How the Tortoise Got His Scars
by
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In the time before time when this story takes place, all of the animals spoke a long-forgotten language. Tortoises used to have brightly colored and seamless shells that were only on their backs. They could walk and prance and even rise up onto their own hind legs like many reptiles still do today. Tortoises were very rare. They laid only a few eggs, and only a few of those ever hatched. Their eggs were so beautiful that they would be picked up and placed in special places of honor to be seen by all. Things of such beauty were thought to be gifts from heaven.
Tortoises still lay only a few eggs. Those eggs are carefully buried so that the eggs won't get too hot or too cold. It is much harder for the tortoise eggs to survive because if the wind uncovered any part of the shell, then the light would shine on it and the egg would be dug up!
This story begins just after the dry season has ended. The rains had come and gone. The grasses seeded and were harvested. There was food everywhere. So, the animals gathered together for their yearly harvest celebration. The squirrels and chipmunks were seen scurrying in the field, hiding nuts. The bees and the hummingbirds began to tune their wings. The crows gathered in flocks, spreading their wings while singing. The yellow-billed Oxpecker and the jackals tested their voices. Many other animals kicked and bumped the hollow logs that were dragged to the large clearing. The air was alive with the chirping of the cicadas.
Soon, the animals with the logs beat them like drums. As they beat the rhythm, the bees and birds took up the background. The jackals and some of the birds harmonized some of the favorite songs. The party was really warming up!
All of the animals started to dance. The deer family took turns dancing with each other, Mr. and Mrs. Wildebeest were particularly elegant as they pranced in circles and bowed to each other. The rabbit and gopher families tried to dance at the edges of the clearing but had to dodge the legs of the larger animals. Their children and even some of the adults laughed as the smaller animals tried to keep dancing while scrambling out of the way. The Grey Crowned Crane passed by a group of guineafowl dancing and bowing to the rhythm of the drumming.
Actually, not all of the animals danced. Mrs. Elephant and her family just stood at the side. They all rocked together as they watched the others dance to the music.
Mrs. Mouse ran up Mrs. Elephant's leg, climbed out onto her trunk, and said, “Why are you not dancing? It has been a good year. Our bellies are full. We should dance and be happy! What's wrong with you?”
Mrs. Elephant replied with a concerned tone in her voice. “Look at you and your family! Why, you and the other small animals can hardly keep from getting stepped on, now. What chance would you have if I stepped on you?”
Mrs. Mouse again looked her in the eye. Then, she suddenly called to Mr. Mouse. “Hey, Marvin! Mrs. Elephant says that she can't join the dance.”
“Really,” called Marvin. “I think that I can fix that.”
He quickly ran over, stopping just long enough to grab a small feather from the ground, and sat near Mrs. Elephant's feet. She was still rocking, but every time that she lifted a foot, Marvin scurried under and tickled her on the tender spot in front of her heel!
Mrs. Elephant kept lifting her feet, trying to avoid stepping on Marvin as he kept running back and forth. She was frightened that she would step on him. Soon, she was dancing so vigorously that Mrs. Mouse had to hang onto Mrs. Elephant's ear to keep from falling off.
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About the Book
This is a story about a grandmother who shielded her grandchildren and diverted their focus from the impending war. Join her as she enthralls her grandchildren with a story of a tortoise that captivated the animal world with the beauty of his shell that seemed to illuminate its path with colors of the rainbow. She will take you to the world of animals when a long forgotten language was spoken, you will be spell bound by tortoise's demise when his shell ended up with scars and lost its luminous beauty. The back drop of this story is a looming war that can be heard far away.
About the Author
Ms. Dinah Senkungu was born and raised in Uganda. She is currently living in Pennsylvania with her family. She vividly recalls the infamous Idi Amin War in Uganda and how her grandmother headed her family safely away from the war zone. Ms. Senkungu does not recall much of the terror of the war, she mostly remembers the warmth of her grandmother, village life, the day she fell off a goat and her grandmother's stories. Ms. Senkungu has a passion for sharing her African heritage to her children as well as students of all walks of life. She started storytelling to Pre-school children when her son enrolled in the neighborhood Head start. As her son changed grades she tweaked her stories to meet his new grade level. When her audience, teachers and students started to request for copies of these stories, Ms. Senkungu started writing. She is still sharing her African stories while working as a Special Education teacher. Her stories have warmed the hearts of Pre-school children as well as college students.
Ms. Senkungu believes that these culturally rich spoken lessons that for centuries safe guarded the African identity as a people have weakened in recent generations. This compels her to revive and give value to her African heritage. She believes that in sharing the rich African tales, a true treasure of African tradition, she transcends all cultures.
The telling and reading of stories allows young children to experience not only the sounds of language that will be represented by words on a page, but also allows them the ability to appreciate the power of language itself. It is only within the story the writer uses words to paint vivid word pictures and it is in the context of this developmental sequence that the function of words and language are learned most effectively.