Read the legend Anna loves
Tiddalik the Frog
A giant frog drinks every drop of water in the land, and only laughter can bring it all flowing back: the beloved Aboriginal Dreaming story of Tiddalik the Frog.
Long ago, in the Dreaming time, an enormous frog named Tiddalik lived in the Australian bush. He was by far the biggest frog anyone had ever seen, and one morning he woke up unusually thirsty. He shuffled over to the nearest waterhole and began to drink, and drink, and drink, and once he started, he found he simply could not stop.
Tiddalik drank until the waterhole was empty, then moved to the next one, and the next, swallowing rivers, lakes, and streams as he went, until at last, every single drop of water in the land had disappeared into his enormous belly.
A Land Gone Dry
Without any water left, the land quickly began to suffer. Plants wilted under the hot sun, riverbeds cracked and turned to dust, and animals of every kind grew weak and desperate with thirst. At last, the creatures of the bush gathered together in a great council to decide what could possibly be done.
A Clever Plan
A wise old wombat finally spoke up with an idea. If only they could make Tiddalik laugh, she said, he would surely open his mouth wide, and all the water he had swallowed would come pouring back out. One by one, the animals stepped forward to try. The kangaroo hopped about in the silliest way it could manage, the kookaburra told its funniest jokes, and the koala performed the clumsiest of tumbles, but Tiddalik simply sat there, round and full, his face as still as stone.
The Eel’s Dance
Just when the animals were beginning to lose hope, Nabunum the eel slithered forward and began to dance, twisting and wriggling himself into the most ridiculous knots and shapes anyone had ever seen. He wobbled this way and that, tying himself up and untying himself again, until, at last, a small smile crept across Tiddalik’s enormous face.
The smile grew wider and wider, until Tiddalik could no longer hold it in, and he burst into a huge, booming laugh. The moment his mouth opened, all the water he had swallowed came rushing out in a tremendous flood, filling the rivers, lakes, and waterholes once more, exactly as they had been before.
The animals cheered and celebrated as the land turned green again, and from that day on, the story of Tiddalik has been told and retold, a reminder that even the biggest problems can sometimes be solved with a little laughter, and a lot of working together.
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Australian Lullaby
Play this softly while you read: a traditional Australian lullaby, from the same land this story calls home.
More stories, more lullabies
This is one tale in a growing collection of traditional stories from around the world, each one paired, where we can, with a real lullaby from the same culture.