The Enormous Turnip story is a warm Russian folk tale for preschoolers and a lovely bedtime story about pulling together. An old man grows a turnip so gigantic he cannot pull it up — so one by one, everyone on the farm comes to help, right down to a tiny little mouse. This short Enormous Turnip story with moral is told in simple words, and the growing line of helpers means your child will be chanting “they pulled and they pulled” along with you.
What’s Inside This Story
Why Preschoolers Love The Enormous Turnip
This old Russian tale is one of the friendliest classic bedtime stories for young children — nobody is chased, nobody is eaten, and everybody wins. Preschoolers love it because it has:
- “They pulled and they pulled!” — a line made for joining in.
- A queue of helpers that grows longer every time.
- A vegetable the size of a car, which is very funny when you are three.
- A tiny mouse who turns out to be the most important one of all.
The growing chain is doing the teaching. Each round adds one helper and repeats the whole list, so your child is practising memory, sequencing, and counting without noticing — and the ending quietly makes the point that the smallest person in the line still mattered.
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The Enormous Turnip Story for Preschoolers
A Very Big Turnip
Once upon a time, an old man planted some turnip seeds in his garden. He watered them and weeded them, and the sun shone down.
One of those turnips grew. And grew. And grew — until it was the most enormous turnip anybody in the village had ever seen, as big as a wheelbarrow.
“What a fine turnip,” said the old man. “Tonight we shall have turnip soup!” He took hold of the leaves and he pulled and he pulled — but the enormous turnip would not come up.
Pull and Pull and Pull
So the old man called the old woman.
The old woman held the old man, and the old man held the turnip, and they pulled and they pulled — but the enormous turnip would not come up.
So the old woman called the little granddaughter. The granddaughter held the old woman, the old woman held the old man, the old man held the turnip, and they pulled and they pulled — but still the enormous turnip would not come up.
So the granddaughter called the dog. The dog held the granddaughter, the granddaughter held the old woman, the old woman held the old man, the old man held the turnip, and they pulled and they pulled — and still that turnip would not come up.
So the dog called the cat. And they all pulled and they pulled and they pulled — and the enormous turnip did not move one tiny bit.
The Littlest Helper
Then a little mouse popped out from under a leaf. “May I help?” she squeaked.
The cat looked at the mouse. The dog looked at the mouse. She was very small. But the old man said, “Every pair of paws helps. Take hold!”
So the mouse held the cat, the cat held the dog, the dog held the granddaughter, the granddaughter held the old woman, the old woman held the old man, and the old man held the turnip.
They pulled and they pulled and they PULLED — and POP! Up came the enormous turnip, and everybody tumbled backwards into the cabbages, laughing.
That night they made the biggest pot of turnip soup the village had ever seen, and everyone who had pulled sat down to share it — the old man, the old woman, the granddaughter, the dog, the cat, and the little mouse, who was given the very first bowl.
Short Enormous Turnip Story with Moral
An old man planted a turnip that grew so enormous he could not pull it out of the ground. He called the old woman to help, then the granddaughter, then the dog, then the cat — and no matter how hard they all pulled, the turnip would not budge.
At last a tiny mouse offered to help. The others nearly laughed at how small she was, but they let her take hold at the end of the line. They pulled together — and up came the enormous turnip at last. Everyone shared the soup, and the little mouse had the first bowl.
👉 Moral: Many hands make light work — and the smallest helper can be the one who makes all the difference.
Lessons Preschoolers Can Learn
- Ask for help. The old man could have given up. Instead he called someone — and then kept calling.
- Small doesn’t mean useless. The mouse was the tiniest of all, and the turnip came up when she joined in.
- Everyone who helps, shares. Every single puller got a bowl of soup.
- Keep trying. Five goes failed. The sixth worked.
Questions to Ask After Reading
Talking about a story is what turns it into a lesson:
- Can you name everyone who pulled, in order, from the old man to the mouse?
- Why do you think the turnip finally came up when the mouse helped?
- How would the old man have felt if nobody had come?
- Have you ever needed help with something too big to do alone?
Tip for grown-ups: act it out. Hold a cushion, let your child hold your waist, and add a teddy to the line for every new helper — then all fall over together when the turnip pops. Preschoolers will ask for this one again and again.
Read More Free Bedtime Stories Online
If your child enjoyed the Enormous Turnip story, there are plenty more classic folk tales and moral stories to read together at bedtime.
More Stories for Kids
- The Lion and The Mouse Short Story Moral
- The Ant And The Grasshopper Story
- Elephant And Friends Story with a Moral For Kids
- Moral Story: The Hare and the Tortoise
- 10 Engaging Short Stories for Kids
- 15 Short Moral Stories for Children with Valuable Lessons
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