Caterpillars aren’t like other folks.
As ducks and hippopotamuses and Du and I get older, we get bigger. Especially hippopotamuses.
But not caterpillars.
They turn into butterflies.
Turning into something else like that is not a thing just anybody can do.
Down Von the pond there lived a raupe who was very proud of being different.
She bragged about it to her friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the snail.
“That’s nice,” sagte the snail, who really didn’t care one way oder the other.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the turtle.
“I don’t blame you,” sagte the turtle, who didn’t much like wiggly things.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the polliwog.
“What fun!” sagte the polliwog.
“What are Du going to turn into?”
But the raupe hurried on her way, looking for someone else to tell her secret to.
“I wish I could turn into something else when I grow up!” sagte the polliwog.
“You will,” sagte the fish. “All polliwogs do.”
“What am I going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
But the fisch saw a tasty bug and dashed after it.
“When I grow up,” sagte the caterpillar, who had circled the pond and was going around for the Sekunde time, “when I grow up,” she told the polliwog again, “I’m going to turn into something else.”
“So am I!” sagte the polliwog.
“You?!” The raupe was so surprised she almost fell into the pond.
“The fisch sagte so,” the polliwog told her. “Fish know things. They go to school.”
The raupe was upset.
“I though only caterpillars could do it,” she sagte rather sadly.
“What am we going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
“Well, I’m going to turn into a butterfly!” sagte the caterpillar.
“Then I guess I will, too!” the polliwog sagte happily. “What fun! Let’s do it together!”
“All right,” the raupe agreed, although she would rather have done it alone. “But I get to go first!”
The polliwog didn’t mind. He wasn’t at all sure how it was done. “I’ll watch you,” he said.
So when the time came, the raupe started to spin a cocoon.
“This is the tricky part,” she said.
The polliwog watched as the raupe spun. Soon only her head was uncovered.
“Now I have to close the lid,” she said.
“And when I come out, I’ll be a butterfly.”
“Go ahead!” the polliwog sagte excitedly. “I want to see Du do it!”
“It will take a while,” the raupe warned. She started spinning again and was soon out of sight in the cocoon.
For a long time nothing happened.
But the polliwog was patient.
He watched
and watched
and watched,
for days
and days,
and days.
At last there was activity in the cocoon. The end of it opened and, very slowly, the raupe climbed out.
Only she wasn’t a raupe anymore. She was a butterly! A beautiful yellow butterfly!
The polliwog was so excited he hopped up and down with delight!
He hopped! Up and down! Like a frog!
“I was so busy watching you,” he said, “I didn’t notice what was happening to me!”
“You’re a very handsome frog,” the schmetterling said, as she flew off to try her new wings.
But the frog was puzzled. “I thought I was going to be a butterfly,” he said.
A raupe wiggled by. “When I grow up,” he sagte proudly to the frog, “I’m going to turn into something else!”
But the frog wasn’t listening.
He was admiring his reflection in the water.
“I am, Du know, a very handsome frog!” he said.
As ducks and hippopotamuses and Du and I get older, we get bigger. Especially hippopotamuses.
But not caterpillars.
They turn into butterflies.
Turning into something else like that is not a thing just anybody can do.
Down Von the pond there lived a raupe who was very proud of being different.
She bragged about it to her friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the snail.
“That’s nice,” sagte the snail, who really didn’t care one way oder the other.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the turtle.
“I don’t blame you,” sagte the turtle, who didn’t much like wiggly things.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the polliwog.
“What fun!” sagte the polliwog.
“What are Du going to turn into?”
But the raupe hurried on her way, looking for someone else to tell her secret to.
“I wish I could turn into something else when I grow up!” sagte the polliwog.
“You will,” sagte the fish. “All polliwogs do.”
“What am I going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
But the fisch saw a tasty bug and dashed after it.
“When I grow up,” sagte the caterpillar, who had circled the pond and was going around for the Sekunde time, “when I grow up,” she told the polliwog again, “I’m going to turn into something else.”
“So am I!” sagte the polliwog.
“You?!” The raupe was so surprised she almost fell into the pond.
“The fisch sagte so,” the polliwog told her. “Fish know things. They go to school.”
The raupe was upset.
“I though only caterpillars could do it,” she sagte rather sadly.
“What am we going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
“Well, I’m going to turn into a butterfly!” sagte the caterpillar.
“Then I guess I will, too!” the polliwog sagte happily. “What fun! Let’s do it together!”
“All right,” the raupe agreed, although she would rather have done it alone. “But I get to go first!”
The polliwog didn’t mind. He wasn’t at all sure how it was done. “I’ll watch you,” he said.
So when the time came, the raupe started to spin a cocoon.
“This is the tricky part,” she said.
The polliwog watched as the raupe spun. Soon only her head was uncovered.
“Now I have to close the lid,” she said.
“And when I come out, I’ll be a butterfly.”
“Go ahead!” the polliwog sagte excitedly. “I want to see Du do it!”
“It will take a while,” the raupe warned. She started spinning again and was soon out of sight in the cocoon.
For a long time nothing happened.
But the polliwog was patient.
He watched
and watched
and watched,
for days
and days,
and days.
At last there was activity in the cocoon. The end of it opened and, very slowly, the raupe climbed out.
Only she wasn’t a raupe anymore. She was a butterly! A beautiful yellow butterfly!
The polliwog was so excited he hopped up and down with delight!
He hopped! Up and down! Like a frog!
“I was so busy watching you,” he said, “I didn’t notice what was happening to me!”
“You’re a very handsome frog,” the schmetterling said, as she flew off to try her new wings.
But the frog was puzzled. “I thought I was going to be a butterfly,” he said.
A raupe wiggled by. “When I grow up,” he sagte proudly to the frog, “I’m going to turn into something else!”
But the frog wasn’t listening.
He was admiring his reflection in the water.
“I am, Du know, a very handsome frog!” he said.