Ciugu Mwagiru
Froggie Chura’s
Jungle Feast
Froggie Chura’s Jungle Feast
Published in 2021 by Queenex Publishers Ltd
P.O. Box 56049-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Phone: 0727 794 498, 0715 808 200
Email: info@queenexpublishers.co.ke
queenexbooks@gmail.com
Web: www.queenexpublishers.co.ke
©Ciugu Mwagiru, 2021
All rights reserved. Do not reproduce, store in a retrieval system, transmit
in any form or by any means: graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
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wrien permission of Queenex Publishers Limited.
ISBN: 978-9966-141-48-4
iii
Contents
1.The Merry Breeding Season ........................................................ 1
2. Mrs. Chura’s Anxious Morning .................................................... 6
3. Good News At Last! ..................................................................... 11
4.The Celebrations Begin ............................................................... 17
5.Telling Snakey Nyoka The Good News .................................. 21
6. Planning For The Great Feast .................................................... 26
7. Froggie Dodges Snakey ............................................................... 31
Glossary .............................................................................................. 35
Questions ............................................................................................ 37
1
The Merry Breeding Season
It was a beautiful day, and all was lovely deep inside the African
bush.
Hundreds of butterﬂies were happily ﬂoating around. They
were excitedly winking at each other, full of joy as they did little
somersaults in the air.
“Hi Reddy Pepeo!” one pink and yellow one said to a passing
red and yellow one.“Just look at all these beautiful plants. I love
the way they’re all green and wonderfully lush.”
“Oh, hi Pinky Pepeo!” Reddy Pepeo said, spinning in the air to
show off its bright colours.“And I just love the way the rays of
the sun are happily bouncing off the leaves of the plants.”
“Oh, what a beautiful morning!” Pinky Pepeo said.
“You can say that again!” Reddy Pepeo said, smiling broadly.
She gave Pinky Pepeo a hi-ﬁve as they paused mid-air.
Feeling exceedingly overjoyed, the two butterﬂies continued
to ﬂoat happily in the soft sunshine. As they ﬂoated around
they stared at a nearby pond, their big eyes shifting from side
to side.Together with other butterﬂies, they liked playing near
the pond. They also loved watching the dragonﬂies that were
hovering above the surface of the clear water.
2
The rainy season had just ended. Although the pond was in
the middle of dry land, it was now full, almost to the point of
overﬂowing. Along with the rainy season had come the frog
breeding season.At that time of the year numerous adult frogs
always left their homes inside the nearby river.
The mature frogs had migrated in their thousands, and were
now assembled at the pond. Scores of the noisy creatures were
gathered inside the pond.There were also many frogs happily
hopping around on its banks.
The frogs had gone to the pond in order to breed there. It was
the same place where they themselves had developed many
seasons earlier. Inside that same pond, they had changed from
eggs, become tadpoles and ﬁnally turned into real frogs.
The male frogs had been the ﬁrst to arrive at the pond.For days
on end, they had gathered in large groups.They were croaking
loudly in order to attract females. There was a lot of noise
coming from the pond.
The two butterﬂies were curious,and were now keenly watching
the frogs inside the pond.
“Funny creatures,” Pinky Pepeo said, giggling loudly. “Just look
at those bulging eyes and slimy skins...”
“Truly crazy-looking,” agreed Reddy. “I prefer toads, whose
skins are not slimy.”
“Oh, but in the jungle we’re all different,” said Pinky. “Still it is
home for all of us, so we must love and help each other despite
our differences.”
* * *
3
4
Soon hundreds of black and brown eggs had been laid
inside the water.
They had then been left to incubate inside the pond. The eggs
were stuck together and were ﬂoating in a thick mass. The
numerous eggs were surrounded by several layers of jelly-like
material.
Mr. and Mrs. Froggie Chura were among those who had a mass
of eggs inside the pond. When dusk was falling, they happily
emerged from the water.They were soon headed for their home
deep inside the nearby river.
“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Froggie!” the two butterﬂies chimed in unison
when the pair emerged from the pond.
“Oh, hi Pinky Pepeo and Reddy Pepeo,” the pair replied.
“It’s been such a beautiful day,” Pinky Pepeo said. “We were
hoping it would never end.”
“Oh well, but it’s getting dark,” said Froggie Chura,“so my wife
and I have to rush home inside the river.You two should also be
going home, don’t you think?”
“Sure, sure,” said Pinky Pepeo.“We’ll just enjoy the last rays of
the setting sun.After that we’ll be on our way home too.”
“Those are our eggs right there,” Mrs. Froggie said, proudly
pointing at a sticky mass of eggs in a corner of the pond.“Note
them carefully, and please be checking on them whenever you’re
around here.”
“Sure, Mrs. Froggie,” Pinky Pepeo said as Reddy nodded in
agreement. “We’ll do that for you; after all, in the jungle we’re
all brothers and sisters, so we must look out for each other.”
5
“That’s what friends are for,isn’t it?” Froggie Chura said,winking
at Pinky.“As a community we must help each other despite our
differences.”
“From what I can see,” joked Reddy,winking at Pinky as soon as
the two frogs had left for home,“it looks like there will soon be
an explosion of the frog population around here...”
6
Mrs. Chura’s Anxious Morning
For the next few days Mr. and Mrs. Froggie left their home and
visited the pond at different times of the day.
They lived in the water near the riverbank.Their home was in
the middle of many others.The nearby homes were occupied by
relatives that made up a large family.
The members of the large family lived happily together.All the
members of the family were very close. United, they helped each
other and shared sad and happy times.
Almost every day many young frogs could be seen swimming
happily together. They were gathered in groups known as an
army.
Unfortunately, Froggie and his wife had no children of their own.
Because of that the wife was always sad.She always complained
that in the past all her eggs had been eaten by predators.
“My precious eggs were eaten by those terrible creatures!” she
often said to her friends, tears ﬂowing from her eyes.“They ate
my eggs even before they hatched and developed into tadpoles.”
“Oh, my dear husband,” said Mrs. Froggie one morning.
“Nowadays I ﬁnd myself dreaming almost every night...”
7
“What is it you keep dreaming about?” her husband asked,
glancing sideways at her.
“It’s so funny,” she said, giggling softly.“Most of my dreams are
about the day when I’ll be surrounded by numerous little frogs,
my very own children.”
“I know you’re very desperate to have children,my dear,” Froggie
Chura said. “That’s why you’ve already begun preparing our
lonely home inside the river for their arrival.”
“I just can’t wait for the day the babies will arrive...”
“Oh, don’t worry too much, my dear,” Mr. Froggie Chura said,
patting her back. “One of these days we’re going to have many
children. Just wait and see...”
Mr. and Mrs. Froggie Chura prayed that as many eggs as
possible would eventually hatch.They spent many hours every
day checking on the eggs. They hoped the eggs would not be
eaten by predators as had happened in the past.
Like all mature female frogs, Mrs.Froggie laid many eggs several
times a year. She was always happy when she laid hundreds of
eggs. Believing her husband, she kept hoping that they would
one day have lots of children of their own.
Now they were anxious as they once again made their way
home. After checking on the eggs Mr. and Mrs. Froggie usually
went back to their home. They knew they needed to rest as
much as possible whenever they could.
8
Every now and then they called on different relatives when
on their way home. They were always very happy when they
stopped at the homes of their relatives.While there they politely
requested the relatives to also be checking on the eggs inside
the pond.They were determined to ensure that the eggs were
safe.
“Please, please,” they pleaded with all the relatives they met.
“Remember we’re one community, and we must always help
and protect each other. Make sure you check on our precious
eggs whenever you’re near the pond.”
“Oh, how exciting!” cried their many nieces and nephews when
they heard about the eggs. “Soon we’ll have lots and lots of
cousins! Then we’ll be one big, united family...”
“Not if you don’t keep a close watch on the eggs,” said Froggie
Chura.
“We’ll do that every day,” said a beaming nephew.“Please trust
us to do so without fail, Uncle Froggie. Family members should
always help each other.”
“Sure,” said Froggie with a wink. “And if you do as I say you’ll
soon have many new cousins I can assure you.”
* * *
9
10
Froggie Chura woke up very early in his house inside
the river. It was several days after the laying of the eggs inside
the pond. He yawned slowly.As he did so he opened his mouth
wide and closed his big, bulging eyes tight.When he opened his
eyes there were tears in them. He could not see very clearly.
To clear his vision Froggie Chura blinked a few times.When he
could see clearly, he breathed out slowly. “Aaah, that’s better,”
he said to himself as he prepared for breakfast.
Pausing for a while, he hopped up and down a few times and
then mumbled,“I wish I were on dry land.Then I’d be able to do
some serious jumping exercises...”
His wife was still sleeping. Peering at her, Froggie could see her
throat swelling and then collapsing. As she slowly breathed
in and out, her thick whitish throat looked like a balloon. She
seemed to be dreaming.
Once in a while she talked softly about her babies. It was as
if they were sleeping there with her. “Come closer my little
babies,” she said in her sleep, her voice very soft.“And please do
keep away from those terrible predators...”
As she spoke dreamily Froggie Chura stared at her and smiled.
For some days she had been very jittery. She had also been
unusually tired since laying her hundreds of eggs. Laying the
eggs had taken quite some effort, and now she needed lots of
rest. Froggie did not want to wake her up, so he moved away
slowly and silently. “It’s going to be a long day,” he thought to
himself.
11
Good News At Last!
Although he was still a bit sleepy, Mr. Froggie Chura did not
want to waste any time getting ready. He dived into the river
for his breakfast.
“Rather chilly, isn’t it?” he mumbled to himself as he swam. He
was gently swinging his arms and legs in and out in order to
clear the water ahead of him.
Froggie loved having a nice, hearty breakfast. Now he was
already moving his sticky tongue, preparing to catch his prey.
Luckily for him, a lot of insects were ﬂoating on the surface of
the water. Soon his long tongue was darting in and out, picking
them out.
Very contented, Froggie was quickly pulling all sorts of goodies
into his wide mouth. The movement of his tongue was so fast
that his prey did not have a chance to escape. After darting it
out, the tongue snapped back into his mouth within a fraction
of a second.
In order to really enjoy his breakfast, all Froggie had to do was
open his mouth wide and snap it shut a few times. Because he
was really hungry, he stuffed the food into his mouth with his
small hands.
Within a few minutes he had eaten many kinds of insects,
worms, slugs and all sorts of larvae. But even before ﬁnishing his
breakfast, Froggie was surprised to see his niece and nephew
approaching.They were swimming fast towards him.
12
13
“Hi, Uncle Froggie,” his niece and nephew said in unison.
“Hi kids,” he replied.“So what’s all the excitement about?” They
told him they had just come from the pond, which they visited
frequently.
“Just come and see for yourself,” said his niece, giggling like a
little baby.When she spoke,she sounded as if she was announcing
an emergency.
Froggie hurriedly ﬁnished the last scraps of his breakfast.He had
decided to visit the pond together with his niece and nephew.
Soon, the two younger frogs were swimming quickly ahead as
they led Froggie towards the pond.They were swimming very
fast, as if taking part in a race. Amazed at how fast they were
moving, their uncle found it difﬁcult to keep up with them.
The rays of the morning sun were shining brightly now, and the
water in the river was getting warmer. Soon the three of them
were standing by the side of the pond.Shielding his big eyes with
the palms of his hands, Froggie squinted at the mass of eggs.
The eggs were still ﬂoating in the water. They were exactly
where his wife had left them at the corner of the pond. Looking
more closely at them, Froggie was surprised to see that the
mass of eggs had developed into sizeable embryos.
Then, to his even greater surprise, he noticed that some of the
eggs were already splitting and hatching into tiny tadpoles.
Fascinated, he stared at the tiny creatures. Despite his age,
Froggie soon became as excited as his niece and nephew.
14
“I’m ﬁnally going to be a dad!” Froggie suddenly exclaimed to
himself.As he spoke, he excitedly jumped up and down.
After he calmed down, he again looked closely at the tadpoles
inside the pond.They were legless and ﬁsh-like as they emerged
from the eggs.
Fascinated, Froggie remembered how restless he and his wife
had been recently. For days, they had been longing for the time
when the eggs would hatch into tadpoles. Now the awaited
moment had come!
Still, Froggie knew that the tiny creatures would be weak and
highly vulnerable. He therefore needed to protect them at all
times. He wanted to ensure that the tadpoles were not eaten
by predatory creatures.
The most dangerous predators, he knew, were snakes, ﬁsh,
diving beetles and birds.The most dreaded predators, however,
were the notorious kingﬁshers. Those terrible birds of prey,
Froggie knew, were his worst enemies. They were the ones
that repeatedly dived in and out of the water in search of little
creatures to eat.
Studying the tadpoles more closely, Froggie noticed that all of
them had tiny tails that were wiggling rapidly as they swam in
the water.
“They’ll soon lose their tails and grow legs,” he told his niece
and nephew, who nodded thoughtfully. Then he added, “The
delicate little creatures will then emerge from the pond. After
climbing onto dry land they will quickly ﬁnd their way into the
river.”
15
16
Froggie’s niece and nephew could see that once again their
uncle was getting very excited.
“My wife and I are ﬁnally going to have our own babies!” he
exclaimed suddenly. As he spoke, he smiled widely, his round
eyes glittering. His young relatives smiled back, sharing his
excitement.
“The entire community will share your joy, Uncle,” his niece said
dreamily.
Unable to contain his great joy,Froggie left his niece and nephew
standing by the pond and rushed back home.
He wanted to tell his wife the good news.
17
The Celebrations Begin
Arriving at home,Froggie found that his wife had already woken
up.
“You’re back early, my dear,” she said, staring at him ﬁxedly
when he entered the house.“And you’re breathless too.”
“Hmm... you... you... you won’t believe it,” he mumbled, trying to
regain his breath.
“What exactly is it that you think I won’t believe, my husband?”
she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
“I have great news for you,” he told her.“We’re very lucky this
time around.The eggs have already hatched into tadpoles!”
“I hope you’re not pulling my leg,” she said.“I’m not exactly in
the mood for jokes right now...”
“I’m serious,” he told her.“Any time now the tadpoles will turn
into numerous little frogs.”
Mrs. Froggie was so delighted to hear the good news that her
bulging eyes nearly popped out.
“We’re ﬁnally going to have our own little children!” she
exclaimed happily, grinning widely as she hugged Froggie.
“You can say that again!” Froggie said, gently patting her back.
“Oh, I’m so, so excited!” she said,beaming with happiness.“We’ll
soon have many little frogs hopping around.”
18
Soon Mrs. Froggie Chura was giggling uncontrollably and could
not remain silent. Unable to control their excitement, she and
her husband held hands and danced together. Soon they were
hopping up and down on their webbed feet.
* * *
They woke up early the next day.They had decided to go and
camp near the pond for the next few days.They were anxiously
waiting for the day when the tadpoles would turn into little
frogs.
To their utter delight, over time the tadpoles lost their tails and
grew legs.Several days had passed since they had been hatched.
As if magically, they now slowly began to emerge from the pond
and climb onto dry land.
Froggie and his wife were very pleased.They were there at the
pond together with a few relatives when the big day came.It was
a time of joy for the whole family and for the entire community.
Soon Froggie and his wife were leading their numerous
babies towards their home inside the river. There were more
celebrations there as well.To their delight, many relatives and
other members of the community visited to see the new arrivals.
“I must hop to the dry land,” Froggie told his wife when the
visitors had left.“We must tell all our friends the good news.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said.“After all, the different creatures
in the jungle are all brothers and sisters.We must share our joy
with them.”
* * *
19
Leaving his wife with the babies, Froggie Chura was soon
swimming towards dry land.
On landing there he decided to rest for a while. He sat on the
ground, leaning against a big rock. His short legs were crossed
at the knees and swinging in the air.
After a while, Froggie felt very relaxed and happy with himself.
Clasping his little ﬁngers behind his head, he hummed to himself
contentedly.Around him there were hundreds of birds whistling
and cicadas chirping happily together.That aside, Froggie was
listening to the many sounds coming from the surrounding
bushes.
“Oh, this is the good life!” Froggie said to himself.
He soon fell asleep thinking about his many new babies. It was
getting a bit dark when Froggie woke up. He headed for the
home of his cousins, the toads. They lived close together in a
part of the forest that was near a big stream.
When he reached the home Froggie Chura noticed that it was
very quiet. Puzzled, Froggie sat still, his eyes darting around
nervously. Suddenly, his cousin Toadie emerged from a nearby
cluster of bushes.
“Hi there, cousin Froggie!” Toadie said, happily hopping up and
down.
“Oh, hi cousin Toadie!” Froggie said, beaming widely as he
hugged his cousin.
As soon as they reached Toadie’s house, Froggie told him the
good news. His cousin was very excited. He was soon hopping
around as he told the other cousins about Froggie’s babies.
20
“I must get going now,” Froggie announced as he prepared
to leave. “I want to go and see my new friend Snakey Nyoka.
We met a few months ago. He has helped me in many ways,
although we’re very different. I have to tell him the good news.”
Cousin Toadie gasped and stared at Froggie for a moment, as if
unable to believe what he’d just heard.
“Are you serious Froggie?” he asked. “Don’t you know snakes
are bad creatures?We toads hate them, because for a long time
they have been eating our children.”
“That’s what I hear cousin Toadie,” Froggie said after thinking
for a few minutes. “In fact, my wife fears Snakey and does not
want him or his family near our newly hatched kids.”
“So, you had better be careful, cousin Froggie,” cousin Toadie
warned. “You and your wife should keep off Snakey and his
dangerous friends. He might be planning to eliminate you and
your family.”
“Oh, come on cousin Toadie!” Froggie said with a chuckle.
“Snakey is my good friend. I must tell him the good news.”
Froggie hurried towards the rock outcrop under which Snakey
and his family lived. His friend Harry Sungura had decided to
accompany him there. Like the two friends, Snakey and Froggie,
Harry Sungura loved the unity, friendliness and closeness of the
members of the jungle community.
How nice it was, he thought happily, that they always looked
out for each other despite being different!
21
Telling Snakey Nyoka the Good News
Snakey Nyoka was not at home when Froggie and his friend
Harry Sungura arrived there.
Froggie decided to rest for a while as they waited for Snakey
Nyoka. He left his friend Harry Sungura to look out for any
dangers, since animals in the jungle loved to protect each other.
Froggie hopped towards a rock hidden inside a nearby bush.
Leaning against the rock, Froggie soon fell asleep. He was soon
interrupted by a rustling of leaves on the ground near him.
“What on earth could that be?” Froggie Chura wondered aloud,
rubbing his sleepy eyes. He quickly sat up and carefully studied
the ground around him.
For a moment the rustling sound stopped. Froggie leaned
against the rock again. Before long the alarming sound began
again. It was louder this time.
“Hey, who’s there?” Froggie shouted, opening his big eyes wider.
Now alarmed, he quickly looked around him suspiciously. The
rustling stopped again, and for a while all was silent. Still uneasy,
Froggie again peered into the bush. Hard as he looked, he could
see nothing there.
“I say, who’s there?” he asked again.
22
A long, thin shape rose from the thick grass. It was moving
slowly, with the neck and the small head raised. The creature
had dark, ﬂashing eyes, and the pupils were surrounded by a
silvery-yellow colour.
“It’s me, Froggie!” came a hissing sound from the mouth as
the two tiny, round eyes ﬂashed at Froggie. “It’s Snakey, your
friend...”
“Oh,hi Snakey Nyoka!” Froggie said.He was relieved that there
was no immediate danger for him.“What a nice surprise to see
you after such a long time!”
“Oh, the pleasure’s mine, Froggie,” Snakey said, excitedly ﬂicking
his thin tongue in and out of his mouth. “We haven’t talked to
each other for some time, have we, my friend?”
“I suppose not, Snakey,” said Froggie.“And by the way, you do
look very smart.What have you been up to?”
“Oh, I’ve just come from shedding my old skin, that’s all...”
“Well, you look great in your brand new skin, I can tell you that
much.”
Snakey Nyoka slowly swayed his neck in the air as he showed
off his brand new skin.The smooth new skin was now glistening
in the sun as if wet with water.
“It’s good you’ve visited me, Froggie,” said Snakey.“Many things
have happened since you last visited us.”
“Like you shedding your old skin?”
“Oh, that’s not important, Froggie,” said Snakey. “Don’t you
know that my wife and I got babies a few weeks ago?”
23
24
Froggie’s big eyes widened with excitement.
“I had no idea,” he said. “Imagine none of my friends has told
me about it!”
“Well, it’s true,” said Snakey,full of pride.“After the last breeding
season my wife laid twelve eggs...”
“Only twelve eggs?” mocked Froggie, interrupting his friend.
“We frogs have wives who lay hundreds of eggs at a time!”
“Oh, stop bragging, will you Froggie?” Snakey said. “Anyway,
nine of our eggs hatched successfully. Now we have nine little
children.”
“That’s great Snakey,” said Froggie, clapping his little hands
together happily.“Congratulations to you and Mrs. Snakey!”
“Thank you, my friend,” Snakey said, his little eyes glittering
with pride.“The little ones are under the rock with their mother.
They love resting in the shade.”
At that point Snakey called out to his wife to bring out the
children. He wanted his friend Froggie to see them for himself.
“Oh, they’re adorable little babies,” said Froggie when the little
ones were brought out.“You must be very happy, Mrs. Snakey...”
“Yes, of course I am,” she said, happily darting her tongue in
and out of her mouth.“And I know you and your wife are very
happy too...”
Froggie glanced at her, his face full of surprise.
“You mean you’ve already heard the good news, Mrs. Snakey?”
25
“Of course I have!” she said, smiling sheepishly. “There are no
secrets in the jungle you know. I thought you knew that, my
dear Mr. Froggie...”
“So you already know everything about our new arrivals, Mrs.
Snakey?” Froggie asked, surprised.
“Of course, of course,” she said again.“How would I not know?
News travels fast in the jungle. Especially good news.”
“And you didn’t even tell me about Mr. and Mrs. Froggie’s good
news,” said her husband, glancing at his wife.“But at least now
I know about Froggie’s newly arrived children.”
“Oh my goodness!” Froggie said. “And to think I came all this
way to tell you the good news...”
“Anyway, not to worry, my friend,” said Snakey.“The fact that
we both have new children is certainly a great coincidence.”
“That is true,” said Froggie. “But still I’m surprised that Mrs.
Snakey already knows all about our new babies.”
“She’s a funny lady, my wife,” remarked Snakey.“She knows all
about everything that happens in the jungle.”
“Just like my wife!” Froggie said, bursting into laughter. “She
never misses a thing.”
“Anyway,” said Snakey,“now that the cat is out of the bag, we
must make plans for the mother of all celebrations.”
“Oh, yes,” said Froggie, nodding his agreement. “We must
immediately begin making plans for a great, great feast.”
26
Planning for the Great Feast
Within no time Snakey Nyoka and Froggie Chura were
making careful plans for the great feast. As they planned for
the celebrations Harry Sungura watched them from a distance.
He kept very still and was quiet as he eavesdropped on their
discussion.
“We shall both contribute mountains of goodies for guests to
feast on during the celebrations,” suggested Froggie Chura.
“Then we can invite all our friends in the jungle to join us as we
make merry.”
“That’s great,” said Snakey Nyoka. “But ﬁrst we must decide
when and where to hold the feast.”
“I suggest we hold the celebrations in about two weeks’ time,”
said Snakey.“That will give us enough time to prepare.”
“That’s a great idea,” said Froggie.“And I suggest we enjoy the
great feast at my place. It’s cooler than here, and my wife and I
have lots of space.”
“I agree,” said Snakey Nyoka. “And I suppose it will be easier
for all our guests to get there.”
“And don’t forget many of our friends fear you, Snakey...” said
Froggie.
“True,” agreed Snakey.“They always fear that I may bite them.
Silly creatures!”
“So my place it will be,” said Froggie proudly.“My wife and I will
be delighted to host the celebrations.”
27
28
“I’m sure we shall all really enjoy the feast at your home,”
said Snakey Nyoka.
Froggie Chura bid Snakey Nyoka goodbye and set off for his
home.
Harry Sungura did not leave immediately.He stayed behind and
watched Snakey Nyoka and his family. After a while, he heard
Snakey and his wife talking about the upcoming feast.
“Froggie Chura is so silly!” Snakey said, laughing.“We’ll eat all
his new children during the feast.”
Harry Sungura was shocked. “I must tell Froggie Chura about
Snakey’s plan,” he thought.
Harry Sungura quickly ran to Froggie Chura’s home.“Froggie!”
Harry Sungura said.“I just heard Snakey and his wife planning
to eat your children! You must cancel the feast.”
Froggie was so shocked he could barely speak. He thought for
a while and said, “Thank you Harry for telling me what you
heard. I have a plan.We will continue preparing for the feast.”
* * *
Over the next few days Froggie Chura and his friend Snakey
Nyoka prepared for the great feast.Their friends helped them
carry different items to Froggie’s home. Soon there were
mountains of food piled up by the bank of the river.
On the day of the great feast, Snakey Nyoka woke up early. He
and his wife were very excited as they prepared the children for
the trip to the riverbank.They had never visited Froggie’s home
before.They thought it was somewhere on the riverbank.
29
“This is the big day we’ve all been looking forward to,” Snakey
whispered to his wife happily.
“Yes, yes,” nodded his wife. “I’m sure it will be a great feast. I
know we’re going to have a great day.”
“Mmm...” Snakey said, his little eyes glittering in the morning
sun.“And I hear that Froggie has invited many other guests. I’m
really looking forward to meeting all of them.”
“I hope they will all bring their children along, so that our
children can have lots of fun playing with them,” his wife said.
“I’m certain they will,” said Snakey. “And anyway, Froggie and
his wife ﬁnally have lots of children of their own. I’m sure our
kids will have a great time playing with them.”
Soon Snakey and his entire family were slowly slithering towards
the riverbank.They were all looking their best.Their new skins
were glittering in the sun.The kids were particularly excited.
They had never gone far from their home since they were born.
They were really looking forward to having a great time with
Froggie and his family.They also looked forward to meeting the
many other guests and their children.
While Snakey and his family were slowly making their way to
the riverbank, Harry Sungura caught up with them. As they all
headed for the river Harry Sungura kept asking Snakey how he
and his family were going to ﬁnd their way to Froggie’s home.
30
“I’m sure Froggie has left directions with somebody,” said Snakey
conﬁdently.“After all we planned the feast together.”
“Are you sure you can ﬁnd your way to Froggie’s home?” Harry
Sungura asked, sounding mysterious.
“Of course I am, Harry Sungura,” Snakey said, becoming
irritated.“Now stop asking silly questions and let’s hurry down
to the riverbank. We must get there before the other guests
arrive.”
“Do you even know the venue?” Harry Sungura asked.
When an angry Snakey did not answer him, Harry Sungura
burst out laughing.
“Hee hee hee hee!” he laughed and laughed and laughed. His
whole body was trembling as he laughed. Tears were ﬂowing
out of his big eyes as he laughed uncontrollably.
Snakey and the members of his family stared at Harry Sungura.
They were wondering what was so funny.
31
Froggie Dodges Snakey
Snakey was shocked when he arrived at the riverbank together
with his wife and children.There were no signs of any feast being
held there as he had expected.
Instead, there was a ﬂurry of activities as guests prepared to
cross over to Froggie Chura’s home.The home, Snakey was told,
was in the middle of the wide river.
Since Snakey and members of his family could not swim, he
knew there was no way of getting there by themselves.To make
matters worse, Froggie was nowhere to be seen.
Snakey suspected Froggie Chura was dodging him.Why hadn’t
he told him that he lived inside the river?
“Oh, what are we going to do?” Snakey cried out. “My friend
Froggie never told me the feast would be held inside the river!”
“I thought you knew that when you were making your plans,”
said Harry Sungura, grinning mischievously. “Everybody knows
Froggie lives inside the river.”
“Everybody?” Snakey asked, frowning. “He never told me he
lived inside the river!”
“So where did you think the celebrations would be held?” Harry
Sungura asked.
“I assumed the feast would be held at the riverbank,” said
Snakey.“After all, Froggie knows very well that I can’t swim, nor
can members of my family.”
32
33
“Don’t worry, Snakey,” said Harry Sungura, trying to comfort
him.“I’ll ﬁnd a way to get all of you to the feast.”
Looking around him, Harry Sungura had noticed that there
were many other guests who could not swim.To get to Froggie
Chura’s home, they were busy hitching rides on the back of
Hippy Kiboko the hippo. Others were riding on the back of
Croco Mamba the crocodile.
“Hi Croco!” Harry Sungura shouted when Croco Mamba
approached the riverbank.
“Oh, hi Harry Sungura!” Croco replied.“I’m really busy today,
taking scores of guests to Froggie’s house.”
“Well, I’m one of those who need a ride to Froggie’s home,”
said Harry Sungura. “I hope you can take me there together
with my friend Snakey and his family.”
“Carry Snakey and his family on my back?” Croco asked.“You
must be crazy. I can take you across, but certainly not Snakey
and his family. No way!”
“And why not, Croco?” Harry asked.
“You want me to risk a deadly bite from Snakey?” Croco asked.
“Forget it!”
After that Snakey Nyoka approached Hippy Kiboko and
requested for a ride.
“Carry snakes on my back!” Hippy Kiboko exclaimed. “Who
does not know that your bites are deadly? Stop joking!”
* * *
34
Harry Sungura eventually made it to the feast, riding on Hippy
Kiboko’s back.
Snakey and his family were left standing all alone at the
riverbank.They could hear excited noises coming from Froggie
Chura’s home inside the river. Their sharp nostrils could also
pick up the nice aromas of the food being eaten there.
Snakey’s children began to cry. Snakey sent several messages to
Froggie, telling him that he was waiting at the riverbank.
Froggie did not send any reply. At one time, however, Harry
Sungura hitched a ride back to the riverbank. He had secretly
brought some food for Snakey’s hungry children.
As Harry Sungura headed back to the feast Snakey gave him a
message for Froggie Chura.
“Tell him he has betrayed me and will soon pay for what he has
done,” he told Harry Sungura.
“Don’t be so angry, Snakey,” Harry Sungura pleaded with him.
“I’m very serious,” Snakey added. “Tell Froggie that he and his
family should never dare to come anywhere near me.”
“Please don’t talk like that, Snakey,” interrupted Harry Sungura.
“If he does, I will eat him and his children,” Snakey said.
“I hope you don’t mean that, Snakey,” Harry Sungura said as
he headed back to the celebrations.“It’s bad to seek revenge. I’ll
ask Froggie to apologise to you.Then you can be friends again.”
35
New Words
alarming giving a warning of danger
anxious uneasy with fear or desire
beaming smiling widely
breeding producing offspring
bulging swollen out, overfull
chimed produced sounds like bells ringing
coincidence happening at the same place or time
contented happy, satisﬁed
darting moving or shooting out suddenly and quickly
delicate tender or gentle
desperate feel like giving up; feeling hopeless
determined keen on something
dreaded caused great fear or awe
dusk period of partial darkness before nightfall
eavesdropped hid and listened to private secrets
embryos young animals or plants in early stage of
development
exceedingly very much; greatly
exclaimed cried out; shouted
ﬂurry bustle, intensity
frequently repeatedly; often
frolicking making merry; being joyful
hovering to stay hanging in the air by quick ﬂapping of
wings
incubate prepare eggs for hatching
jittery panicky, ﬂustered
larvae the young of certain animals that must undergo
physical changes before they become adults
lush rich and juicy
mature fully developed; ripe
36
migrated changed place of residence; moved from one
place to another
numerous great in number; many
patting touching someone or something quickly and
gently with the ﬂat of the hand
pleaded requested strongly
predators creatures that prey on others
prey an animal that is hunted
rapidly happening in a short or brief time
sheepishly with embarrassment after saying or doing
something wrong or stupid
slithering moving by twisting and sliding along a surface
squinted looked at obliquely, indirectly
tadpoles larvae of toads or frogs
uneasy uncomfortable, not relaxed
venue meeting place, scene of action
webbed feet feet that have a piece of skin between the toes
37
Questions
1. How do we know that Mr. and Mrs. Froggie Chura wanted
to have their own children?
2. What did Mr. and Mrs. Froggie Chura, their friends and
relatives do to ensure that the eggs in the pond were safe?
3. What shows that having new children is really welcomed by
different creatures?
4. How is the arrival of new children celebrated in your own
community?
5. What shows that most creatures in the jungle were once
united and friendly with each other?
6. Why do you think Harry Sungura laughed at Snakey as they
headed for the feast?
7. Do you think Froggie intended to trick Snakey to contribute
for the feast?
8. Why did Snakey and his family feel betrayed by their friend
Froggie?
9. Was it proper for Snakey to threaten to take revenge against
Froggie and his family?
10. Do you think Hare was wise to try and make Froggie and
Snakey to become friends again?