Two Stories of Mouse Deer and Crocodile

An Indonesian Folktale

By: Bill Gordh

Narrated by: Bill Gordh

Length: 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning storyteller Bill Gordh (Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence winner, National Association of Parenting Periodicals Gold Award winner) presents this folk tale live with no script, accompanied only by his own dynamic banjo playing.

Mouse Deer was down by the river one day when Crocodile swam up and chomped on little Mouse Deer's leg. Mouse Deer could not pull his leg from the clamped jaws of the crocodile. Mouse Deer did some quick thinking and began talking about how lucky he was that the crocodile had accidentally chomped on a stick instead of Mouse Deer's leg. Mouse Deer picked up a stick, which he extended from his body. Without thinking about it, Crocodile let go of Mouse Deer and chomped on the stick. Mouse Deer laughed and ran away.

Another time Mouse Deer ran into Crocodile when Mouse Deer was crossing a dry riverbed. On the way across, he got tired and decided to climb onto a rock to take a nap. While he was sleeping, there was a big rainstorm up in the mountains. The rain filled the dry riverbed, and when Mouse Deer woke up he was surrounded by water. He looked around and saw Crocodile heading up the river, with many other crocodiles following. Crocodile smiled. He knew Mouse Deer could not swim. Mouse Deer thought quickly and asked Crocodile if he was going to eat Mouse Deer by himself or share him. Crocodile said he would share.

How would he know who had a bite? Mouse Deer suggested that all the crocodiles line up side by side. Then he could step on them and announce what body part each would get to eat. Crocodile agreed. They lined up. Mouse Deer called out body parts as he quickly scampered across the crocodile bridge to safety.

©2013 Bill Gordh (P)2014 Audible Inc.