The Enormous Turnip
A Story from Europe (Russia, to be specific!)
Davnym-davno (once upon a time), an old man planted a turnip seed. Every day, the old man tended to his garden, watering the plant, pulling the weeds, and making sure that the plant had plenty of sunshine.
The turnip plant grew and grew until its leaves stood tall and the root bulged up from the ground: It was time to harvest. The old man took hold of the leaves and he pulled and pulled, but the turnip was too big for him to pull up on his own. It was enormous! He needed help.
The old man called his wife and the old woman came to help: She pulled the old man and the old man pulled the turnip, but the enormous turnip was still too big. The old woman called the granddaughter to come and help them pull.
The granddaughter pulled the old woman, the old woman pulled the old man, and the old man pulled the turnip, but the enormous turnip was still too big. The granddaughter called the dog to come and help them pull.
The dog pulled the granddaughter, the granddaughter pulled the old woman, the old woman pulled the old man, and the old man pulled the turnip, but the enormous turnip was still too big. The dog called the cat to come and help them pull.
The cat pulled the dog, the dog pulled the granddaughter, the granddaughter pulled the old woman, the old woman pulled the old man, and the old man pulled the turnip, but the enormous turnip was still too big. At last, the cat called the tiny mouse to come and help them pull.
The mouse pulled the cat, the cat pulled the dog, the dog pulled the granddaughter, the granddaughter pulled the old woman, the old woman pulled the old man, and the old man pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled all together and finally the turnip came out!
Then, the old man, the old woman, the granddaughter, the dog, the cat, and the mouse all worked together to carry the enormous turnip into the house and into the kitchen. They chopped up the turnip and put it into an enormous pot with stock and spices to make enough delicious turnip soup for everyone to enjoy together.
Parent/Caregiver Tip: The oldest known version of this story is found in a book of Russian folktales collected and published by Alexander Afanasyev in the 1850s. Before potatoes were introduced in the 19th century, turnips were a very important crop in Russia because they were easy to grow in the cold climate. Many cultures have “cumulative” stories like “The Enormous Turnip.” A cumulative story repeats and builds in some way. Can you and your child think of other cumulative stories? Helping children make connections between stories will help them think about how we, as humans, are all interconnected.
Materials
- Turnip or other root vegetable, shallow cup of water
Instructions
- Let’s pretend to be farmers and re-grow a root vegetable like a turnip, beet, or carrot.
- The part of those plants that we eat is the plant’s root. We can use the root to grow new leaves.
- Let’s eat a root vegetable and then save the top 1 inch, where the leaves grow.
- Let’s place the top of our root vegetable in a shallow cup of water and place it in a sunny spot.
- Let’s check every day to make sure that there is just enough water in the cup for the root to drink, but keep the leaves dry.
- Sun, water, and nutrients help plants grow! Let’s watch and see if our plant grows. When it is big enough, we can cook and eat the green leaves!
Vocabulary
Materials
- Heavy box or basket
Instructions
- Let’s try to move this heavy box!
- Can you carry it by yourself? Can you push or pull?
- Let’s work together to move the box. I’ll push a little and you push, too. Let’s try pushing on the carpet and on a hard floor. Let’s push until we reach a wall!
- How does pushing alone feel? What about when I help?
Vocabulary
Old Illustrations of The Enormous Turnip
