Beetle

Era Publications
220 Grange Road, Flinders Park, SA, 5025 Australia

Text Copyright © Jill McDougal, 2007
illustration Copyright © Tim Ide, 2007

Editor, Rodney Martin
Designer, Nathan Kolic

All rights reserved by the publisher
eISBN
9781740490658

Educational consultants:
Lisa Speed and her literacy team (Victoria), Cary Roberts, Kay Neeson (New South Wales), Ian Hodder and Alana Girvin (South Australia) and Dr Kathy A Mills (Queensland).

Copyright Notice:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Jill McDougall ~ Tim Ide

There was once a skinny fellow who lived in a small village in Russia. His legs were as thin as sticks and his head was shiny and flat. He looked like an insect, so everyone called him Beetle.

Beetle dressed in rags and lived in a run-down shack. He was too scrawny to earn much money.

One day he came home to find that mice had eaten all his food. He had no money to buy anything else.

“Ah, Beetle,” he said to himself, “this is very bad.”

He sat down and thought about what to do. He was small and weak but he was smart. He soon came up with an idea. Jumping up, he rubbed his hands with glee.

“Ah, Beetle,” he said, “what a clever fellow you are!”

That night Beetle set off for the farmer’s house on a nearby hill. The place was in darkness, so he climbed through the window and took a vase. He then crept to the farmer’s barn and hid the vase under some straw.

The next day, the farmer’s wife ran down the village street. “Alas,” she cried, “my beautiful vase has gone.”

Beetle had been waiting for her. “I will help find your vase,” he offered.

“Why, bless you, Beetle!” said the woman.

“What will you give me in return?” asked Beetle.

“A leg of ham and all the eggs you can eat,” the woman replied at once.

With that, Beetle closed his eyes for a minute.

“Ah yes,” he said, “I can see your vase. Look under the straw in your barn.” When the farmer’s wife found the vase, she was very pleased. “You must have magical powers,” she said to Beetle. She gave him a fat leg of ham and her freshest eggs.

Beetle smiled as he cooked up a big feast.

“Ah, Beetle,” he said to himself, “you are the smartest fellow in all of Russia.”

The next night, Beetle was up to his tricks again. He crept into the stable of a rich landowner and took away his favourite horse.

He led the horse deep into the forest and tied it up before running away.

The landowner came to see Beetle in the morning.

“I hear you have magical powers,” said the landowner. “Can you find my missing horse?”

“Of course,” said Beetle, puffing up his chest.

“But what will you give me in return?”

“Would two gold coins be enough?” asked the landowner.

Beetle was very pleased with this and soon led the landowner to his horse.

“Wonderful!” said the landowner, and he handed over the reward.