, covered in soil. The old man sat in the middle of the garden hugging the biggest turnip of his life, and at the very end of the line, the little mouse stood there, puffing and panting.