Hello, friends! Today, we’re going to hear a fun story about a little pig named Tom. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Tom was a cute little pig with a curly tail. It looked like a rolled-up rubber band! But Tom didn’t like his curly tail. He wanted it to be straight, just like his friends’ tails.
Do you have a tail? Tom’s friend Sam the sheepdog had a fluffy tail. Henry the horse had a long, swishy tail. Betsy the cow had a thin tail with a tuft at the end. Even the rat had a tail that Tom thought was nicer than his own!
One day, Henry the horse had an idea. “Why don’t you get your tail straightened?” he said. Henry put his big hoof on Tom’s tail and told him to walk away. Tom tried, but his tail just sprang back to being curly!
Then Sam the sheepdog said, “Let me help!” He held Tom’s tail, and they went for a walk around the farm. But when they stopped, Tom’s tail was still curly.
Betsy the cow had a clever idea. She told Sam to stretch Tom’s tail and stick it in some gooey mud. Tom waited and waited until the mud dried. When he looked, his tail was straight like a pencil!
Tom was so happy! He wagged his tail like Sam, but it poked his friends. “Stop it, Tom!” they shouted.
At night, Tom’s family wanted to snuggle, but his straight tail got in the way. They told him to go away, and Tom felt sad. He tried to sleep outside, but it wasn’t comfy.
Then it started to rain. The rain washed away the mud, and by morning, Tom’s tail was curly again. Tom was happy to be back with his family.
Tom decided he liked his curly tail after all. “Who wants a straight tail anyway?” he said. “Now, if I had a long nose like Henry the horse, I could reach more food!”
And that’s the end of Tom’s adventure. Did you enjoy the story? Thanks for listening, and see you next time for more fun tales!
Tail Observation Walk: Take a walk around your neighborhood or a local park with your family or friends. Look for different animals and observe their tails. Can you find a dog, a cat, or a bird? What do their tails look like? Are they curly, straight, fluffy, or thin? Draw a picture of the animals you see and their tails. Share your drawings with your class and talk about which tail you liked the most and why.
Curly Tail Craft: Let’s make our own curly tails! Use a piece of paper or a pipe cleaner to create a curly tail like Tom’s. Twist and curl it to make it look like a pig’s tail. You can decorate it with colors or stickers. Once you’re done, show your curly tail to your friends and see how many different designs you can come up with. Discuss why you think some animals have curly tails and others have straight ones.
Imagine and Draw: Imagine if you had a tail like Tom’s. What would you do with it? Would it help you in any way, or would it be a little tricky like Tom’s straight tail? Draw a picture of yourself with a tail and write a short sentence about what you would do with it. Share your drawing with the class and talk about the fun or challenges of having a tail.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Hello, boys and girls! Today, we have “Tom’s Tail” by Linda Jennings and Tim Warns.
Tom’s tail was curly, like a rolled-up rubber band. It was a very neat little tail for a piglet, but Tom thought it looked silly. In all other ways, Tom was a proper little pig. He was a nice pale pink with dirty patches where he had wallowed in mud. He slurped and snuffled in the picture with his brothers and sisters and made all the usual piggy noises, but how he wished he had a straight tail.
Do you have a tail? Sam the sheepdog had a lovely furry tail. Henry the horse had a long swishy tail, and Betsy the cow had a thin stringy tail with a little tuft on the end. Even the rat’s tail is nicer than mine, said Tom sadly.
“Why don’t you get your tail straightened?” said Henry.
“How?” asked Tom.
“Like this,” said Henry as he put a big hoof on the end of Tom’s tail. “Now walk away.”
Tom squealed and squeaked as he began to walk. His tail stretched out, and when he had unc curled all the way, Henry lifted his hoof back, and the tail sprang back. Tom heard all of them say, “Ouch!”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Sam, picking himself up. “Why don’t I take hold of your tail, and you can lead me along? That should straighten it out.”
So, Tom took Sam for a walk past the pigsty, around the pond, and over the buttercup field. “That’s enough!” squealed Tom. “Let me go back!” The tail sprang back to its usual curly self. Tom felt sad.
Betsy looked at Tom and chewed thoughtfully. Suddenly, she had a very good idea. She told Sam, who took hold of Tom’s tail again and stretched it. Then he pushed the tail into a big patch of gooey sticky mud. He made Tom lie with his tail covered in mud for a very long time until the mud dried, and Tom’s tail was sent into a long thin pencil.
“Look!” cried Tom, twirling around to see his new straight tail. “Ouch!” said Sam as Tom’s pointy tail poked him in the chest.
“You look silly,” said Tom’s mother, but Tom liked looking different from the other pigs. “I’ll wag my tail like Sam does,” he said. Whack! Tom’s tail hit his sister in the face, and then he poked his brother’s behind.
“Stop it, Tom!” they both shouted.
When it was dark, Tom’s mother gathered all her piglets for the night. They liked to snuggle up in a big heap, but Tom’s tail got in the way. “Go away!” cried all of Tom’s brothers and sisters, and they chased him right out of the pigsty. Poor Tom! He tried to curl up outside, but it wasn’t very comfortable to lie down with a tail as stiff as a pencil. Finally, though, he was able to fall asleep.
During the night, it began to rain, but Tom went on sleeping. As it rained, the hard mud softened and slid off Tom’s tail. By the time morning came, his tail was as curly as it had ever been. Grunting happily, Tom went back to the pigsty.
“Who wants a straight tail anyway?” said Tom later as he pushed into the trough with all his brothers and sisters. “Now, if I had a long elegant nose like Henry the horse instead of this silly snout, I could really get at that food!”
And that was the end of Tom’s tale. How did you like the book? Leave us a comment! Thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to tap on the notification bell for the next story. To buy this book, check out the links below. Take care now! Bye!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
