The Clever Tortoise

The monkeys were eating wood apples*. *A wood apple is a common fruit in Sri Lanka. It has a hard shell, is quite smelly, and tastes like a cross between raisin and tamarind.

The tortoises wanted them too!

"We want tasty wood apples too!" said Kibba, the Tortoise. "But how do we crack them open?" asked the others.

"Monkeys, please help us crack open the apples!" called Kibba.

"Ooh! Ooh! We can't! We won't!" The monkeys made fun of the clumsy tortoises.

The tortoises tried to bite into the fruit. But they couldn't! Boo!

They tried to knock it open with their awkward tortoise feet. Boo!

They tried to break the fruit with their heads. Boo!

They tried to soak the fruit to make it soft... but the apples just bobbed on top of the pond. Boo! Boo! Boo! all the tortoises cried. "We want to try the tasty wood apple!"

Meanwhile, the mean old monkeys kept teasing the tortoises. They threw wood apples and giggled.

The raining fruit gave Kibba an idea!

Kibba told his friends to spread stones under the trees.

And then, when the monkeys threw wood apples on the ground... TAGAD! TAGAD! CRACKKKK!

Yum! Yum! Yum! At last, the tortoises could have their tasty party!