The Enormous Turnip

Being that we begin our school year the first week of September, this story in its three-week rhythm lands right before Thanksgiving time. We found this to be appropriate because of the cooperative effort involved in harvesting our turnip. 

This is a simple and satisfying tale that is not so easy to produce, because, by the end, you are trying to hold on to six characters all at once. The first puppet to come forward is the grandfather, and he needs to have been made with a sturdy base in order to allow the others to lean on him eventually. For each puppet, just a turn back toward the house and a little jiggle allows the call for assistance to be quite visible and clear, and the children love to see who is coming next to help. 

Noelle chooses to have each animal do a little investigating of the situation prior to joining the end of the train, which adds a light-heartedness to the humor that is already present, and you’ll notice how she tries to have each one move as they might naturally. With each subsequent addition of a character, the group is rocked together as one. 

The children adore this story of the smallest creature—the mouse, being the one whose effort finally has the turnip coming up. The soul gesture of cooperation and “Any little bit helps!” is what this story brings to the children. As always, we know these morals, but we do not ever need to speak them to the children. They pick up on these messages in their own ways.