Illustrations: Olga Zhestkova
Listen to a story that Clever Hedgehog once heard from his grandfather:
Once upon a time, in a faraway forest, animals were discussing the contest that the King of the Forest – Grizzly Bear – was organizing. The King Grizzly Bear wanted to see who among the animals was the fastest.
When the Hare heard that the Hedgehog was going to participate in the contest, he started to laugh very loudly and said:
– What is the point for you to participate? For sure, you can’t win. I know I am the fastest! Unless you compete to be the slowest in the forest! But there is no contest for that!
Imagine how upset the Hedgehog was hearing those words?! But he replied:
– Maybe, you will win, or, maybe, I will! Let’s race and see!
The Hare continued to laugh as he was so very sure that he would be the winner.
The Hedgehog went home and told his sister all about the race and what the Hare told him. His sister wanted to help, and they made a secret plan to help him win: the Hedgehog’s sister would hide near a hill where the race would end and run towards the finish line when the Hare would be close. They knew the Hare wouldn’t spot the difference.
When the race started, the Hare ran super-duper fast. He ran and mumbled to himself, “There’s no way he can beat me! There’s no way he can beat me!”
He thought he would win easily. But when he got to the finish line, guess who was there? The Hedgehog (or the disguised Hedgehog’s sister!) The Hare was very surprised!
Children! Do you know what happened next?
When the King Grizzly Bear wanted to congratulate the Hedgehog and give him a trophy, the Hedgehog said:
– To be honest, I am not the fastest in the forest. I just wanted to show everyone that when you want to try something new, you shouldn’t be discouraged to do so, even if others say you won’t succeed!
And that day, the Hedgehog got a different award for being the most honest animal in the forest.
DIY Books with Clever Hedgehog
Tiny DIY books that bring pleasure. Download for free!
Each fairy tale has one. Collect them all!
You will need: printer*, scissors, glue, pencils (if you don’t have a printer – try drawing a fairy tale).
Download and print out* the picture; color, cut out, and assemble according to the photo instructions:
The story shared by Stories to Grow By.
Illustrated By: Tristan Liu
“Stories to Grow By” is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the best treasury of stories and reader’s theater scripts which are kid-tested and provide children with meaningful experiences that will last a lifetime”.
Fun Fact
Turnips can grow big. Maybe not as big as the one in this story, but as heavy as around 87 medium-sized apples, or a child between 4 and 5 years old.
A Canadian gardener named Damien Allard is officially a Guinness World Record holder for a 64-pound (29 kg) turnip he dug up in November 2021.
Read Next
“Friendship Has No Borders” is a story about two boys who remain friends even though their families live in different countries because true friendship has no boundaries.
Fun Facts about Animals
Hedgehogs 🦔 are lactose🥛 intolerant! In other words, they may have a stomach ache from drinking milk.
Jellyfish evaporate in the sun, as they consist of 98% water.
Polar bears have black skin, which helps them absorb the sun’s heat more efficiently in their icy habitat
Read Next
A new story “Good Friends Get Mad Sometimes” about what to do if you get angry with your friend.
Tags: stories for kids, bedtime stories, fairy tales for children, stories about a hedgehog, stories about a hare, stories for toddlers, stories for preschoolers, stories for kindergarten, fairy tales for 4-years-old, fairy tales for 6-years-old, airy tales for 6-years-old
