AN OLD MAN planted a turnip. The turnip grew to be enormous. The old man started to pull the turnip out of the ground. He pulled and pulled, but couldn't pull it out. So he called over the old woman.

                    The old woman took hold of the old man, the old man took hold of the turnip, they pulled and pulled, but couldn't pull it out. So the old woman called over the granddaughter.

                    The granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, the old man took hold of the turnip, they pulled and pulled, but couldn't pull it out. So the granddaughter called over the dog.

                    The dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, the old man took hold of the turnip, they pulled and pulled, but couldn't pull it out. So the dog called over the cat.

                    The cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, the old man took hold of the turnip, they pulled and pulled, but couldn't pull it out. So the cat called over the mouse .

                    The mouse took hold of the cat, the cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, the old man took hold of the turnip, they pulled and pulled--and finally--out came the turnip!

*Source of Story:  This Russian folk tale is told on the web site Russian crafts

*Note: On the web site Russian crafts, it's noted that much of the lyricism of this little tale is lost in translation.  In Russian, the name "Zhuckha" is used in place of "dog."  The similar words repeated patterns combined to make a rhythm that is almost a tongue-twister!  Transliterated, the last line of the tale sounds like this:

Myshka za koshku, koshka za Zhuchku, Zhuchka za vnuchku, vnuchka za babku, babka za dedku, dedka za repku, tyanut-potyanut--vytyanuli repku!

 

 

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Here are some questions. Go ahead and answer them by printing out the page and writing in your answers on the lines that are under the questions.
   Do you want to first see what other kids say about the story? Remember to come back here and enter your own thoughts, too! 
 

Your first name:______________________________________  

& your age: ______________________

1. Why did the mouse make the difference?

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2. What do you think this story is trying to show you?

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FOOTNOTE
In Russian folk lore, stories abound of the witch Baba Yaga. Once in a while, Baba Yaga is portrayed as kindly, but the norm is that Baba Yaga is the essence of wickedness. She has iron teeth for eating children when she can get them (Russian parents tell their children that Baba Yaga eats only children who misbehave). Her mode of transportation, the giant mortar that she beats with a pestle to go faster, is a classic element in Baba Yaga stories. Another motif is her hut, which as described in the Baba Yaga story presented here, stands on hen's legs and can move about at whim.

Though Baba Yaga is uniquely Russian, elements of the Baba Yaga stories can be recognized in folklore from other parts of the world. A Spanish story "Don Octavio" tells of a boy who, when chased by a human flesh-eating giant, throws a comb onto the ground and the comb becomes a mountain, and then the boy drops a pin to the ground and the pin becomes a dense underbrush of thorns. There is also a story from the Philippines called "Pedro and the Witch," wherein a boy named Pedro escapes from the witch Boroka by dropping a kerchief and the kerchief becomes a large fire, and then the boy drops a white handkerchief and the white handkerchief becomes a wide sea.
 
SOURCE 
"Baba Yaga" is adapted from "Baba Yaga and the Little Girl with the Kind Heart" from Old Peter's Russian Tales (Jonathan Cape Ltd: London, 1916), pp. 90-105. Adapted by Elaine Lindy &cop;1998. All rights reserved.