One day, Tortoise was walking through the veld. He was searching and searching.
He gazed into the distance and squinted at the grass.
“Are you looking for something?” Snail asked.
“Yes, I’m looking for my house. Have you seen it?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll help you look!”
Snail climbed onto Tortoise’s shell.
Tortoise walked on with Snail on his back.
They looked and looked, but there was no sign of a house.
“Are you looking for something?” asked Sparrow.
“Yes, we’re looking for Tortoise’s house. Have you seen it?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll help you look!”
Sparrow flapped his wings and whizzed away.
“You’re going too fast!” called Tortoise.
“Alright, then I’ll hop on too.”
Tortoise walked on with Snail and Sparrow perched on his shell. They looked and looked, but there was no sign of a house.
“Are you looking for something?” asked Ladybird.
“Yes, we’re looking for Tortoise’s house. Have you seen it?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll help you look!”
Ladybird hopped onto Tortoise’s shell.
Tortoise walked on with Snail and Sparrow and Ladybird sitting on his back.
They looked and looked, but there was no sign of a house.
A breeze started to blow.
“Are you looking for something?” asked Mouse.
“Yes, Mouse, I’m looking for my house. Have you seen it?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll help you look!”
Mouse jumped onto Tortoise’s back.
Tortoise walked on with Snail and Sparrow and Ladybird and Mouse on his back.
They looked and looked, but there was no sign of a house.
The wind swept the leaves off the ground and swirled them around Tortoise.
The wind got stronger and stronger. The sky turned dark.
“Oh, where is my house?” Tortoise sighed.
Thunder roared in the hills. Lightning flashed in the distance. Drip, drip came the rain.
“Oh, where is Tortoise’s house?” asked Snail and Sparrow and Ladybird and Mouse.
The wind whirled and whipped and blew Snail and Sparrow and Ladybird and Mouse right off Tortoise’s back.
“Eek!” squeaked Tortoise with a fright, and he shrank back into his shell.
It was warm and cosy inside.
“Oh, here is my house!”
“Oh, here is Tortoise’s house!”
Credits
Originally published by Book Dash under a Creative Commons Licensed BY 4.0. This book can be read for free on https://bookdash.org/books/tortoise-finds-his-home and was created by: Katrin Coetzer (Illustrator), Damian Gibbs (Designer), Maya Fowler (Writer)
