The Enormous Turnip is a classic tale, retold here in calm, simple words for children to enjoy with a grown-up. An old man grows a giant turnip, and it takes everyone, right down to a tiny mouse, pulling together to get it out of the ground.
Before you start: No loud or scary parts. You can act out the pulling together, and there is one gentle ‘pop’.
Listen together Read aloud by Genevieve · 2 min 33 s
Read the story: The Enormous Turnip
Once there was an old man. He had a garden. In the spring, he planted a turnip seed.
“Grow, little turnip, grow,” said the old man. He watered it every day.
The turnip grew. And it grew. And it grew. It grew big. It grew bigger. It grew enormous!
“It is time to pull up the turnip,” said the old man. He held the green leaves. He pulled and he pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
The old man called the old woman. “Please help me pull up the turnip.”
The old woman held on to the old man. The old man held on to the turnip. They pulled and they pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
The old woman called the boy. “Please help us pull up the turnip.”
The boy held on to the old woman. The old woman held on to the old man. The old man held on to the turnip. They pulled and they pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
The boy called the girl. “Please help us pull up the turnip.”
The girl held on to the boy. The boy held on to the old woman. The old woman held on to the old man. The old man held on to the turnip. They pulled and they pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
Everyone felt puzzled. “What can we do?” they asked.
The girl called the dog. “Please help us pull up the turnip.” The dog held on to the girl, and they all pulled and pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
The dog called the cat. “Please help us pull up the turnip.” The cat held on to the dog, and they all pulled and pulled. But the turnip did not come up.
Everyone felt tired. “Maybe we need one more helper,” said the old man.
The cat called a little mouse. “Please help us pull up the turnip.” The mouse was very small. “I will try,” said the mouse.
The mouse held on to the cat. The cat held on to the dog. The dog held on to the girl. The girl held on to the boy. The boy held on to the old woman. The old woman held on to the old man. The old man held on to the turnip.
They pulled and they pulled and they pulled.
And up came the turnip! Pop! Everyone sat down on the grass with a gentle bump.
Everyone laughed. Everyone felt happy. “We did it together!” they said. “Thank you, little mouse!”
That evening, the old woman made turnip soup. There was enough for everyone. They all sat at the big table and ate it up. Even the little mouse had a bowl. The end.
On this page
Picture cards to talk about
- Old man plants a seed
- The turnip grows enormous
- Everyone pulls in a long line
- The little mouse helps
- The turnip pops out
- Everyone eats turnip soup
Talk about The Enormous Turnip together
- Who helped to pull the turnip?
- Who was the last helper?
- How did everyone feel when the turnip came up?
- What job could we do together?
Feelings in this story
Puzzled, Tired, Happy.
What the story teaches: Big jobs are easier when everyone helps, and every helper matters, even a small one.
This version is our own gentle retelling of a public-domain tale. You can read about the history of the original story on Wikipedia.
Find more calm stories on our Stories page, or play together in the Playground.