Little Crab and His Magical Eyes

This is the story I am learning and will be telling at my Elementary School visit in a month to promote summer reading. I meet with each grade level for only 10 minutes so I do a quick spiel about summer reading and show off some cool prizes. I usually bring fun props, for example last year I brought a giant inflatable pink flamingo dressed as a pirate. Last year I told "Why the tides ebb and flow" and it was brilliant to see all the kids faces completely absorbed in my story.

This tale has a little gross element to it with the crab taking out his eyes but I think Elementary school kids will appreciate a little grossness. I really wanted to do "The Gunny Wolf" but thought it may scare the younger kids.

Have the kids sing the crabs sea chant along with you. Bring a picture of a crab and a jaguar in case the audience does not know what they look like. It is not know exactly where this tale comes from but have fun giving the characters exotic accents to emphasize the One World, Many Stories theme. I am thinking an east Indie accent for the jaguar, not sure why just feeling it!

Here is the story from the book "Twenty Tellable Tales" by Margaret Read MacDonald, page 24:

Once upon a time
there was a little crab who had magic eyes

He could make his eyes
pop out of his head
and go flying out over the ocean...
and then fly back and pop into his head again.

He would sit along the seashore
and play his eye sailing game.

He would call:
'Little eyes...
Little eyes...
Sail out
Over the deep blue sea"

And little crab's eyes would
pop out of his head
and sail over the deep blue sea

Then he would call:
'Little eyes...
Little eyes...
Sail back
Over the deep blue sea"

And his eyes would sail back and
pop into his head again

It was a good game

Little Crab's eyes could look down into the blue sea
They could see the seaweed....
the coral reef....
the fish swimming about...
It was fun!

One day when little crab was playing his eye sailing
game along came jaguar

Jaguar said:
"Little crab
what are you doing"

"I'm playing my eye sailing game.
I can make my eyes sail out
over the deep blue sea
and come back again!"

"Little crab, let me see you do it.
Do it for me little crab."

"All right!" said little crab
And little crab began to play his game

He called:
"Little eyes...
Little eyes..
Sail out
Over the deep blue sea."

And little crab's eyes
popped out of his head
and sailed out over the deep blue sea

Then he called:
'Little eyes...
Little eyes...
Sail back
Over the deep blue sea"

And his eyes sailed back and popped into his head again

"Ohhhhhhhh
that looks like fun,"
said jaguar

"Little crab,
could you make my eyes go sailing?"

"I could,"
said little crab
"But I'm not going to.
It's too dangerous."

Out in the deep blue sea
there lives a big
Oonkaloonka fish
And the Oonkaloonka fish
might swallow your eyes.

"I'm not afraid of any old fish,"
said Jaguar.
"You make my eyes go sailing.
you make my eyes go sailing or
you'll be s-o-r-r-y."

So little crab said, "Alright!"
he began to call:
"Jaguar's eyes....
Jaguar's eyes....
Sail out
over the deep blue sea."

And Jaguar's eyes popped out of his head
and sailed out
over the deep blue sea

Then little crab called:
"Jaguar's eyes....
Jaguar's eyes....
Sail back
over the deep blue sea."

And Jaguars eyes sailed back and
popped into his head again

"Ohhhh!
that was wonderful! said Jaguar
"I could see the fish
and the coral reefs
and everything!"

"Do it again!
Do it again little crab!"

"No, It's too dangerous.
That Oonakaloonka fish
might swallow your eyes."

"I'm not afraid of any old fish!
You make my eyes go sailing again
You make my eyes go sailing or
You'll be sorry."

So little crab said:
"All right, all right
Jaguar's eyes....
Jaguar's eyes....
Sail out
over the deep blue sea."

Jaguars eyes
popped out of his head
and sailed out over the deep blue sea

The little crab called:
"Jaguar's eyes....
Jaguar's eyes....
Sail back
over the deep blue sea."

But just then up came the Oonkaloonka fish
and swallowed Jaguar's eyes

"Oh little crab!
It all went black!
I can't see!"

"Bring them back!
Bring back my eyes!"

"It's too late,"
said little crab
"That Oonakaloonka fish has swallowed
your eyes."

"Little crab
you make my eyes come back
or you'll be sorry"

But little crab had backed under a rock
and Jaguar could not find him

jaguar began to moan and groan

Just then down flew Vulture

"Jaguar,
why are you crying? said vulture

I'm crying because Little Crab took my eyes away
and he will not bring them back. I can see nothing at all

"What would you do if I brought you some new eyes?" asked Vulture

"I would do anything.
From now on whenever I kill and animal
I will leave the carcass, the bones, and some of the meat
for the Vulture family"

"Very well" said Vulture

And Vulture flew away
Soon he flew back with 2 bright blue berries

Jaguar popped
them into his eyes
And he could see as well as ever!

Everything was bright and blue and shiny

"I can see
I can See" said Jaguar

"Than you, Vulture.
From now on whenever I or any member of the Jaguar family
kill an animal
We will leave the carcass, the bones, and sme of the meat for the Vulture family"

And so it is to this day

Then Jaguar called:
"Little Crab
I am going to catch you
and make your sorry"

But little crab had backed under a rock
and Jaguar could not catch him

If you go to the beach
You will find little crab still hiding under his rock
for Jaguar never did catch him