How the Ostrich got its long neck

One day, on a river banks in Africa, Crocodile woke up with a toothache.

He decided to swim down the river and ask the other animals to have a look at his sore tooth.

First he swam to Monkey who was in a tree on the river bank. He called “Monkey, I have a sore tooth.

Can you please have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No way! I am not putting my head in your

jaws, you might eat me,” Monkey replied.

So Crocodile swam on. He got to Elephant who was sitting on the water’s edge. He called “Elephant, I have a sore tooth. Can you please have a look and see why it is

so sore?”. “No way! I am not putting my head in your jaws, you might eat me,” Elephant replied.

So Crocodile swam on. Next he saw two birds who were flying above him. He called “Birds, I have a sore tooth. Can you please have a look and see why it is so sore?”.

“No way! We are not putting our heads in your jaws, you might eat us,” they replied.

So Crocodile swum on. He got to the Deer who was running along the side of the river. He called “Deer, I

have a sore tooth. Can you please have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No way! I am not putting my head in

your jaws, you might eat me,” Deer replied.

Crocodile was beginning to get really sad that no one wanted to look at his sore tooth. He could not understand why they did not want to help him. ‘I would never eat them, they are my friends’, he

thought. He decided to keep swimming and hopefully find someone along the river who would

help him.

As he continued to swim down the river he saw Ostrich. He thought Ostrich would help because she is so nice. He called “Ostrich, I have a sore tooth. Can you please have

a look and see why it is so sore?”. She said, “Yes sure Crocodile! Open wide”.

Crocodile was so happy that his friend Ostrich would help him. Although, as he swam over to her he began to feel

very, very HUNGRY.

He opened his mouth wide for Ostrich to have a look. But when she put her head into Crocodile’s jaws,

Crocodile snapped down on her head!

Crocodile would not let go because he was so hungry. All the other animals were watching and calling “Pull

Ostrich, pull!”. So Ostrich pulled as hard as she could but she could not get her head out of Crocodile’s jaws.

Ostrich kept pulling but every time she pulled, her neck stretched longer and longer and longer.

She finally got her head out, but when she stood up she realised she now had a really, really long neck.

Crocodile felt really bad and said “I am so sorry Ostrich, I did not want to hurt you. I am just so hungry”. Ostrich

said “That is fine Crocodile, I know you did not mean to hurt me”.

In fact, Ostrich began to like her new long neck as she could now pick berries of the high trees and see far, far

into the jungle.