Legends

Aaron        Sam        Ana        Drew
Angela    Erika    Felisa    Jordyn
Joseph    Kevin    Lillian    Luke
Malayna    Nick     Abby    Sean
Thomas    Rose    Will

Why Cheetahs Run So Fast by Aaron A long time ago, cheetahs used to be very slow. Cheetahs were not so scary. In an African jungle 1,000 years ago, there was a cheetah named Chester. He was not that fast. One day, he was wandering around the jungle when he heard some jaguars talking about a magic tree that made animals run fast. Chester was excited to hear about the magic tree and decided to search for it. As he found it, he bumped into it, and a leaf fell off of it. The leaf had water on it. The water trickled down his face into his mouth. Suddenly, he began to feel stronger. He knew he could run faster. And that’s why cheetahs run so fast.
Why Penguins are Black and White by Felisa One cold day in Antarctica, there was a penguin named Tommy. He was all white. He was playing with his friends when George, a penguin he was friendly with, came and asked if he could help him clean out his closet. Tommy wanted to help, so he said goodbye to his other friends and left with George. They went to George’s closet. Tommy asked, “What should we start with?” “How about we start with organizing the hangers,” George said. When Tommy was halfway through, he found a black suit. He was very excited that he found the suit. Tommy asked George if he could keep it. George said he could. After they finished cleaning out the closet, Tommy left and showed the suit to the other penguins . They all wanted one, but George didn’t have any more. Since they couldn’t have suits, the penguins decided to paint themselves half black and leave the other half of themselves white. That’s why penguins are black and white.
Why Elephants Are Afraid Of Mice by Luke It’s always been that elephants were not afraid of anything. That is till one day. It all started when Jorge the elephant said, “I am not scared of anything,” in his big booming voice. Of course, everybody believed him. He was the meanest, most feared animal in Africa. Besides the lion, that is, who was the King. But Simon, the mouse, thought, “How can that be possible? Everyone is afraid of something.” So the next day, Simon decided that he would try to scare Jorge. He tried the scariest things he could think of, like making a tree fall inches away from him, but nothing worked. That night, Simon had a bright idea He would sneak out of bed and go ot Jorge’s house, climb up on his shoulder, and say, “Boo!” “No, that wouldn’t work,” Simon thought to himself. “Besides, everyone knows that trick.” But, it was the only one left, so he decided to do it. Simon snuck out of bed and went to Jorge’s house. He climbed up onto Jorge’s shoulder and yelled, “BOO!” Jorge screamed at the top of his lungs. That’s why elephants are afraid of mice.
Why Leopards Have Black Spots by Abby Once there was a leopard named Lizzy. She was yellow and about to havecubs. Lizzy thought, ”Maybe I will take a swim before my cubs are born.” So, she went to the lake. Then she said, “Maybe I will go later, I am so tired.’’ So, she slowly walked home, lay in her grassy bed, and fell into a deep sleep. In the meantime, a poacher poured black ink into the lake, then ranaway. Just then, Lizzy woke up and said, “Now I will take a swim.’’ Lizzy jumped into the water and swam for about a hour. When she got out she looked at the lake, and saw that it was all black. She wondered, ”If the lake is black, I must be black, too.” She rolled around in the grass until she was yellow again. As she got up, Lizzy slipped and fell into some of the black ink that she had rubbed off of her body. She now had black spots all over her body. Just then, her cubs where born and where covered with black spots. That is why leopards have black spots.
Why Dragons Have Wings by Nick There was a dragon named Spot. Spot and all other dragons didn’t have wings. All dragons lived in a huge rocky cave. Spot was wandering around a cave talking to Billy, his dragon friend. Spot said, “I really think we should all –“ Billy interrupted and said angrily, “I know. You say that too many times.” “Well, I really think we should all have wings,” Spot said loudly. Billy whispered, “Maybe I an show you somebody who can make all dragons have wings.” Billy gave him her address and then Spot ran out of the rocky cave and disappeared into the forest. When Spot got there and knocked on the door, the fairy said, “Come in.” The fairy asked, “What do you want?” Spot said, “Can you make every dragon have wings?” “The only problem is that the evil witch put a spell on me, so I can’t do any more magic.” Spot was sad, but had an idea. He went back home and told everybody the plan. Everybody said, “Yes.” “Then let’s do it!” Spot said. When they got to the witch’s castle, they surprised the witch and scared her out of town. Spot went alone to the house of Trixie, the magical dragon fairy. He learned her name the last time Spot went to visit her. “I scared the evil witch out of town, so now can you do magic?” Spot asked. Trixie said, “Yes. Here’s the powder. Sprinkle a little bit on each dragon,” Trixie explained. Spot said, “Thanks so much!” Spot ran back to the rocky cave. When Spot got back, he sprinkled a little bit on each dragon and each dragon flew away. That’s why dragons have wings.
Why Horses Run So Fast by Jordyn Horses used to be very slow. About 1,000 years ago in a forest, there was a horse named Towlow. Towlow was going to be in a horse race. He really wanted to win the race. Towlow went to the only doctor in town, Dr. Jordyn, and explained how badly he wanted to win the race. He asked Dr. Jordyn to give him medicine to make him run fast. Dr. Jordyn did not like this idea. She did not agree with cheating. So, she decided to give Towlow a fake medicine. Towlow swallowed the medicine and immediately began to feel strong. Towlow went to the race. Towlow started to catch up to the other horses, and then started to pass them. Ahead of him he saw another horse. He tried really hard and passed that horse, too! Up ahead, Towlow saw the finish line. Finally, he crossed it. He had won! Dr. Jordyn watched the race. Dr. Jordyn knew that Towlow had tried his best. He knew that Towlow didn’t need medicine to win. Dr. Jordyn went over to congratulate Towlow and gave him flowers. He said to Towlow, “You did a good job. The medicine I gave you wasn’t real. You won that race all on your own.” And that’s why horses run so fast.
Why Snakes Slither by Sam Five hundred years ago, in Ghana, Africa, snakes had bones that didn’t let them slither or bend. Back then, snakes and sorcerers were friends. One day, a snake found and asked a sorcerer to take out his bones. The sorcerer wanted to know why. They sorcerer asked, “Why do you want your bones taken out?” The snake replied, “So I don’t always go straight.” Since they were friends, the sorcerer did what the snake requested. The snake felt much better since he didn’t have to always go straight anymore. That is why snakes slither.
Why Penguins are Black and White by Ana Thousands of years ago, in Antarctica,there were three penguins: Bob, Billy, and Bill. They were white from top to bottom. One day, Billy went swimming. When he came out, he had black all over his back! Bob and Bill didn’t know who he was. When Billy came toward them, Bob and Bill got really scared. Then Billy said, ”Hi!” Bob and Billy said, ”Thank goodness!” Billy said, ”People put oil in the water. That’s why my back is black.” Billy felt bad about being different even though Bob and Bill said it was cool. One day Billy asked Bob and Bill if they could go swimming, so they could look the same as him. So Bob and Bill went swimming, and came out black and white. Bob, Billy, and Bill grew up and had babies, which were all black and white. And that’s why penguins are black and white.
Why Snakes Have No Legs by Drew One day in the jungle there was a snake. The snake went for a walk and came upon a mouse. This was a mean mouse. The mouse was so mean that he stomped on all of Mr. Snake’s legs! Mr. Snake, being a snake, has poison. His poison burns things. Mr. Snake tried to hit the mouse with his poison, but he accidentally hit his own legs and they burned off! In this same jungle was a parrot. The parrot saw what happened and went to get the Mighty Lion, King of the Jungle. The parrot told the Mighty Lion what happened between Mr. Snake and the mouse. The Mighty Lion said, “Bring Mr. Snake to my palace,” so the parrot did just that. The parrot said to Mr. Snake, “I told the Mighty Lion what happened between you and the mouse, and he said he would catch that rat and throw him in jail!” So they went to get the mouse. The problem was, though, that Mr. Snake could no longer walk. He tried to slither around, and that seemed to work. So, they went to the mouse’s house. They knocked down the door and asked Mrs. Mouse, “Where is Mr. Mouse?” “I’m not going to tell you,” she replied. Mr. Snake and the parrot searched the house for mouse, and found him hiding under the kitchen table. They brought him to Mighty Lion who put mouse in jail. Mr. Snake, without his legs, lived happily ever after. And that is why snakes have no legs.
Why Penguins Slide on Their Bellies by Angela Once upon a time penguins slid on their feet. Jess, Sara, Samantha, and Nick, a group of penguins, were all excited because the day of the Penguin Party had arrived. They were all making a cake. As they were icing the cake, all the frosting spilled onto their bellies. They ran outside and slid on their bellies to try to get it off. Some other penguins saw them and thought it was a good idea. That is why penguins slide on their bellies.
Why Snakes Have Forked Tongues by Sean Long ago, snakes’ tongues were straight. One day, Snake was taking a walk. He tripped, fell, and bit his tongue. His fangs were pretty sharp, so it really hurt. “OUCH!” Snake shrieked. The next day, Snake saw his doctor (who was an owl). “Hmmm…. Looks like it’s pretty serious,” said Dr. Owl. “You ought to get some rest.” When Snake got home, he looked in the mirror. His tongue was like a fork! That is why snakes have forked tongues.
Why Sharks Have No Bones by Erika Sally Shark used to have bones and legs. She lived on land. However, she always wished to live in the sea. One day, when Sally was swimming, she cut herself on a sharp coral reef. “Ow!” she yelled, not realizing she could breathe under the water. Little did she know, she now had gills. The next day, she went swimming. She realized she could breathe underwater! She swam so fast she could not stop and hit her legs on a coral reef, the same one that gave her gills. As she swam up to land, she could not get out of the water. She had hit the coral reef so hard it had knocked her legs off! The next day, Sally was getting used to the sea when she suddenly got hungry. A little fish swam by. “I will eat that,” she said to herself. The little fish grinned a shy grin. He pretended to be scared and slowly swam away. Sally Shark caught up with the fish and ate him. All of sudden she felt a little funny. The fish ate all of her bones! That is why no sharks have ever had bones or legs.
Why Dragons Blow Fire by Joseph Forty-five million years ago, dragons ruled the world. A small tribe of dragons lived in the East Dutch Indies. Two of the dragons were named Mike and Kate. One day, Kate and Mike were flying in the sky. They smelled smoke. When they looked down, they saw fire. They had never seen fire before. They were hungry so they swooped down. They really liked the taste of fire, so they ate all of it. Suddenly, they realized they could blow fire. That’s why dragons blow fire.
Why Chicks are Yellow by Lillian Long ago chicks were all white. There once was a chicken farmer who had three chicken families. One chicken was named Helen. She had seven chicks. They were all white. One day, the farmer was out at the mall. While the farmer was out, a painter came to paint the farmer’s house yellow. Helen, the mother chicken, was watching the painter paint with her chicks. The chicks wanted to go get a closer look. One little chick named Chunky said, “Oh Ma, please let us go get a better look!’’ but Helen said, “Of course not!” The little chicks kept asking Helen, so finally she let them go. The little chicks went over to the house to watch. Suddenly, Chunky said, “Hey, look, there’s some yellow stuff over there. Let’s go see what it is!” So all of the chicks went over to the yellow stuff, which was really the yellow paint for painting the house. When the chicks got to the paint, a chick named Springer said, “Hey, why don’t we go for a swim in it because it looks fun to swim in!” All the other chicks agreed, so they all jumped in. When they fell out of the paint can, they were all yellow. The chicks went back to their mom, Helen. She was worried when she saw her chicks covered in yellow paint. She tried to get it off, but it never went away. And that’s why chicks are yellow!
Why Cheetahs Have Spots by Kevin Once upon a time, there lived two cheetahs named Mike and Sally. Mike and Sally were teens. Long ago, they lived in a forest. They didn’t have any spots, but they but wanted spots very badly. They were playing tag in an opening in the forest when it started to get dark. Black clouds filled the sky. They stopped playing tag, laid down under a tree, and went to sleep. While they were sleeping, it rained black dots, and the black dots fell onto Mike and Sally. In the morning, they were surprised to find themselves covered with black dots. They celebrated because they had always wanted spots. And that’s why cheetahs have spots.
Why Cats Bathe Themselves by Malayna A long, long time ago, cats let their owners wash them. One day, Bob and Gilbert, a cat and a fish who were best friends, decided to go on a vacation. They didn’t know where to go. Bob finally said, “I know! Let’s go to Cat Island!” Bob grabbed Gilbert’s fishbowl and off they went. Once they arrived on Cat Island, they were happy to be on vacation. Gilbert said, “Let’s go in the water! I don’t want to be stuck in this fishbowl. I want to swim in the sea!” They went in the water. All of a sudden, Bob said, “It’s freezing in here!” The waves came up over his head. “Help! Help! I’m drowning!” Bob cried. Gilbert tried to get help. “Help! Someone is drowning!” All of a sudden, the Cat King jumped out. “Help!” Gilbert cried. “My friend Bob is drowning!” “Stand back!” commanded the the Cat King. “I will get your friend.” “Thank you, thank you, Cat King,” Gilbert said. “You’re welcome.” Cat King rushed into the sea and grabbed Bob by the back. “I will never get water on me again. I will only bathe myself!” Bob announced. And that’s why cats bathe themselves.
How Humans Got Their Bones by Thomas One thousand years ago, humans had no bones. All the other animals and mammals had bones. Humans crawled around like slime, so other animals couldn’t see them. Only the bulls could see the humans because they always look down. The bulls started getting mad at the humans because they would only eat other animals. The humans wanted to talk to the bulls to explain why they needed to eat animals, so they slithered over to the bulls. The bulls charged at the humans but the humans slithered away. The bulls caught up and stuck their horns in the humans’ legs where they broke off. The humans were able to stand up and wallk. The new bones multiplied and grew everywhere in the humans’ bodies. As for the bulls, they grew new horns and passed away. That’s how humans got their bones!
Why Flamingos are Pink by Rose A long time ago, all flamingos were white, and they shined in the sunlight in Africa at the zoo. One day, a girl named Sara visited the zoo. After Sara got her pink bubblegum flavored ice cream at the Ice Cream Shoppe, she headed to the flamingo cage. While Sara was walking, she tripped over a rock. When she tripped, all of her ice cream splattered all over one of the flamingos. All the other flamingos tried to rub the pink ice cream off, but they became pink, too! All the flamingos started to run around. At the end of the day, all the flamingos went inside and looked in a mirror. The flamingos thought they looked good in pink, so they decided to keep the pink on. When the flamingos had babies, the babies were pink, too! That is why flamingos are pink.
Why Giraffes Have Long Necks by Will Once there was a giraffe named Beck. She liked her life but she wanted a longer neck. So one day Beck went to Bush, the weaver, who also knew magic. Bush said, “Come back later and I will help you.” Beck really wanted to have a longer neck so she left, telling Bush she would be back later. Bush knew a lot of magic and he had a plan. He got some things together and he was off. Bush got to a big swamp. In the middle was a house. That house belonged to a witch named Ana. Bush had been to this house a lot, so he was not scared. He knocked on the door and a lady said, ”Come in.” Bush and the witch Ana sat down and started to talk. Bush gave the witch a red stone and the witch gave him a string. This string was magic. Bush put the string in a bag and went home. Soon after Bush got home, Beck returned to his house. When Beck got to Bush’s house she asked, “Are you going to make my neck longer?” Bush said “Yes.” Bush put the magic string on Beck’s neck. He pulled and pulled and pulled and Beck’s neck got longer and longer. And that is why giraffes have long necks.