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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Culture / Heritage / Lifestyles
- Published: 07/18/2014
Vernon the Vegetarian Lion
Born 1941, M, from Harvest, AL., United StatesVernon The Vegetarian Lion
A Children’s Story By
Carl Brooks
Vernon was a handsome young lion that lived in Africa, where most lions do. He had big brown eyes and a long, golden tail with a ball of bushy fur right on the tip of it. Vernon liked very much to run and play with the other young lions, and they liked him too.
Often his whole family, or pride, as a lion family is called, would go hunting for dinner. Lions all liked to eat meat very much. That is, all except Vernon. For, you see, Vernon wasn’t ferocious like the others. He was very gentle and didn’t like to kill; not even for food.
Now, for a lion not to like meat was very strange indeed. Not only that, but the other lions teased and made fun of him. They made up mean songs and laughed at him, which made living in the pride very difficult for Vernon. He knew that he was not exactly like the other lions and his feelings were hurt when they teased him. He took it as long as he could. After all, it isn’t much fun being teased, is it?
Finally, when he was old enough, Vernon decided to make his own way in the world. Of course, he wasn’t angry with the other lions, after all they were his own family, and everyone knows that you can’t stay angry with your own family.
He began his journey one morning just as the sun was peeking through the trees. He didn’t know exactly where he was going, and didn’t know what he would do when he got there. But, he knew that he didn’t like to be teased just because he was a little different. Do you?
One day Vernon came to a village. He had never seen a village before and everything about it seemed quite strange. The people in the village didn’t notice him at first; not even when he walked right down the middle of the street. Anyone could see that they were much too busy to notice Vernon. He thought that this was quite nice. Maybe he had found himself a real home where no one would point at him and tease him. After all, no one likes to be teased.
Vernon walked up and down the street looking into all the little stores and shops. He sniffed the wonderful smells of the bakery, and snorted at the funny smell of the shoe shop. He smiled at the pretty colors of the pots and vases in the pottery store. Then, he saw something that made him very, very happy. It was a store with baskets and baskets of fresh vegetables all around it.
There were carrots and potatoes and cucumbers and tomatoes, and even some fresh fruit like pineapples and peaches and apples, and much, much more. How wonderful, he thought. Because, by this time Vernon was getting quite hungry; and since he was a vegetarian, this seemed to be the perfect place for him.
Then, a strange thing happened. Just at the very moment he took a bite of a tasty yellow squash, everyone stared at him. The whole town began to laugh and point at him, saying, “look at that silly lion,” he’s eating vegetables. The king of beasts, indeed! What’s the matter silly lion, are you afraid to go out and catch your own dinner like other lions do? Who ever heard of a lion eating vegetables?
Well, Vernon thought, this was no different than back home. So, he decided to look for a friendlier place. After all it isn’t much fun being teased, is it?
It wasn’t long before Vernon came across a farm by the roadside. There were so many different kinds of vegetables in the field that he couldn’t count them all. He saw beans and spinach and radishes and corn, and lots of different kinds of juicy fruit. What kind do you like?
Vernon thought for a moment, then decided that there were so many wonderful things to eat in the garden that the people working there wouldn’t mind if he ate just one or two of the tasty vegetables. Some of the people were hoeing and some were gathering the harvest to sell in the market in town. There were big people and there were little people all working away and didn’t notice him at first, until he ate a red, ripe tomato in one large gulp. After all, he was awfully hungry… wouldn’t you be hungry too?
When the farmers saw what Vernon had done, they all gathered around and laughed very, very loud. They teased him for eating vegetables and said that he was a silly vegetarian lion. All of them laughed at Vernon, except for the little ones just about your size. They looked at Vernon and smiled because they knew it is no fun being teased… is it?
Once again Vernon continued his journey, but now he was much wiser. He knew it wasn’t always easy to do what he wanted to do. Vernon wasn’t like other lions, so he kept looking for a place where even a vegetarian lion could be happy and fit in with others.
Then one day as he reached the top of a very, very high hill and he saw a most beautiful valley below. In fact, it was the most beautiful place that he had ever seen. Just like the one you see right now when you close your eyes. After looking closer, Vernon discovered strange plants growing everywhere; the kinds of plants that he’d never seen before. They had red and yellow berries hanging down from their branches. He sniffed at the strange plants. They smelled different from anything he had ever smelled before. But, he thought, just because they are a little different doesn’t mean that they are bad.
He looked around very carefully to see if anyone was watching who might laugh at him if he tasted one of the berries. He ate one… then, another. He rolled his eyes around several times and then smiled a smile that was ever-so-big. They were the best tasting things that he had ever eaten. But, what were they? He ate another one and when he bit down he heard a very loud “crunch.” That’s it, he thought. Since Vernon had discovered them and they go crunch when you eat them, he decided to call them Ver-unch berries. At last, Vernon had found the place where he belonged,
There was only one thing wrong. He had no one with which to share his happiness and this made him a little sad. So, he searched the entire valley for someone with whom to share his good fortune and happiness. Someone, maybe, like himself, who was a little different and wouldn’t laugh at him for being different. After all, he was beginning to get a little lonesome… wouldn’t you?
It wasn’t long before he came upon a large grove of lemon trees and a very pretty young lioness who was eating the lemons, one right after the other. “Yeachhhht,” thought Vernon to himself. That was about the silliest thing he had ever seen. He knew what lemons tasted like and couldn’t understand how she could possibly eat them. Before he realized it, he was laughing and teasing her about doing such a strange thing. “Silly lioness,” he said in lion talk. “Nobody eats lemons, they’re too sour,” aren’t they?
Then, all of a sudden, he remembered. Not long ago he was the one being laughed at and teased… and it doesn’t feel very good, does it? So Vernon stopped laughing and told the lioness that he was sorry for teasing her just for being a little different.
Soon, others came to live in Ver-unch berry land and everyone was very happy from that day on no one laughed at them ever again. They were just as nice as could be… just like you. Sooooooo, Shoo!
The End
Vernon the Vegetarian Lion(Carl Brooks)
Vernon The Vegetarian Lion
A Children’s Story By
Carl Brooks
Vernon was a handsome young lion that lived in Africa, where most lions do. He had big brown eyes and a long, golden tail with a ball of bushy fur right on the tip of it. Vernon liked very much to run and play with the other young lions, and they liked him too.
Often his whole family, or pride, as a lion family is called, would go hunting for dinner. Lions all liked to eat meat very much. That is, all except Vernon. For, you see, Vernon wasn’t ferocious like the others. He was very gentle and didn’t like to kill; not even for food.
Now, for a lion not to like meat was very strange indeed. Not only that, but the other lions teased and made fun of him. They made up mean songs and laughed at him, which made living in the pride very difficult for Vernon. He knew that he was not exactly like the other lions and his feelings were hurt when they teased him. He took it as long as he could. After all, it isn’t much fun being teased, is it?
Finally, when he was old enough, Vernon decided to make his own way in the world. Of course, he wasn’t angry with the other lions, after all they were his own family, and everyone knows that you can’t stay angry with your own family.
He began his journey one morning just as the sun was peeking through the trees. He didn’t know exactly where he was going, and didn’t know what he would do when he got there. But, he knew that he didn’t like to be teased just because he was a little different. Do you?
One day Vernon came to a village. He had never seen a village before and everything about it seemed quite strange. The people in the village didn’t notice him at first; not even when he walked right down the middle of the street. Anyone could see that they were much too busy to notice Vernon. He thought that this was quite nice. Maybe he had found himself a real home where no one would point at him and tease him. After all, no one likes to be teased.
Vernon walked up and down the street looking into all the little stores and shops. He sniffed the wonderful smells of the bakery, and snorted at the funny smell of the shoe shop. He smiled at the pretty colors of the pots and vases in the pottery store. Then, he saw something that made him very, very happy. It was a store with baskets and baskets of fresh vegetables all around it.
There were carrots and potatoes and cucumbers and tomatoes, and even some fresh fruit like pineapples and peaches and apples, and much, much more. How wonderful, he thought. Because, by this time Vernon was getting quite hungry; and since he was a vegetarian, this seemed to be the perfect place for him.
Then, a strange thing happened. Just at the very moment he took a bite of a tasty yellow squash, everyone stared at him. The whole town began to laugh and point at him, saying, “look at that silly lion,” he’s eating vegetables. The king of beasts, indeed! What’s the matter silly lion, are you afraid to go out and catch your own dinner like other lions do? Who ever heard of a lion eating vegetables?
Well, Vernon thought, this was no different than back home. So, he decided to look for a friendlier place. After all it isn’t much fun being teased, is it?
It wasn’t long before Vernon came across a farm by the roadside. There were so many different kinds of vegetables in the field that he couldn’t count them all. He saw beans and spinach and radishes and corn, and lots of different kinds of juicy fruit. What kind do you like?
Vernon thought for a moment, then decided that there were so many wonderful things to eat in the garden that the people working there wouldn’t mind if he ate just one or two of the tasty vegetables. Some of the people were hoeing and some were gathering the harvest to sell in the market in town. There were big people and there were little people all working away and didn’t notice him at first, until he ate a red, ripe tomato in one large gulp. After all, he was awfully hungry… wouldn’t you be hungry too?
When the farmers saw what Vernon had done, they all gathered around and laughed very, very loud. They teased him for eating vegetables and said that he was a silly vegetarian lion. All of them laughed at Vernon, except for the little ones just about your size. They looked at Vernon and smiled because they knew it is no fun being teased… is it?
Once again Vernon continued his journey, but now he was much wiser. He knew it wasn’t always easy to do what he wanted to do. Vernon wasn’t like other lions, so he kept looking for a place where even a vegetarian lion could be happy and fit in with others.
Then one day as he reached the top of a very, very high hill and he saw a most beautiful valley below. In fact, it was the most beautiful place that he had ever seen. Just like the one you see right now when you close your eyes. After looking closer, Vernon discovered strange plants growing everywhere; the kinds of plants that he’d never seen before. They had red and yellow berries hanging down from their branches. He sniffed at the strange plants. They smelled different from anything he had ever smelled before. But, he thought, just because they are a little different doesn’t mean that they are bad.
He looked around very carefully to see if anyone was watching who might laugh at him if he tasted one of the berries. He ate one… then, another. He rolled his eyes around several times and then smiled a smile that was ever-so-big. They were the best tasting things that he had ever eaten. But, what were they? He ate another one and when he bit down he heard a very loud “crunch.” That’s it, he thought. Since Vernon had discovered them and they go crunch when you eat them, he decided to call them Ver-unch berries. At last, Vernon had found the place where he belonged,
There was only one thing wrong. He had no one with which to share his happiness and this made him a little sad. So, he searched the entire valley for someone with whom to share his good fortune and happiness. Someone, maybe, like himself, who was a little different and wouldn’t laugh at him for being different. After all, he was beginning to get a little lonesome… wouldn’t you?
It wasn’t long before he came upon a large grove of lemon trees and a very pretty young lioness who was eating the lemons, one right after the other. “Yeachhhht,” thought Vernon to himself. That was about the silliest thing he had ever seen. He knew what lemons tasted like and couldn’t understand how she could possibly eat them. Before he realized it, he was laughing and teasing her about doing such a strange thing. “Silly lioness,” he said in lion talk. “Nobody eats lemons, they’re too sour,” aren’t they?
Then, all of a sudden, he remembered. Not long ago he was the one being laughed at and teased… and it doesn’t feel very good, does it? So Vernon stopped laughing and told the lioness that he was sorry for teasing her just for being a little different.
Soon, others came to live in Ver-unch berry land and everyone was very happy from that day on no one laughed at them ever again. They were just as nice as could be… just like you. Sooooooo, Shoo!
The End
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