Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! (Palestine)

There was once a woman who had no children. She prayed to Allah: "I would love a child, even if it is nothing more than a cooking pot!"

Willa! She had a child! And it was a little pot! At once the little pot began to hop up and down. "Momma! Momma! Momma! I love you! I love you! I love you!

"Oh my," said the woman. "I have a little pot for a child. But she loves me. I will take good care of her."

Every day, while her mother worked, Little Pot would roll around, banging against the walls. What a sound she made!

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

Ome day, Little Pot said to her mother, "Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"

"No Little Pot," said her mother, "not by yourself. You aren't old enough to know right from wrong."

"I know how to behave! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"

At last her mother agreed. "You have to go out by yourself someday. Perhaps i should let you go now."

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

Down one street she rolled and up another... till she cam to the rich man's shop.

"What a beautiful little pot!" said the rich man. "I'll take this pot home to my wife. I know! i'll have the pot filled with honey!"

"Yum," thought Little Pot. "I love honey!"

The rich man's wife was delighted. "We'll have honey for supper!"

"No they won't," though Little Pot. "I'll keep it myself." And she held her lid shut tight.

The wife pulled. The wife pushed. "Husband, come help! This lid is stuck!"

The husband pulled. The husband pushed. he could not get the lid off the pot.

"This pot is not good. I am sorry I bought it into the house!"

And he threw the pot out the window.

Little Pot jumped up and rolled home.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

My mouth is full of nummy!"

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

"I'm taking my momma honey!"

Momma! Momma! pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"

"Oh, Little Pot! You are bringing me HONEY! The honey seller must have sent it as a gift. How kind of him."

Little Pot said nothing at all.

Next day...

"Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"

Oh, Little Pot, I don't know. Are you sure you are old enough to know right from wrong?"

I know how to behave. Let me go to Market!"

So the mother opened the door and off rolled Little Pot.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

Past the market... all the way to the king's palace.

Look at this little pot!" cried the king. "My wife will like this!"

"Thank you, husband! What are a great place to keep my jewels."

The queen took off her bracelets and put them in the pot.

She took off her rings and put them in the pot.

Then she put on the lid.

That evening, the queen reached for the little pot to take out her jewels.

Willa! The pot's lid was stuck!

The queen pulled. The queen pushed. "Husband, would you take the lid off this pot?"

The king pulled. The king pushed. The lid would not come off.

"I'm sorry I brought this pot into the house! I won't have it here another minute!"

The king threw the pot out the window.

Wait! My jewels are inside! Stop that pot!" But Little Pot was rolling off home.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

"My mouth is full of jewels!"

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

"The king and queen are fools! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"

Her mother picked up the little pot. She took off her lid.

Oh, Little Pot! no one has given you these. You have been taking things that are not yours! Tomorrow we will take these things back."

That night Little Pot's mother went to bed so sad... so sad.

Next morning, Little Pot got up before her mother was awake.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

She rolled right to the marketplace.

"Let's see what good things I get today!"

She hadn't long to wait. Here came the rich merchant.

"This is the little pot that stole my honey! I'll take this pot to the king. We cannot have little pots running around taking things that do not belong to them!"

The king jumped up at once.

"Wife, isn't this the little pot that carried off your jewels?"

"This is the very pot!"

"This little pot should have a just reward, " said the king. "take it to the goat pen and fill it full of what it deserves."

The little pot was so excited. "I am going to get a reward!"

But... PLOP!

In came a shovel full of MUCK!

Then PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! the little pot was filled with yuck. Off she ran home.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

I want my Maa-ma Maa-ma!"

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

"My mouth is full of nyaa-nyaa!"

"Momma! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"

Oooooohhhhh, Little Pot. You smell! Someone caught you stealing. Little Pot, i hope you've learned your lesson. You cannot take things that do not belong to you!"

After that, Little Pot did not go out alone for a long, long time. Not until she was old enough to know the difference between right... and wrong.