Bear the Bully and the Bundle of Sticks 🐻🪵

This week’s story is based on an Aesop’s Fable called “The Bundle of Sticks”, which teaches us the age old lesson that “unity is strength”. 

The forest animals are tired of being bossed around by the bullying Bear, who threatens to GOBBLE THEM UP if anyone tries to disagree with him. Can they find a way to work together and get bear to correct his bad behavior? Let’s find out!

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Written, performed, and produced for you by Claire Krendl Gilbert. Thanks to my daughters for their assistance playing and singing the intro and outro!

©2024 Claire Krendl Gilbert. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Hi friends this week's story is based on an Aesop's fable called the bundle of Sticks which teaches us the age-old lesson that unity is strength.

00:00:13

The forest animals are tired of being bossed around by the bullying bear who threatens to gobble them up if anyone tries to disagree with him. Can they find a way to work together and get bare to correct his bad behaviour? Let's find out.

00:00:33

Occasionally it happened that the forest animals would come together to work on a project. It could be clearing A blockage from a stream or planting seedlings to encourage new trees or moving brush that was dry and crunchy and in danger of Catching Fire and taking out the whole forest. And when?

00:00:53

This happened. Bear was always in charge because Bear was biggest and strongest and meanest out of all the other creatures. However, this did not make bear a good lead.

00:01:12

He often had bad ideas that made projects take longer or made them harder, or made them more dangerous for the animals working on them, and he never lifted a paw to help either.

00:01:26

The other animals resented this, but in the past, every time someone had complained, Bear would say.

00:01:33

Stop your belly aching and do as I say. If you keep complaining, I'll gobble you up.

00:01:41

And that always scared the other animal who had dared to complain into silence.

00:01:47

None of the animals liked this situation, but no one could get bear to listen to reason and no one wanted to be gobbled up, so things continued in this rather unhappy fashion for a very, very long time.

00:02:04

A giant tree had recently split apart at the base, but had fallen into the surrounding trees rather than making it safely to the ground.

00:02:13

As a result, it was swaying dangerously and threatened to knock down more trees when it finally came loose from the other branches.

00:02:22

Since the other trees were home to many, many creatures, the animals wanted to minimize the damage and had decided it was time to come together and sort out a solution.

00:02:34

As usual, Beyer had presented himself as the boss and could be heard all throughout the forest, loudly proclaiming that all they needed to do was chew the entire tree into mulch.

00:02:48

Everyone else knew that would take forever and the tree would have long since succeeded in knocking over its neighbors. By the time any of the animals had managed to so much as two half the tree into mulch.

00:03:02

But no one knew how to tell Bear Fox, for one, was absolutely determined that he wasn't spending years of his life chewing at the bark of the tree until it crushed him when it fell anyway.

00:03:17

He was angrily pacing around, the clearing, twitching his tail in agitation. When Crow landed near by. Oh, there, Fox, what have you so upset? Crow asked.

00:03:31

Perhaps you hadn't heard yet, Crow, but Bear has another terrible idea and is planning to bully all the other animals into it, even though it's dangerous and won't work, Fox fumed. I'm absolutely done taking orders from Bear, but I can't work out how to stop this for once.

00:03:51

And for all.

00:03:52

I hadn't heard yet, Crow agreed. But it so happens I have an idea. You foxes are very solitary sorts and, well, I can respect that. There is a reason we crows prefer to travel together and I think it can work to our advantage.

00:04:13

Dear, do you? Tell? Fox exclaimed.

00:04:18

And Crow hopped closer to Fox and whispered his plan.

00:04:22

The next morning, before Bear was awake for he liked to sleep well into the day crow and Fox split up and covered as much territory in the forest as they could, telling all the animals to meet them in one hour. At that same clearing so that they could all agree on a plan to stop bears bullying ways.

00:04:43

Crow and Fox both had very well deserved reputations as tricksters, so this task was met with a commensurate amount of skepticism from pretty much everyone they encountered. It spoke to how frustrated and fatigued they were that every last animal they invited.

00:05:03

Showed up. The clearing was soon packed with raccoons, possums, squirrels, songbirds, Hawks, chipmunks, coyotes, skunks, deer and every other forest creature you could think of. Even the Owls had roused themselves from their daytime slumber to attend.

00:05:21

Squirrel, who never had a problem speaking her mind, chattered at Fox and Crow from a branch as Crow landed in the middle of the clearing and Fox wound his way through the assembled animals to meet crow in the center. Well, we're all here. What's your idea? She demanded first, Crow said. We need.

00:05:41

Everyone here to gather 1 fallen stick each.

00:05:47

What does that?

00:05:48

Have to do with anything? Raccoon scoffed.

00:05:52

Gather a stick and you'll find out, Fox replied cheerfully.

00:05:57

I cannot carry a very large stick. Chipmunk spoke up.

00:06:02

That's all right. Just get whatever size is comfortable for you, Crow said. It's not so important how big or small they are.

00:06:13

A little suspicious and annoyed because they suspected they were all in for another trick. The animals trickled out of the clearing to locate their stick.

00:06:23

Crow and Raven already had theirs prepared while the animals were out of the clearing, they fetched 2 long ropes from where they'd hidden them in a Bush.

00:06:33

Working together, they laid the ropes out side by side and stretched them out long and straight.

00:06:39

They grabbed their sticks and set them side by side across the ropes.

00:06:44

As animals returned with their individually selected sticks, Fox and Crow directed them to continue the line.

00:06:51

Which grew as more and more animals laid their sticks across the ropes.

00:06:56

When everyone had finished placing their sticks, Fox said. Now we need one of you who is very strong to help with a demonstration.

00:07:05

Moose tossed his giant antlers.

00:07:08

Well, I suppose I'm rather strong.

00:07:11

He said. I suppose you are Fox agreed. Come here then, won't you? Moose pick any stick you like and break it.

00:07:20

Any stick was asked. Any stick? Fox agreed.

00:07:26

Moose selected one of the larger sticks and gave it a good, strong stomp. The stick shattered into shards. Hey, that was my stick. Coyote. How old indignantly. You can get another if you like, Coyote Crow said.

00:07:45

But you'll see where this is going momentarily.

00:07:49

Steal my stick? Coyote pouted. Now moose another if you would.

00:07:56

Moose selected another large stick and trampled it into mulch. Very good, Fox said. Now I know how Coyote feels. That was my stick, bobcat complained.

00:08:09

Fox gave Coyote and Bobcat both a look and addressed the rest of the assembly. Now, if you would be so kind, would those of you at either end of the ropes grab them and bring them towards the center? We are going to make a bundle.

00:08:24

Working together, the animals pulled the ropes and rolled the sticks such that they formed one gigantic bundle.

00:08:31

Crow got raccoon to use her clever paws to tie the ropes nicely together at the top so that the sticks were firmly held, wrapped snug in the tall bundle. Thou moose will you see if you can trample that Fox asked.

00:08:45

Moose gave a great leap onto the top of the bundle and trampled and trampled, but nothing happened. The bundle held strong.

00:08:55

After a bit, moose leapt off the bundle and shook his wide antlers again.

00:09:00

No, I cannot break this bundle.

00:09:03

He said. And that my fellows is exactly what we're going to do with bear. Crow. Cod. We've been disagreeing with him one by one. And he always threatens to gobble us up. But look at what we have here alone.

00:09:19

We are weak like these sticks, but together, crow paused and let the idea sink in for the rest of the animal.

00:09:29

Together we are strong.

00:09:33

Coyote howled, finally catching on together. We are strong, Crow agreed.

00:09:40

So we'll go to bear together. Chipmunks squeaked. Exactly. Chipmunk Fox said we'll go as a group and settle this with bear together.

00:09:50

And that was just what they did on mass. They walked and flew and hopped and waddled to bears.

00:09:58

Bear was just waking up and gave a great yawn of surprise when he saw all the forest creatures assembled outside his den. What's this done? Bear asked. You've all come to get an early start working that tree. I take it? Very good, bear said, without giving anyone a chance to respond.

00:10:18

Well, let's get to work. Doing as I said then.

00:10:21

And bear stud and gave a great shake to wake himself up. No, bear. That's not why we're here, Fox corrected.

00:10:30

Bears head snapped around to find Fox and Bear narrowed his eyes, menacingly, ignoring the threat, Fox continued. We are here to let you know that everyone is sick of your bad ideas and your bossiness you're welcome to help us with the tree, of course, but when it comes to the tree and any other future.

00:10:51

Projects. You're not going to tell anyone what to do if you happen to have a useful idea, you may suggest it, but the days of ordering us to do things that make no sense.

00:11:05

How dare you?

00:11:07

Bear bellowed.

00:11:08

I'll gobble you up.

00:11:11

But the other animals closed in around Fox, all giving bear equally furious glares and offering their own angry bellows in response.

00:11:21

And that was when bear realized that he could not possibly gobble up the entire forest.

00:11:28

And that there were more of them than there was of him.

00:11:33

He shook his great head again.

00:11:36

I will. I'm warning you.

00:11:39

No, he won't bear because we're all in together on this and I know you don't want to fight with the entire forest because when it comes right down to it, even you aren't that foolish, Fox said.

00:11:53

Bear was pretty sure there was an insult somewhere in that, but he was so surprised and angry that he didn't know what to do.

00:12:03

We'll see how you do without my help then.

00:12:06

He cried and ran away, pushing his way through the throng of animals and barreling out into the deep woods.

00:12:14

Muttering to himself about how they'd regretted and come crawling back, the animals did not regret it.

00:12:22

They gave a great cheer and then they did get to work on the tree coming together to safely take it apart bit by bit from the top until they could position it to fall safely without endangering the homes of the other animals and giving the ones who had been left in the tree plenty of time to get to safety. It was a testament to teamwork.

00:12:43

And cooperation. And when bear finally sulked back to his den, he saw the trees safely taken down and promptly took himself into his den to nurse his hurt feelings for the entire winter.

00:12:56

When he finally emerged in the spring in a slightly better and chastened mood, he insisted to anyone who would listen that it had only been his hibernation.

00:13:06

After that, bear might sometimes try to boss everyone around, but it only took a gentle reminder that his bullying did not work for him to back off and embarrassed about his long sulk, bear continues to hibernate during winter. To this day, Fox, Crow and the other.

00:13:26

Animals had learned that unity makes strength and Bear had learned it too. Whether he liked it or not. The end.

00:13:36

Are there situations where you have found that unity makes strength? I find that a lot on the farm there are things that are way too hard to do by myself that are made possible and much easier when I have others helping me and I found the same to be true for difficult situations where a voice of a group is stronger than my voice.

00:13:55

Alone, it's important to remember that you're not alone, and we can all help make things better, especially when we work together.

00:14:04

Thanks so much for listening.