Son of the merciful Robert the Grand

Was enjoying the night that he turned thirty-two

As the people arrived for the party he threw

The princes of Rya and stewards of Gome

Were guests in the castle, his majesty’s home

The cake from the baker was seven feet high

Which quite put to [...]]]> Michael the Marvelous, King of the land,

Son of the merciful Robert the Grand

Was enjoying the night that he turned thirty-two

As the people arrived for the party he threw

The princes of Rya and stewards of Gome

Were guests in the castle, his majesty’s home

The cake from the baker was seven feet high

Which quite put to shame the poor pie-maker’s pie

The King and the Queen danced a royalish jig

While Duchess Von Burkenham ate some roast pig

Not a dry eye was found when the Queen made her toast

The glasses were raised in salute of their host

But the merriment ceased as a black cloud appeared,

And from it, a haggard old man slowly neared

Along by his side walked a sunny-beaked duck

Which the cook was imagining broiled and plucked

He wore robes to the floor and a toppling hat,

And he hobbled his way up to where the King sat

“My sire, I ask for your ear, if I may,

To offer you tribute on this, your birthday

This duck grants a wish, when you ask it aloud”

And with that, the old man disappeared in his cloud

With a waddle, a hop, and a medieval QUACK

The duck sat himself on the mighty King’s lap

The King felt part silly and slightly confused

But cancel the party? He simply refused

There were presents, some music, and not-so-great pie

While the duck waited patiently by the King’s side

Until, with a laugh, Michael spoke to a friend

“I wish, how I wish, that this night would not end!”

When you wish for a wish, you must mind every word,

For a magic-wish duck is a powerful bird!

The duck’s magic beak turned from golden to blue

The wish had been granted, and off the duck flew

As wishes go, this one was one of the worst

From that moment on, the poor kingdom was cursed

With morning came darkness, no warmth and no sun

The night would continue, the damage was done

For weeks Michael hoped for the coming of light

While the crops withered slowly in shadow of night

The King offered rubies and emeralds galore

To a knight who could bring the old man to his door

The hunters went forth on a duck-finding quest

And until they were captured, the king would not rest

But no one had seen the duck’s gold-colored beak,

And the man was not found, despite searching for weeks

Off in the forest, a small cabin stood

The old man had built it with amber black wood

This man was a wizard named Sonto the Bad

Who was banished by Robert, good King Michael’s dad

By the man’s side sat his duck and a box,

A box with a trio of tri-colored locks

Inside of the box, Sonto locked up the sun

And magic, just magic, could make this undone

Weeks became months, and the sun never shone

The peasants were angry and started to groan

Finally, Michael could take it no more

It was he would fix things and settle the score!

So rarely did Kings travel solo by horse,

But Michael charged on, and he stayed on his course

The council had urged him that East would be best,

And they rarely were right, so the King traveled West

The road was not safe, filled with perilous foes

Like armies of warthogs and red forest trolls

He battled the creatures without any fear

In brave king-ish ways that are not mentioned here

On day three, the King paused to look at his map

And somehow, instead, he slipped into a nap

He slept rather soundly on leaf-covered ground

And awoke from his dream when he heard a loud sound

When he looked round a tree, Michael spotted the source

“A cabin!” he whispered, and tied up his horse

Up to the window, he creeped and he crept

When he saw the old wizard, he cheered and he lept!

“I found you!” he shouted, and burst through the door

(Though a king should know better than manners so poor)

He insisted the wizard reverse what he’d done,

Then he took back his wish and demanded the sun

“I am Sonto the Bad” the old wizard replied,

“You and your family, I wholly despise

I’d rather eat wormtoads than do what you say,

But I offer you this, a small game we shall play

Inside of this box lies the magic you seek,”

Sonto grinned wide and continued to speak

“Three keys for three locks, are the only way in,

Answer three riddles, to unlock them and win

But if you should fail, or not answer in time,

Your title is forfeit, your kingdom is mine!”

A king must be wise to rule over a nation,

So King Michael agreed without hesitation

They both took a seat, and the duck gave a glare

The King, without knowing, had taken his chair

The box sat atop of a stand in the middle

Sonto spoke first, to recite the first riddle

“I can climb up a hill and reach out to the sky,

And still you’d be taller- I ask, who am I?”

“An ant,” said the king, as the old wizard frowned

“Whose hill only sits but an inch off the ground.”

The Answers to All Three Riddles Can Be Found in This Picture

Sonto the Bad muttered, “Well…lucky guess

We’ll see how you handle the riddle up next”

“There’s nothing as large, not on land or at sea,

But you won’t feel my weight, when you rest under me”

The King answered back with the promptest reply,

“Enormous and weightless, you must be the sky.”

Sonto was mad, he did not like to lose

For the last of his riddles, he knew which to choose

“I’m many years older, and although this is true,

 Somehow I’ve seen fewer nights than have you.”

Sonto laughed out as he watched the King think,

Until the good King gave a smile and wink

“The riddle is solved, and the game has been won

You’ll never see night, because you are the sun!”

The box opened up and a small ball of light

Shot out through the ceiling and took off in flight

And it grew as it rose in a wonderful way

Til the sun filled the sky and changed night into day!

At the castle the King had a great celebration

With no gifts allowed, only pure jubilation

The wizard was jailed for his mischevious crime,

But the king let him out after one day of time

He was ordered to polish the shoes of the Queen,

Look after the horses, and mop the floors clean

When Michael walked by, he was greeted by cheers

They spoke of his greatness for years upon years

However, the duck, was not heard from again

The closest they found was an unpleasant hen

If you see him, this duck, with his colorful beak

I warn you, be wary of that which you speak!

It was time for his voyage to deep outer space. As always, he hoped to find some unknown place.

Raymond’s ship hurtled through the Earth’s atmosphere into outer space.  He flew past all of the other planets he had visited. He took the [...]]]> Raymond Mayweather tuned up his ship.
He checked every latch, and he fixed every drip.

It was time for his voyage to deep outer space.
As always, he hoped to find some unknown place.

Raymond’s ship hurtled through the Earth’s atmosphere into outer space.  He flew past all of the other planets he had visited. He took the Galactic Highway to the very end. He flew further into space than he ever had before!

Eventually he came upon a small blue planet. As he got closer, he realized that the entire planet was covered in ice. He set his ship down on a frozen landing pad and put on his specially designed arctic snowsuit.

As Raymond hopped out of his ship, a small blue creature covered in fur greeted him.

“Hello there!” said the furry creature, “Thank goodness you’re here. Do you have our latest shipment of tilber?”

Raymond was a bit confused.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what tilber is. I am Raymond Mayweather, space traveler and artic adventurer extraordinaire.”

“Oh, that is terribly disappointing,” said the creature as he scampered off into a large igloo shaped building.

Raymond followed after the creature. He was not used to such a cold welcome, and he needed to warm up. However, when he got inside the building, he found that it was not any warmer than outside!

The fuzzy creature was sitting around a table with many others around him. Raymond had secretly decided that he would refer to the creatures as “fruzzies” in his space diary.

“Excuse me,” said Raymond, “But what is tilber? There are many planets that have different names for things in this universe. Perhaps I might know where some tilber can be found.”

“Tilber is what we use to heat our planet. We burn the tilber and it keeps us warm. Our supply ran out days ago, and we have no more left.  I have ordered shipments, but none have come. It seems that no other planets have any tilber to be found. As Supreme Chancellor of this planet, I have to find a solution.”

The other fruzzies around the table started to stir upon hearing their leader’s disappointment.

“Mr. Chancellor, sir,” said a very stern faced fruzzy, “As head of your military, I suggest that we attack another planet and take their resources.  The best part is, they’ll never expect it!”

“It is not their fault that we ran out of tilber,” said the Chancellor, “No.”

“Mr. Chancellor, sir,” said a female fruzzy with long frizzy hair, “As head of your science department, I feel that we may be able to heat our planet by building large rockets and projecting our planet closer to our sun. It might be a good idea to build some brakes as well…”

“Our planet is fine where it is,” said the Chancellor.  “Besides, what would we use as fuel for the rockets? Need I remind you that we are out of tilber?”

The female fruzzy was noticeably embarrassed by her oversight.

“Mr. Chancellor, sir!” said an overexcited younger-looking fruzzy, “As your son, and the newest member of your council, I think the best idea is to issue everyone thermometers that say it is warmer than it really is. That way they’ll think that they are warmer.”

The Chancellor and the other fruzzies did not know what to say. Raymond then took the opportunity to step in and speak up.

“Ahem, Mr. Chancellor, sir. You are clearly surrounded by many good ideas. However, if you have any small amount of tilber for me to take with me, I can analyze it back on my ship. If there is indeed no more tilber left elsewhere, then perhaps I can find a good substitute. “

The Chancellor agreed and told Raymond to meet him out back behind the building. The rest of the fruzzies at the table continued to argue about what they should do next. At the moment, the Chancellor’s son was winning the argument.

Raymond brought his ship to where the Chancellor was waiting, right in front of a three enormous mountains with no tops.

“These are the containers that we use to hold all our tilber. They used to be full, but now they are empty. There may be one or two pieces of tilber left over, if you’d like to go check.”

Raymond noticed some creatures much larger than the fruzzies, sitting nearby looking bored.

“Who are they?” asked Raymond.

“Ah, those are the balders. They shovel the tilber into our furnaces. Since we ran out of tilber, they have nothing to do,” said the Chancellor.

Raymond climbed up the nearest mountain to peek inside.  When he got to the top, he realized something he had not before.

“These are space volcanoes!” Raymond thought to himself. He had seen similar volcanoes on many other planets that he had visited. As usual, this gave Raymond an idea.

After a quick slide down the mountainside, Raymond greeted the Chancellor.

“Did you find any tilber?” asked the Chancellor.

“No, I did not,” said Raymond, “but there is a new plan! These balders seem to be good with shovels. Do you think they could do some digging?”

The Chancellor was perplexed, but he listened to Raymond’s plan. It turned out to be a better plan than invading a planet, better than driving the planet into the sun, and even better than trick thermometers!

After days of work, Raymond and the Chancellor called all the fruzzies and all the balders to see what they had accomplished.

“Good creatures,” said Raymond, “Although you are out of tilber, you need not freeze…”

All of the fruzzies from the council were confident that their idea had been chosen to save the planet.   So they were surprised to hear what Raymond said next.

“It turns out that you’ve been storing your tilber supplies inside large space volcanoes. And as any good space traveler knows, all it takes to wake up a space volcano is some space pepper. And I never leave Earth without some.”

Raymond walked to the top of the first volcano and sprinkled some space pepper inside.

The space volcano grumbled and rumbled, and it started to shake.  Raymond slid back down the mountain to wait with the others.  Soon there was a loud, “AH CHOO,” and then space lava started flowing down the mountain.

Fortunately, the balders had dug a large moat around the planet that collected the lava and kept everyone safe. Almost immediately, the planet began to warm!

All of the fruzzies and balders cheered. The Chancellor’s son commented on how his fur was making him very warm, now that the planet was heated naturally. After a big celebration, the balders carried Raymond on their shoulders and took him back to his spaceship.

“Thank you!” said the Chancellor. “Please come visit us again, soon.”

Raymond waved goodbye and bid them farewell. As he closed the door to his ship, he saw the Chancellor’s son, who was sporting a new fur-less look, waving goodbye.

Raymond Mayweather tuned up his ship.
He checked every latch, and he fixed every drip.

He hurried on home, where the temperature’s right,
And he cranked up the heat for his long return flight.

The Cows of Cobblonia lived in a large field. This field was covered with rich, green grass. The field was surrounded by water on three sides and a cliff to the east. The cliff was as tall as the sky and as steep as a wall.

On top of the cliff there lived a [...]]]> by Daniel Errico

The Cows of Cobblonia lived in a large field. This field was covered with rich, green grass. The field was surrounded by water on three sides and a cliff to the east. The cliff was as tall as the sky and as steep as a wall.

On top of the cliff there lived a very special cow. He was known as “Ma Moomia May,” which meant “The Wise One” in ancient Cobblonian. The Wise One lived inside a cave, and he sat at its entrance all day long. Nobody knew much about him, and nobody ever asked about him, except for one cow…

His name was Randy, but he was known to all the others as “Muckamoo Mee,” which means “The Annoying One.”

Randy never stopped asking questions. He woke up with new questions to ask every morning.

“Why is the sky blue?” Randy asked his dad.

“Nobody knows,” said Randy’s dad.

“Then how do we know it won’t be purple tomorrow?” Randy continued.

“I cannot spend all day answering your questions Randy. Why don’t you go play in the stream.”

So he did.

“How does the grass grow?” Randy asked his mother the next day.

“Nobody knows,” said Randy’s mom.

“Then how do you know it will keep growing?” Randy continued.

“I’m busy, Randy. Go play in the stream.”

And he did.

“How did The Wise One get atop the cliff?” Randy asked an elder cow.

“Nobody knows,” the elder cow replied.

“Then how can…  never mind,” said Randy, “Should I go play in the stream?”

The elder cow nodded.

By this time, Randy was beginning to be called, “Muckamoo Mee Mana Swa,” which means “The Annoying One Who Swims Very Well.”

“Nobody ever answers my questions,” thought Randy. “I don’t want to play in the stream all day. I want to learn things. I want to know as much as The Wise One. I must talk to him.”

Randy spent a long time trying to figure out how to reach the top of the cliff and meet The Wise One. He watched the other cows swimming in the stream.  He watched the calves playing with building blocks, and he watched the elder cows playing Bajong (Bajong is similar to the human game of chess, but much harder. If a cow ever challenges you to a game of Bajong, it is best to decline).

Finally, Randy came up with a plan and called a meeting of all the cows on the field.

“I have decided to speak with The Wise One, so that I may finally have the answers to all my questions. Will you help me?”

The crowd of cows moo-mured to themselves for a moment. Then they cheered in agreement. They were tired of Randy asking so many questions, all day long.

“We will help in any way you need!” shouted an elder cow.

Randy got started right away. He made his dad stand at the base of the cliff. Then he made his mother climb up and stand on top of him. Then he made another cow climb up and stand on top of her. Then he made another cow climb up and stand on top of him. This continued until every cow in the Cobblonia had climbed up! Only Randy remained at the bottom.

They had made the tallest cow tower in the world!

Randy slowly climbed the tower, cow after cow, until he reached the tippy-top. When he was just high enough to see the top of the cliff, the tower started to sway back and forth from the wind. As the tower moved to and fro, Randy had no choice but to make a jump for the top of the cliff. Just as he did, the tower began to crumble, and the cows fell down on top of one another. Randy had made it to the top just in the nick of time!

As all the cows at the bottom of the cliff dusted themselves off, Randy moved towards a cave where he saw The Wise One sipping a cup of tea.

“Hello,” said The Wise One, “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No, thank you,” said Randy, “I came to get answers to all of my questions.”

The Wise One took a sip of his tea.

“I will answer a single question,” he said.

Randy couldn’t believe it. One question! He had so many questions he wanted answered, but he had to make his one question count. It had to be the most important question he could think of. What did he want to know more than anything in the world?

Randy knew what to ask. It was something that one the wisest cow in the world could answer.

“I want to be more than Muckamoo Mee, but I don’t know how. How do I find my destiny?” Randy asked.

The Wise One put down his tea. He looked at Randy and smiled.

“An excellent question,” he said, “The word ‘destination’ comes from ‘destiny,’ and therein lies the answer. You are now standing atop a very tall cliff. It is your destination. But how did you arrive? What was the first step?”

“I got tired of not getting any answers, so I climbed up here,” said Randy.

“The first step was your decision to come see me. The first step to reaching a destination is a decision to go there. This is called the Choice. What did you do next?”

“I asked all the other cows to help me by building a tower. But, I think the only reason they helped was because they don’t like all my questions,” answered Randy.

“Most definitely,” said The Wise One,” and every question you asked made another cow willing to help you, whether you realized it or not. You were able to climb so high because of your own efforts. This is known as the Charge. And the last step?”

“Once I climbed up, I had to jump to the cliff before the tower fell.  But I don’t see how-“

“This is known as the Leap,” interrupted the Wise One, “And no destination is worth reaching without one. A Choice, a Charge, and a Leap- that is how you reach your destination. That is how you find your destiny. And as I said before, you are now standing here. You may ask me another question tomorrow. For now let us have some tea.”

From that day on Randy asked the Wise One all the questions that he had in his head. For years this continued until one day Randy woke up and the Wise One was gone.

Randy remained atop the cliff, living inside the cave, and soon he became known as the Wise One to all the cows on the field below. Nobody knew much about him and nobody ever asked about him, except for one young cow…who happened to be a very good swimmer.

At Sunday night dinner, a common affair,

My mom and my dad and my sister were there.

So were my aunt and my Uncle Ramone,

My Grandfather Joe and my Grandmother Joan.

We sat down to eat around seven o’clock,

When out of the blue, from the door came a knock.

I could tell that my dad was not [...]]]> by Daniel Errico

At Sunday night dinner, a common affair,

My mom and my dad and my sister were there.

So were my aunt and my Uncle Ramone,

My Grandfather Joe and my Grandmother Joan.

We sat down to eat around seven o’clock,

When out of the blue, from the door came a knock.

I could tell that my dad was not quite in the mood.

Because dinner-time guests are unwelcome and rude.

As it opened, we all turned to look at the door,

And there stood a visiting, green dinosaur.

He was wearing a bow tie and carried a dish,

My dad sputtered out, “Please come in if you wish.”

The dinosaur entered and wiped off his feet.

My mom rushed around to find one extra seat.

“Good evening,” the dinosaur said to us all.

He stood at least ten or eleven feet tall.

“This dinner looks lovely,” he said as he sat.

“What is this here?  May I have some of that?”

“I don’t like dinosaurs,” said Grandpa Joe,

“Before we get eaten, it’s best that you go!”

My mom shot my grandpa a menacing look.

He quieted down, but still murmured and shook.

“I’m Dinosaurus,” the visitor stated.

“And I don’t eat people- you’re not marinated.”

“Here is some food,” Mom said filling his plate,

And whatever she loaded, the dinosaur ate.

My uncle and aunt were both sitting there nervous.

My mom kept on leaving to find things to serve us.

Somehow my sister was still unaware,

Of the green Dinosaurus, sitting close in a chair.

She was texting her friend, and her thumbs were quite busy.

They moved at a speed that made all of us dizzy.

My Grandmother Joan was asleep now and snoring.

She had figured the dinner was sure to be boring.

“I still don’t trust him!” my grandfather screamed.

“What’s with the bow tie? And why is he green?”

I watched Dinosaurus lick up all his food.

Grandpa did, too, with a cold attitude.

“I guess I should go, unless there’s dessert?”

Grandpa Joe covered a shout with his shirt.

As our visitor left, he was nice and polite.

And he’d eaten no one, not even a bite.

“Next time,” my dad said, “No more dinosaurs,”

“If your next guest’s Jurassic, it’s double the chores!”

Somehow they’d thought that this thing was my friend!

“But…” I said back in attempt to contend.

“There’ll be no ‘buts’, mister. You heard what I said!”

My dad would not listen and sent me to bed.

My sister looked up as she entered a text,

“Well, at least Dinosaurus was not a T. rex!”

Not always are things what you think them to be

(See if you can guess what the pictures are before scrolling down)

You can’t be too sure of that which your eyes see

Not always are things what you think them to be

(See if you can guess what the pictures are before scrolling down)

Is that music you see from a set of headphones?

Or carolers singing melodious tones…

Could this be the sight of a freshly lit match?

Or maybe a marshmallow starting to catch…

Is this the result of a nice ping-pong shot?

Or maybe a dishwasher hanging a pot…

Next time you’re scared of a monsterous fall

You may find the drop is not nearly as tall…

Sometimes it feels like you’re in for a storm

When really you’re in for some extra popcorn…

It’s certainly wonderful winning first place

But don’t forget those who are cheering the race…

Is trouble approaching, because your boat sank?

Or are you enjoying a shark in its tank…

The earth is enormous, there’s nothing as great

That is, except, for the world you create…

]]> http://www.freechildrenstories.com/dont-judge-a-book/feed/ 1 http://www.freechildrenstories.com/dont-judge-a-book/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FreeChildrenStories/~3/tnvRUAJt0oc/ http://www.freechildrenstories.com/corinne-come-down/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:11:09 +0000 Daniel Errico http://www.freechildrenstories.com/?p=1429 Concept by Rosemarie Errico

Corinne was sitting at the kitchen table on her sixth birthday when her parents started to bring her the presents. The first gift she opened was a doll that she thought looked funny. The next gift was a dress that she would only wear if her mother made her. The last [...]]]> Concept by Rosemarie Errico

Corinne was sitting at the kitchen table on her sixth birthday when her parents started to bring her the presents. The first gift she opened was a doll that she thought looked funny. The next gift was a dress that she would only wear if her mother made her. The last gift she opened came in an enormous box. She was secretly hoping that there would be a dog inside (but it wasn’t that much of a secret because Corinne had been asking for a puppy ever since she had learned how to speak). To her disappointment, there was no puppy inside, just a dollhouse for her funny-looking doll. Her parents were surprised that Corinne was not more excited about her gifts.

“We do have one more special gift,” said her mom, “but it’s outside in the backyard.”

Corinne sprinted from the table and ran out the back door. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was a treehouse!

The treehouse had steps, a trap door, and four windows. It was a little small for her taste, but she decided that she could always make additions later on.

Corinne spent the rest of her birthday playing in the treehouse. Her little sister, Isabella, asked if she could come play, too.

“What’s the secret password?” asked Corinne.

Isabella thought for a moment then yelled, “Sasquatch?”

“Wrong! You can’t come up!” said Corinne. She hadn’t actually thought of a secret password yet, but she was sure it would not be “Sasquatch.”

By dinner time, Corinne was starting to get hungry.

“Corinne, come down!” said her mom, “It’s dinner time.”

“No way,” Corinne said, “I’m not coming down! Please bring my dinner up here.”

So Corinne’s mom brought the dinner up because it was Corinne’s birthday. Corinne had roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and peas (a family of squirrels ended up eating the peas after she threw them out the treehouse window).

After a little while longer Corinne looked out the window and saw her family bringing out a cake for her birthday.

“Corinne, come down!” said her dad, “We want to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you.”

“No way. I’m not coming down! Please find a way to sing so that I can hear it,” Corinne replied.

Her Dad thought for a moment, then he went inside. A few minutes later he came back out with an old baby monitor and brought it up to Corinne. The other baby monitor sat on the kitchen table by the cake, and when they sang, Corinne heard every word from her own monitor.

Corinne watched her family eat almost every piece of cake. Isabella came outside to see Corinne.

“Come down!” said Isabella, “This cake is good!”

“No way,” said Corinne, “I’m not coming down! Please bring me a slice. It’s my birthday.”

Isabella nodded and brought Corinne the last slice of cake that was left.

Corinne sat in her treehouse with a couple of empty plates and a full belly. She could see her family from the treehouse window, and she could hear them talking and laughing from the baby monitor. She had everything she needed, but it still didn’t feel right. She didn’t like being so far away from them. The truth was she missed them. She didn’t want to stay up in the treehouse when her family was having fun inside the house. Corinne realized there was only one solution…

It was built in a log by a frog crew of frogs

I saw the frog mayor. She wore a large hat. It was silver. And gold. Can you believe that?

The frog school of frogs Was also inside. And the bus driver gave all the young frogs a ride.

The Frog [...]]]> I once saw a frog,
hopping around.
I followed it down to the little frog town.

It was built in a log
by a frog crew of frogs

I saw the frog mayor.
She wore a large hat.
It was silver.
And gold.
Can you believe that?

The frog school of frogs
Was also inside.
And the bus driver gave all the young frogs a ride.

The Frog police station
Was next to the school,
And when the bell rang,
The frogs hopped to the pool

It was crowded inside of the public frog pool.
Frogs dove inside,
Off a spotted toadstool.

A line of frogs formed,
At the Frog Movieplex
A bullfrog was waiting,
And he was up next!

A fancy frog restaurant,
was open for lunch
The sign said their flies
had the crunchiest crunch!

The Postal Frog Office
was sending out mail
The delivery frogs work
in rain, sleet, or hail

I even remember a frog
Barber shop
An old frog hopped out
with a toupee on top!

And that’s when I saw it.

A small little frog.

He was crying inside of the little frog log.

I knelt down next to him, and asked what was wrong.
He said, “Other frogs and I don’t get along.”

“That is sad,” I said softly and shook my own head.
“They just do not like me,” the little frog said.

“Those poor frogs,” I said,
“They don’t have a clue.
What a wonderful friendship they’re missing with you.”

“You feel bad for them?” he asked drying a tear.
“Yes, and some patience is needed, I fear.”

“A frog such as you, will have friendships galore,
And no other frog in the world could want more.”

“Maybe,” he said as he gave them a glance,
“I could keep trying, and give them a chance.”

And the kind little frog took a hop towards the town
And a tiny frog smile, was breaking his frown

I once saw some frogs hopping around,
I followed them down to the little frog town.

How many times was the word “frog” used in this story?
Scroll down for the answer.

Answer: 31

So jealous of his speed were the other animals that they constantly challenged him to races. No one was [...]]]> When the earth was younger, the sloth was the fastest animal alive. The sloth ran everywhere. He was so fast that if something was done quickly, you would say it was done as swift as a sloth.

So jealous of his speed were the other animals that they constantly challenged him to races. No one was more jealous than the fox. The fox was the second fastest animal, and everyday he asked the sloth to race him. And everyday the sloth won.

I challenge you to a race, the fox would say, and today I will win.

I accept, the sloth would reply.

They would race through the meadow, along the stream, past the trees, and around the bend. The first one to pass the bush with big red berries won, and it was always the sloth.

After every race the sloth would celebrate by eating his favorite meal, a juicy duniper bug. Perhaps only the duniper bugs equaled the fox in their dislike for the sloth.

One day after a particularly devastating defeat, the fox went back to his hole for the night and thought of a plan. He plotted and schemed and plotted some more. By morning, he was sure that he would finally beat the sloth for the first time ever.

I challenge you to a race, said the fox to the sloth, and whoever passes the bush with big red berries last this time will have to stop racing forever.

The fox said this because he knew that the only way he would be the fastest animal in the world was if the sloth stopped racing.

I accept, said the sloth, but this is a foolish bet for you to make.

I will even give you a head start, said the fox.

The sloth started racing while the fox stayed put. The sloth sped through the meadow, raced along the stream, flew by the trees, and came around the bend. It was the fastest he had ever run. When he passed the bush with large red berries, he stopped and waited for the fox. But for the first time ever, he could not find any duniper bugs to eat after the race.

A few moments later the fox came around the bend and sprinted past the sloth, until he had passed a second bush with large red berries.

I did it! I beat you! said the fox to the sloth.

No, you did not, said the sloth, As always, I passed the bush with big red berries before you did.

That bush does not have red berries, answered the fox, Look again.

As the sloth looked more closely, he saw that it was true. On the branches of the bush there were no berries, just duniper bugs curled up to look like berries (duniper bugs were excellent at curling up into a ball).

I passed the real bush with big red berries before you did. So I am the winner, and I am the fastest animal, said the fox.

It is for this reason that someone who is good at trickery is said to be, as sly as a fox.”

But do not feel too bad for the sloth. For although he never raced again, that night he feasted on duniper bugs until not a single one was left. It is said that because he ate so many, he is still quite full and always moves slowly.

And that is why you will never see a sloth race.