An old man planted a radish in his yard.
The yard was small and sunny.
Every day he gave it water.
He talked to it while he watered it.
He said: grow, little radish, grow.
Slowly the radish grew.
It grew very big.
It grew as big as a fat baby.
People walked by and stopped.
They said: that is the biggest radish we have seen.
The old man only smiled.
Then autumn came.
The old man said: time to pull the radish.
He took hold of the leaves.
He set his feet on the ground.
He leaned back.
He pulled and he pulled.
The radish did not move.
The old man called: Old woman, old woman, come and help me pull the radish.
The old woman came.
She had flour on her hands.
The old woman held the old man.
The old man held the leaves.
They pulled and they pulled.
The radish did not move.
The old woman called: Granddaughter, granddaughter, come and help us pull the radish.
The granddaughter came.
She ran out of the house.
The granddaughter held the old woman.
The old woman held the old man.
The old man held the leaves.
They pulled and they pulled.
The radish did not move.
The granddaughter called: Little yellow dog, little yellow dog, come and help us pull the radish.
The little yellow dog came.
He came running with his tail up.
The little yellow dog held the granddaughter.
The granddaughter held the old woman.
The old woman held the old man.
The old man held the leaves.
They pulled and they pulled.
The radish did not move.
The little yellow dog called: Little cat, little cat, come and help us pull the radish.
The little cat came.
She came on soft feet.
The little cat held the little yellow dog.
The little yellow dog held the granddaughter.
The granddaughter held the old woman.
The old woman held the old man.
The old man held the leaves.
They pulled and they pulled.
The radish did not move.
The little cat called: Little mouse, little mouse, come and help us pull the radish.
The little mouse came.
He came out of his hole in the wall.
The little mouse held the little cat.
The little cat held the little yellow dog.
The little yellow dog held the granddaughter.
The granddaughter held the old woman.
The old woman held the old man.
The old man held the leaves.
They pulled and they pulled.
For a long moment nothing happened.
Then the ground gave a little.
Everybody felt it.
Then up it came.
It came up all at once.
Everybody fell over.
The radish rolled to one side.
It was as heavy as a stone.
The little mouse tumbled head over heels.
Everybody laughed and could not stop.
In China, children sing a little song when they pull a radish.
The song has one line for each helper.
The last line is for the tiny mouse.
They sing it slowly.
They sing it again and again.
The mouse is small.
But the radish needs the mouse too.
Then the sky went dark.
It was time to go inside.
The sun went down behind the wall.
The old man carried the radish home.
He stopped to rest once.
The old woman washed it clean.
She cut it into small pieces.
She put the pieces in a big pot.
She put in a little salt.
The water in the pot went bubble, bubble.
The whole house smelled good.
It smelled warm and sweet.
Everybody sat around the table.
The table was small, and everyone was close.
The granddaughter got a soft piece.
The little yellow dog got a warm piece.
The little cat got a sweet piece.
The little mouse got a tiny piece.
It was the piece he liked best.
The soup was warm and sweet.
Everyone said it was the best soup of the year.
When the soup was gone, it was late.
The lamp was turned down low.
The little mouse yawned.
The little yellow dog yawned.
The little cat yawned too.
The old man yawned.
Then they went to bed, one after another.
They were all very tired.
The yard was very quiet.
No one was pushing and pulling now.
The green leaves were still in the ground.
Only the top of the radish was gone.
The wind moved them, just a little.
The leaves made a small dry sound.
That was the only sound in the yard.
That is the old story of Pulling the Big Radish.
It is a gentle Chinese folktale.
It is also a Chinese fairy tale, and one of the oldest Chinese bedtime stories for children.
Now it is time to close your eyes.
Good night, big radish.
Good night, helpful little mouse.
This is a very old Chinese bedtime story. It is not long, and it is very gentle. Best read slowly, with the lights low.
