56 THE GOATS IN THE TURNIP FIELD

Once a boy had three fine goats.

Every morning he took them to the hill so that they could eat the green grass.

The goats were very happy on the hill.

When evening came, the boy would take them home.

Once they ran into a turnip field.

The boy could not get them out.

What do you think he did?

He sat down and cried.

Along came a rabbit, hop, hop, hop.

“Why are you crying? ”asked the rabbit.

“Oh, oh! I can not get my goats out of the turnip field, ”said the boy.

“I will do it for you, ”said the rabbit.

So he ran after the goats.

But he could not get them out.

Then the rabbit sat down and cried.

Soon a fox came along.

“Rabbit, why are you crying? ”asked the fox.

“I cry because the boy cries, ”he said.

“The boy cries because he can not get his goats out of the turnip field.”

“I will do it for him, ”said the fox. So the fox ran after the goats.

But he could not get them out. Then the fox sat down and cried.

As they were crying, a wolf came by.

“Fox, why are you crying? ”said the wolf.

“I cry because the rabbit cries, ”said the fox.

“The rabbit cries because the boy cries.

The boy cries because he can not get his goats out of the turnip field.”

“I will do it for him, ”said the wolf.

So the wolf ran after the goats.

But he could not get them out.

Then the wolf sat down and cried, too.

A little bee saw them all crying.

“Wolf, why are you crying? ”said the bee.

“I cry because the fox cries, ”said the wolf.

“The fox cries because the rabbit cries.

The rabbit cries because the boy cries.

The boy cries because he can not get his goats out of the turnip field.”

“I will do it for him, ”said the bee.

Then they all stopped crying and began to laugh.

“Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha! ”they said.

“How can a little bee like you do it? ”

But the bee flew into the turnip field.

He flew right to a big goat's back.

“Buzz-z-z ! ”he said, and out the goats ran!

Do you know why they ran out so fast?

They ran all the way home, too.

The boy laughed and ran after them.

(Norwegian Folk Tale)

Word list

goats: a kind of farm animal

turnip: a large kind of vegetable

wolf: a large, wild dog

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) Where did the boy take his goats every morning?

2) Why would the goats not leave the turnip field?

3) What animals tried to help the boy?

4) What did the boy and the other animals do when the bee offered to get the goats out of the turnip field?

5) Why do you think the boy and the animals laughed at the bee?

B) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) a kind of animal that hops: r _ _ _ _ _

2) a small, wild dog: f _ _

3) an open space: f _ _ _ _

4) a kind of insect: b _ _

5) we do this when something is funny: l _ _ _ _

C) True or false? Read these sentences carefully, write true or false for each one.

1) _____ The fox and the wolf chased the goats out of the turnip field. 2) _____ The other animals laughed at the bee.

3) _____ The bee cried with the other animals.

4) _____ The bee chased the goats out of the turnip field.

5) _____ The bee flew onto the wolf's back.