THE BABY TORTOISE AND THE FROG.

An egg is being hatched in this pretty little house and out of the egg comes Torto the tortoise. The parents are very proud of her. A week later, having looked after her tenderly they need to go and hunt for food. Torto is told that she is not allowed to go out on her own. But Torto, who can walk, has only one desire, that is to explore the outside world. She goes ouutside, there are so many animals and things to discover and explore.Barely outside, a frog starts hopping towards her.

"Hello little tortoise, what are you doing all alone outside?"

"My parents have gone out so I am taking the chance to go and explore."

"Good idea but the great outside can be dangerous, would you like me to go with you?"

"Willingly, but who are you?"

"Sorry, let me introduce myself. I am a frog."

They start to walk round the house, the frog thinking that would be enough for the tortoise avid for adventure. Anyway, at the speed Torto was going it would take hours and by then her parents would be back.Torto is full of wonder at all that she sees.

"What's that?"

"It's a butterfly who can fly because it has wings."

"It's a very big butterfly."

"No, that is a bird. He has wings too but they are different."

The frog is getting fed up with the going back and forth with Torto walking so slowly, who discovering the world stops all the time. So she offers to her to do it on her back; Torto accepts the offer with pleasure. Our two new friends start off again to discover the world so new to the tortoise.

"What's that Miss frog?"

"It's an earthworm and had the bird seen it it would have eaten it."

Torto is rather frightened by this but very soon something else catches her attention as it passes before her at speed.

"It's a mouse who must be being chased by a cat."

"A mouse? A cat?"

"Yes Torto."

Just then the cat rushed past them at the same speed as the mouse."

"There you are, the cat hunting the mouse."

"What does hunting mean?"

"Cats eat mice and hunt them to catch them."

Torto wonders why the big wide world is so strange but is than distracted by something else.

"What's that Miss Frog?" seeing a four legged animal running at full speed.

"A dog hunting the cat."

"To eat it?" Torto was scared

"No, as a dog can never catch a cat, it's a game, a sort of sport."

Behind the house is a meadow that belongs to a farm. Torto is intrigued by a huge mass, much bigger than anything she has seen so far in her hour's walk.

"What's that huge animal?"

"It's the farm's horse."

The two friends have been walking for 3 hours for Torto's great pleasure. She has discovered a cow, chickens, ducks,the horse,dog and cats, birds, butterflies and earthworms. At that moment the parents arrive and discover her outside when she should never have left the house. She withdrew into her shell ashamed of her disobedience. But, her parents, who knew children well, as they had once been children as well, knew very well that Torto would go out and had kept a careful eye on her from the start of her adventure.

"Thankyou so much Miss Frog for guiding Torto."

"Oh, it was a great pleasure for me to share my knowledge but we have not seen everything today, so if you wish and will permit it I will come back every day and introduce Torto to other animals and let her discover flowers and trees."

Since then, every day, Miss Frog rides on the back of Torto, and teaches her all the things that she knows. Other families hearing about this wonderful teacher have asked her to take on their baby tortoises as well.