McArthur: The Veggie Frog

Chapter one
McArthur

 
 McArthur the Frog sat on his lily pad, at the edge of a small stream.  He was looking very sad.  In front of him was a half-eaten dandelion.  You see McArthur was a vegetarian.  He only liked to eat flowers; not insects like the other frogs.  He wanted to be friends with the insects.  He found them beautiful.

    McArthur was hopping along the stream’s edge when he saw a grasshopper sunning itself on a twig that was halfway in the water.  When the grasshopper saw McArthur coming, he quickly sprang up the hillside to safety.

   “Please don’t go!”  McArthur pleaded.  “I only want to be your friend.”

   The grasshopper looked at him and said, “Frogs can’t be our friend.  Frogs eat us.”

   “Not me,” McArthur replied, “I only like to eat flowers.”

   Not believing him, the grasshopper sprang away into the meadow and out of sight.

   McArthur continued to hop along the stream’s edge when he saw a beetle taking a sip at the river’s edge.  When the beetle saw McArthur, he quickly scurried under a rock to safety.

   “Please don’t go!”  McArthur pleaded.  “I only want to be your friend.”

   The beetle looked at McArthur and rudely said,  “Frogs can’t be our friend.  Frogs eat us.”

   “Not me,” McArthur replied, “I only like to eat flowers.”

   Not believing him, the beetle disappeared into a hole under the rock.  McArthur continued hopping along the stream when he saw a beautiful bumblebee sucking nectar from a flower at the stream’s edge.  When the bumblebee saw McArthur approaching, she quickly flew up into the sky and out of McArthur’s reach.

   “Please don’t go!”  McArthur pleaded, “I only want to be your friend.

   The bumblebee looked at McArthur and proudly said, “Frogs can’t be our friend.  Frogs eat us.”

   “Not me.”  McArthur replied, “I only like to eat flowers.”

   Not believing him, the bumblebee flew away.

   It was late in the afternoon and McArthur was getting hungry, so he looked for a delicious flower to eat.  He hopped up to a bush of honey suckles and began to nibble away.  Two other frogs approached, as McArthur was busy eating.  When they saw him eating flowers, they began to laugh.

   “Silly McArthur.”  They giggled as they began to hop away.

   “Please don’t go!”  McArthur pleaded.  “Don’t you want to play with me?”

   “We don’t play with silly frogs that eat flowers instead of insects.”  The two frogs said, and then hopped into the stream and swam off.

   McArthur was feeling very sad.  He had no friends.  Other frogs did not like him because he ate flowers instead of insects.  Insects did not like him because they did not believe that he only ate flowers.  What was he to do?  He sat by the stream’s edge feeling terrible.

   One summer day, McArthur was busy eating a daffodil when he heard a strange rustling sound off to his right.  McArthur stopped eating and hopped toward the sound.  To his surprise, McArthur saw a young dragonfly caught in a spider web.

   “Help me!  Help me!”  Begged the dragonfly, but then he noticed that McArthur was a frog.  “Please don’t eat me,”

The young dragonfly pleaded.

   “I don’t like to eat insects,” McArthur said.  “I only want to be your friend.  I will help get you out of the spider web.”

   McArthur helped the young dragon fly out of the web.  The dragonfly could not believe that a frog had saved his life.  

The dragonfly quickly flew into the air still not sure that McArthur would change his mind and eat him.

   “Please don’t go!”  McArthur pleaded.  “I just want to be your friend.”

   The dragonfly looked at McArthur.  “How do I know you won’t eat me,” the dragonfly said.

   “I only like to eat flowers.”  McArthur insisted.

   The dragonfly looked at McArthur for another minute and then flew off without saying another word.

   McArthur felt so sad.  For a moment, he thought he would have a friend but he guessed it was not meant to be.  McArthur spent the rest of the summer alone, eating his flowers and wishing he had some friends.  Soon, the weather was getting colder and McArthur was worried how he was going to have food for the winter since there would be no more flowers.  McArthur had a warm home in the trunk of a tree but he had no idea how he could store flowers.  Eating flowers was new for a frog, after all.

   McArthur sat outside his home when he heard a rustling noise up above him.  When McArthur looked up, he was surprised to see the dragonfly that he had saved earlier that summer.  Along with the dragonfly was the bumblebee.  Just then, McArthur heard some more rustling in some bushes.

   All of a sudden, the grasshopper and the beetle appeared from under the bush.

   “We have been watching you all summer,” the bumblebee said, “and we saw how you saved the young dragonfly’s life.”

   “We watched you eat flowers all summer,” continued the grasshopper. 

    “You never once ate an insect.  You were truthful and honest.”

   “We watched how the other frogs laughed at you,” added the beetle, “and how you have had no friends to play with.”

   Then the dragonfly flew down and sat next to McArthur.

   “We wanted to know if you would like to be our friend?”  The dragonfly asked.

   “I would love to.”  McArthur said as he hopped around with joy.

   That night, McArthur, the grasshopper, the beetle, the bumblebee and the dragonfly played games, sang songs, and danced together.  The insects helped McArthur collect flowers for the winter and McArthur opened his home for any insect that needed a place to live.  There was always such a joy around McArthur’s house.  Even the other frogs became curious. 

   By the next summer, many more frogs had become vegetarians just like McArthur.  Frog and insect lived in harmony at least on one side of the small stream.

McArthur Wants to Fly

  It was a hot sunny day and McArthur sat on his lily pad watching the bumblebees and the butterflies flying around the reeds and flowers.  He watched with fascination and

 curiosity.  McArthur wondered how they were able to fly.  He decided that he wanted to learn how to fly just like the bumblebees and the butterflies.

   McArthur jumped into the water and swam to the shore.

Once he reached the shore, McArthur hopped over to Bumblebee Sue who was busy sucking nectar from a dandelion.

   “Hi, Bumblebee Sue,” McArthur said as he approached her.

   “Hi,” Bumblebee Sue replied.

   “Can you teach me to fly?”  McArthur asked happily.

   “Teach you to fly?”  Bumblebee Sue laughed.  “Frogs can’t fly.” 

   At that, she flew away.

   McArthur was determined to fly.  He thought that it would make him special if he were able to fly and he wanted to be special.  What was special about him now?  “Nothing” McArthur thought.  Just then, McArthur saw Billy Butterfly resting on a reed and hopped over to him.

   “Hi, Billy Butterfly,” McArthur said as he approached him.

   “Hi,” Billy Butterfly replied. 

   “Can you teach me to fly?”  McArthur asked happily.

   “Teach you to fly?”  Billy Butterfly laughed.  “Frogs can’t fly.”

   At that, he flew away.

   However, McArthur was determined to fly.  He wanted to be special.  He just had to learn how to fly.  McArthur did not want to be ordinary.  What could he do that was special?  “Nothing,” He thought.  Just then, McArthur saw Dragonfly Dale sunning himself on a rock.  Maybe he would teach McArthur how to fly, so he hopped over to him.

   “Hi, Dragonfly Dale,” McArthur said as he approached him.

   “Hi,” Dragonfly Dale replied.

   “Can you teach me to fly?”  McArthur asked happily.

   “Teach you to fly?”  Dragonfly Dale laughed.  “Frogs can’t fly.”

   At that, he flew away.

   McArthur was not so happy anymore.  No one wanted to teach him how to fly.  However, McArthur was determined to learn how to fly.  He thought to himself.

   “If no one will teach me how to fly, I will teach myself.  How hard can it be?”

   With this determination, McArthur looked for a large rock to climb on.  He would jump off the rock and flap his front legs.  This is how he would be able to fly.  McArthur found a large rock and climbed to the top of it.  The ground looked so far away.  McArthur was a little scared.  However, McArthur was determined to learn how to fly, so he practiced flapping his front legs.

Once he felt he had practiced enough, McArthur took a giant hop off the rock and flapped his front legs really hard.

   Before McArthur could flap his front legs a third time, he landed on the ground with a thump.  McArthur wondered what had gone wrong.  He had flapped his front legs the correct way.  Why didn’t he fly?  Maybe he was supposed flap his back legs instead.  McArthur decided that if he flapped his back legs, he would be able to fly.  He climbed back on the rock again and practiced flapping his back legs.

   Once McArthur felt he had practiced enough, he took a giant hop off the rock and flapped his back legs really hard.  Before McArthur could flap his back legs a third time, he landed on the ground with a thump.

   McArthur wondered what had gone wrong.  He had flapped his back legs the correct way.  Why didn’t he fly?  Maybe he was supposed to flap his front legs and back legs at the same time.  McArthur decided that if he flapped his front legs and back legs at the same time, he would be able to fly.  He climbed back on the rock again and practiced flapping both his front legs and back legs at the same time. 

   Once McArthur felt he had practiced enough, he took a giant hop off the rock and flapped both his front and back legs really hard.  Before McArthur could flap his front and back legs a third time, he landed on the ground with a thump.

   McArthur was very sad now.  How would he ever learn how to fly?  No one would teach him how to fly and he could not teach himself.  How would he be special if he could not learn how to fly?  McArthur sat by the rock looking and feeling very sad. 

Just then, Queen Bumblebee flew up to McArthur and landed on a flower next to him.

   “Why are you so sad?”  Queen Bumblebee asked.

   McArthur looked up at her.  “I want to learn how to fly but no one will teach me and I cannot teach myself.”

   “Why do you want to learn how to fly?”  Queen Bumblebee asked.

   “I want to be special like you and the other insects that can fly.”  McArthur said sadly.

   Queen Bumblebee did not laugh at McArthur.  She looked at him wisely.

   “McArthur, you are special already.”  She said.

   “How can I be special if I can not fly.”  McArthur asked.

   “You are special because you can swim.”  Queen Bumblebee replied.

   McArthur was confused.

   “I do not understand.”  McArthur said.

   Queen Bumblebee flew right up to McArthur and landed on the ground next to him.

   “I cannot swim.”  She said.  “Neither can the butterfly or the dragonfly.  You are special because you can swim and we can not.  Everyone is special in their own way.”

   “I understand.”  Said McArthur as he hopped around with joy. 

“I am special because I can swim.  You are special because you can fly.  Everyone is special because they can all do something special.”

   “That is correct.”  Queen Bumblebee said with a warm smile.

   “Thank you.”  Said McArthur as he hopped toward the stream.

   He was going to swim because that made him special.  He was happy again.