The Enormous Turnip

Ukrainian folktale

An old man planted a turnip 🌱.

The turnip 🌱 grew and grew…

It was enormous!

The old man started to pull the turnip 🌱 out of the ground.

He pulled and pulled, but could not pull it out.


So he called over his wife 👵🏻.


The old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip 🌱.

They pulled and pulled, but could not 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 could not 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, and the old man took hold of the turnip 🌱. 

They pulled and pulled, but could not 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, and the old man took hold of the turnip 🌱. 

They pulled and pulled, but could not 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, and the old man took hold of the turnip 🌱.

They pulled and pulled …

and finally out came the enormous turnip 🌱!

Read the Ukrainian folktale “The Enormous Turnip” in Ukrainian language

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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.

Source

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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”.

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Tags: Ukrainian folktale, stories for kids, bedtime story, Enormous Turnip