TURTLE - TURTLES STORIES
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)

BOOKS:
When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Tale from the Choctaw Nation by Tim Tingle (2007 - ages 4-8)
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–Variations of the race between the tortoise and the hare crop up regularly, but this version, retold as a trickster tale, stands out for its humor and expressive illustrations. Here, the rabbit only thinks he raced a turtle. In fact, it was a flying turkey wearing Turtle's shell. Also a porquoi tale, the story begins when Turkey steps on Turtle's back, breaking his shell into pieces. Turkey recruits an army of ants to mend it with cornsilk, and the shell transforms from a swirl into its familiar geometric pattern. In appreciation, Turtle allows Turkey to try it on just as Rabbit appears, itching for a race. The rest is history, though few have heard the historic event retold quite like this. The prose alternates between rhyming and nonrhyming text and for the most part it bounces along without stumbling. A few lines feel manipulated to create the rhyme, such as 'What is it?' asked Turtle, his eyes opened wide./'Here comes Rabbit,' said the Little Bitty Five./'Rabbit wants to race, and he won't be denied.' Bright cartoon illustrations capture the tale's humor and energy. Turkey explodes off the page as he emerges from Turtle's shell, ready to run. The animals' various emotions are well rendered, including Turtle's chagrin, Rabbit's aggression and later humiliation, and the budding friendship between Turtle and Turkey. Use this book as a variation to a common folktale, an introduction to Native American lore, or as a fine read-aloud all on its own.–Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR
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Sea Turtle Stories:
1) There is a Japanese story about a fisherman, Urashima Taro, who saves a sea turtle, meets her next day when fishing, travels with her to the land under water and the sea dragon king, marries the princess who was the turtle, returns to three days later to visit his parents, finds that three hundred years have passed, opens a box he was told not to open, purple fumes comes out of the box and in an instant he becomes three hundred years old and dies. I have it in a Swedish translation from 1903, but it was apparently translated to English at request from Andrew Lang, so it might be somewhere in his collections.

Another idea would be to use the story about the turtle who fell into the sea because he couldn´t keep himself from talking when carried by his bird friends. It could be used to explain why there are turtles in the sea nowadays. I don´t know what science says about this; perhaps it is the presence of turtles/porpoises on land that needs explaining.

2) I am not sure if this would be appropriate but in the story Urashima Taro, the giant sea turtle who is the messenger of the Dragon King who lives under the sea is saved by Urashima. It is a story for older children, grade four (age 10) and up IMHO. There is an adaptation by Rafe Martin in Ready to Tell Tales by Holt and Mooney.

Another one that might work is How the Turtle Cracked Its Shell, although I don't think that turtle is a sea turtle. Maybe you could adapt it. October's Lore
http://www.ilhawaii.net/%7Estony/1096myth.html

Here are some turtle stories I found online.
Philippine myths, legends and folktales
http://www.veranda.com.ph/viloria/alamat/

Big Turtle
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~oban/bigturtl.htm

January's Native American Lore for 1997
http://www.ilhawaii.net/%7Estony/197myths.html

Native American Legends-Waynaboozhoo and the Great Flood
http://www.coehs.uwosh.edu/index.php

3) This story is on one of Dovie's tapes. I tell it frequently. Turtle wants to go south with the birds, and he bites on the middle of a stick, which they hold with their feet. When he speaks (in wonder at the sights, in response to people making fun of him . . . several versions), he loses his grip on the stick and falls. He buries himself in the mud and comes out in the spring, his shell healed but with the cracked pattern to this day.

4) Here's an old compilation of turtle stories that Granny Sue put together - note that it has names of folks who posted those stories to Storytell - I'm looking for a copy of Anansi and Turtle, and noted that not all of these are in SOS. 
• Turtle of Koka by M.R. MacDonald --Mary G. Ketner
• Eleven Turtle Tales by Pleasant de Spain (both book and cassette versions)--Elizabeth Parkhurst
• Leopard's Magnificent Drum (Pleasant DeSpain)--Sean Buvala

• There are several Turtle stories - look in Bruchac's Iroquois Tales.
• There is a wonderful Anansai and Turtle tale - African -but I can't find my source right now.  It's a terrific tale where Anansai isn't very hospitable to Turtle.  Turtle responds in kind when Anansai comes to dine with him.
• Yertle the Turtle by Seuss--Ina Doyle
• Urashima Taro (Jane Yolen Favorite Folk Tales from Around the World)--Victoria Dworkin
• The Great Turtle Drive by Steve Sanfield--Alyson Neil and Betsy Bybell
• There's the Indian story about how turtle got the cracks in his shell, after trying to catch a flite south with two swan buddies....True Rhymer
• How the Turtle Cracked His Shell in Ready to Tell Tales by Holt and Mooney--Debra Olson Tolar
• King Turtle by Seuss--tuly
• Here are several Turtle tales:
1. In the following versions, Turtle (Terrapin, Tarrypin, or Tortoise) challenges Rabbit to a race. He defeats and teaches Rabbit a lesson. He or she has the help of other relatives. If you look under the Motif K11-22.2, Contests Won by Deception" there are probably more. I am including information on 6 versions.
How the Turtle Beat the Rabbit (Cherokee) in Why The Possums Tale is Bare & Other North American Indian Nature Tales by James E. Connolly.
The Little Turtle and the Wolf (Seminole) in Legends of the Seminoles by Betty Mae Jumper.
Slow Train to Arkansas (U.S.) in Terrapin's Pot of Sense by Harold Coulander.
Mr. Rabbit Finds his Match at Last (African American) in Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris.
The Tortoise and the Reedbusk Run a Race (Central Africa) in The Magic Drum by W. F. P. Burton.
The Hare and the Hedgehog (Germany) in Told Again by Walter de la Mare.
2. Aesop's The Tortoise and the Hare.
3. The Hungry Spider and Turtle. Basically, spider invites Turtle over for lunch. But everytime Turtle sits down to eat, Spider tells him to wash his feet. And everytime Turtle returns there is less food. Several months later Turtle returns the favor. I only have the plot on this story and have worked up my own version. It is suppose to be in a book by Courlander and Herzot (1947).
4. The Turtle and the Monkey by Galdone, I think.
5. Anansi and Turtle and Pigeon (Jamacian) in A Collection of Anansi, The Spider Man.
6. The Aminal by Balian. Little boy finds a "friend" and takes it home with him. He tells one of his friends and she tells another who tells another who.... Eventually, his friends decide to save him from the "terrible, horrible aminal." In the end they all find out that it is just a "little turtle."
7. There is another story about Little Rabbit who gets lost from his family when they move to a new location. He begins to cry and Coyote tells the little fellow that his song is "wonderful." Little Turtle tries to tell him that he is not singing, but crying. Coyote insists that it is singing and threatens him into continuing the song. Finally, L. Turtle tricks Coyote and wins his freedom. The trick is to convince Coyote that the river water is not good for the Turtle so that Coyote throws the L. Turtle into the river. After Coyote realizes his mistake and Little Turtle is gone, he kicks a stone and crys. A passing crow admires Coyote's song. The story ends with Coyote saying, "Stupid Bird,
don't you know when you hear crying."
Sharon Peregrine Johnson

Joe Hayes has a story in  Coyote &, Native American Folk Tales retold by Joe Hayes.  Coyote & Turtle is similar to Brer Rabbit and the briar patch, only this time the charcters are a young turtle and coyote. Coyote captures Turtle as he is crying for his mother and requests that turtle teach him the song. Turtle: "I'm not singing. I'm crying." Eventually Turtle outwits coyote and ends up back in the cold river where he was born. Coyote starts crying at turtle's escape, and a passing bird asks what song he is singing. Coyote: "I'm not singing. I'm crying."
Audrey Kopp

I don't think anyone has mentioned the old story that California is built on the back of a family of turtles. Their squabbling and jostling cause earthquakes. I don't remember if that's Chumash or Shoshone in origin. I believe it's in a book called "Stories California Indians Told" or something like that.
Nick Smith

From Rose, the Story Lady--
I have a little turtle. 
His name is Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub
To teach him how to swim.
He drank up all the water. 
He ate up all the soap.
Now every time he tries to talk,
There's a bubble in his throat.

I just love a children's book called Old Turtle.
Sheryl Karas

from TellerVT--
One of the many stories about how turtle's shell was broken is this one:
     Turtle could not keep his mouth shut:  he said mean things so that the only friend he had was buzzard.  He convinced buzzard to take him flying, but while they were flying, he smelled something terrible: buzzard's breath. He couldn't keep from mentioning it.  Buzzard explained that he only eats dead, rotten things--did turtle mind? Turtle looked down at the earth, far away, and said he didn't mind. But he couldn't keep his mouth shut; he finally blurted out, "Buzzard, you stink!"  Buzzard went into a nose dive, and turtle fell down, down, and his shell smashed against the hard ground.
      It took turtle a week to get someone who would agree to turn him on his feet again.  He wasn't hurt, but his shell was cracked. Turtle learned his lesson; now he never says a single word.
-- a variation from a story by Sara Cone Bryant that I found in Stories to Tell Children, 1907 and in Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss' fantastic book, Children Tell Stories.
S ource supplied by Mike Meyers.

Here is a Cherokee Indian story, How Turtle Cracked His Shell, told by Robin Moore.  This can be found in Ready to Tell Tales by David Holt & Bill Mooney. (I understand that this is actually a combination of two Cherokee Indian Stories.)
Turtle and Possum are sharing persimmons.  Wolf comes along and pushes turtle aside and starts eating persimmons.  Possum throws down a big one. Wolf chokes, gasps, goes belly-up with all 4 paws in the air.  That would have been the end of him except his friends come along and perform the "wolflich" maneuver and he is back to his mean, onery self.  He chases after turtle and possum.  Possum goes up a tree and wolf catches turtle. Wolf takes him up the hill to where the wolves are cooking dinner. Threatens to throw him in the pot.  "I'll just kick and stomp and break the pot to pieces." Wolf threatens to throw turtle in the fire.  "I'll just roll around and around and put your fire out."
        Wolf threatens to throw him into the river.  Turtle begs him not to do this.  Wolf "frisbees" him into the river.  Turtle swims away. BUT. . he hit his shell on a big rock in the middle.  Turtle heals in the sun but the shiny smooth shell he was proud of is no more.  And to this day turtle's shells have 13 segments.
        I bought a turtle shell at an Indian Pow Wow.  It makes a great visual aid to use with the story.  I love to tell this story.  I involve the children in "eating persimmons", using hand motions.  I love dramatizing the dying wolf and howling, "I'mmmmmm goooonnnnaa get himmmmm!"  Turtle and his aching back are fun to do too!
--from Rose the Story Lady

The Sad Tale of Rabbit's Tale (from The Magic Boat and other Chinese Folk Tales, M.A. Jagendorf and Virginia Weng, Vanguard Press, New York)
Once upon a time rabbits had long beautiful bushy tails.  Rabbit wanted to cross the river but he couldn't swim.  So he boasted that there were more rabbits than turtles.  The turtles argued back.  Rabbit says, "We'll count our children."  Turtle lines all his children up in a big line across the river.  Rabbit counts them as he and his friends hop across.  Then he taunts turtle for being gullible.  Turtle is angry. When the rabbits aren't looking, turtle creeps out of the water and bites off their tails! And that's why rabbits have short stumpy tails!
(By the way, did you know that gullible isn't in the dictionary?)
--Rose the Story Lady

Tortoise, Hare and the Sweet Potatoes can be found in The Wonderful Ox of the Wonderful Horns and Other African Folktales, Ashley Bryan, Atheneum, New York, 1971.
Tortoise and Hare decide to steal sweet potatoes from the boar because they are so hungry.  They no sooner have them roasted, than rabbit hears boar coming.  "Quick, rum!"  Tortoise pretends to run (slowly) and then crawls in the empty sack.  Rabbit comes back, sees tortoise is out of sight and throws the roasted sweet potatoes in the sack.  All the time he is carrying the sack of sweet potatoes (and tortoise), tortoise is eating all the sweet potatoes.  Rabbit is thinking he was really smart to outwit tortoise.   When rabbit sits down to pull out a big sweet potatoe, he finds he is holding tortoise!  He lays down on the ground and cries because she is so sneaky!
Rose the Story Lady

An interesting turtle fact that seems to fit into sessions involving folk or Indian tales: The center of a turtle's shell has 13 squares on the back of it's shell representing the 13 lunar months in a year.  It also has 28 smaller squares around the larger ones representing the number of days in a lunar cycle.  Got this fact (?) out of Jack Maquire's Creative Storytelling.
Nick Martin

Joseph Bruchac has a great children's book, Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back.  Philomel.  ISBn0-399-22141-7. -- On one of our several trips from CA to TX we stopped at a desert nature museum, exactly where escapes me for the moment, somewhere in Arizona I believe . . . the female turtle's tail flap section is a larger piece, ie. no crack in the center of that section as it is in a male turtle . . . it's so the flap can raise to lay eggs.
Angela Klingler

A short story I got from Dayton Edwards:
Turtle and frog sat on a rock in the river.
A rain drop fell on turtle's head.
Turtle said "It's going to rain"
Frog said "We'd better go home - we'll get all wet"
So they both swam home.
Turtle stories are found in the Native American cultures of the Northeast -Iroqois and Southeastern tribes. Turtle is a primary trickster like Coyote. Check Arthur Parker's Seneca collections - Skunny Wundy is excellent. Look also for some Turtle stories in the Br'r Rabbit - Uncle Remus tradition - there are a number in Julius Lester's quartet of Uncle Remus tales. There are stories in the African tradtions - one of the best is Tug a War - where a turtle gets a Hippo and Elephant into a tugging war - each thinking they are pulling against the turtle who boasts he is the strongest beast in the jungle.
--Barry Kent McWilliams

1) Very similar to the Tortoise and Buzzard story is one I found on a tape called Edna Mason Kaula The African Village Folktales Audio Collection -read by Brock Peters and Diana Sands put out by Harper Collins, SBN 137. This is story of the Bimba or Bemba / Bantu (It's a recording - anyone, please correct if you know the correct spelling -
I'll check it out tomorrow if I can) people from area now called Zambia. Wonderful thing about this tape is that before each tale a history of the people and area are given - those are wonderful stories too.
Ina V.D.

This story is called The Pattern on Tortoise's Back.
Tortoise decides he wants to visit his friend vulture who lives high in the mountains where Tortoise can't travel.  He has his wife wrap him up in tobacco leaves.  She has to tell vulture that Tortoise has a that he is a pack of tobacco that her wants traded for grain. (In the background material this whole process of "silent trading" is explained.) Vulture is almost home when Tortoise yells, "Surprise, it's me in the tobacco leaves."  Vulture is so surprised that he drops Tortoise.
Moral - Keep your mouth shut.  Or Don't  be impatient
Granny Sue

2)  On the same tape : How Animals Got Their Beautiful Colors from the Zulu people in South Africa.
This was long ago when all the animals were the same color -sort of dingy gray. Hyena is very mean to Tortoise - and Tortoise is rescued from his plight by some other animals.  In gratitude Tortoise paints the some other animals - giraffe, zebra, etc. When Hyena sees the other animals, he bullies Tortoise into painting him. That's why Hyena is such a messy looking animal.
Ina V.D.
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(This web page updated 9/29/04; 3/5/06; 2/2/08)