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The Enormous Turnip: a book club kit
Where it comes from. People in Russia told this for a long time. Alexander Afanasyev wrote it down in 1863, about 160 years ago.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Grandpa plants a seed and grows a huge turnip, but he cannot pull it up alone. Grandma, the girl, the dog, the cat and finally the mouse each join the line. With the mouse's help the turnip pops out, and everybody has turnip soup.
The lesson, in one line. Pulling together gets big jobs done.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 2 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Enormous Turnip?
The story's answer: Pulling together gets big jobs done. Nobody can pull up the turnip alone, and even the smallest helper, the mouse, makes the difference. - Where does The Enormous Turnip come from?
The story's answer: It is a Russian folk tale. People told it aloud for a long time before Alexander Afanasyev wrote it down in 1863. - Who helps pull the turnip?
The story's answer: Grandpa, Grandma, the girl, the dog, the cat and the mouse, in that order. - Why does the mouse matter in The Enormous Turnip?
The story's answer: The mouse is the last one to join. The turnip comes up right after, which shows that every helper counts, however small. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
Did you know?
- It is a folk tale from Russia, where it is called “Repka”.
- Alexander Afanasyev wrote it down in his collection of Russian folk tales in 1863.
- The line of helpers gets longer and the helpers get smaller, so the smallest one finishes the job.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- It is a good read-aloud because the “pull, pull!” part repeats.
Words to teach before you start
- turnip: big root plant
- plants: puts in dirt
- pulls: tugs hard
- soup: hot food
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Enormous Turnip book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 2 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Enormous Turnip for?
It is written at Peabody level 5, a grade 1 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (level 5)
- Henny Penny (level 5)
- The Gingerbread Man (level 5)
- The Three Little Pigs (level 5)
- The Little Red Hen (level 4)
- Little Red Riding Hood (level 7)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.