Folktales & LegendsPicture bookLevel 3Ages 3–5

The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Gentle Retelling

English · 21 pages · 579 words · 5 min read

A gentle retelling for listeners ages 3–5 of the Jataka tale “The Monkey and the Crocodile” from Ellen C. Babbitt’s Jataka Tales: a crocodile carries a monkey off across the river to take his heart, and the quick-thinking monkey says he left it at home in his tree, then later tricks the same crocodile again by saying hello to a rock.

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Original work by: Traditional; as told by Ellen C. Babbitt
Adapted by: Wonder Teller

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The opening of The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Gentle Retelling, free to read.

A mother Crocodile lay in the river, watching a Monkey in his tree. “My son,” she said, “get me a Monkey. I want the heart of a Monkey to eat.”
“But how?” asked her son. “Monkeys stay in trees. I stay in the river.” “Put your wits to work, and you’ll find a way,” said his mother.
The young Crocodile thought hard. That Monkey was always gazing at an island heavy with ripe fruit. “Aha!” said the Crocodile.

Traditional fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends

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The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Gentle Retelling

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