Caterpillars aren’t like other folks.
As ducks and hippopotamuses and 你 and I get older, we get bigger. Especially hippopotamuses.
But not caterpillars.
They turn into butterflies.
Turning into something else like that is not a thing just anybody can do.
Down 由 the pond there lived a 毛虫, 毛毛虫 who was very proud of being different.
She bragged about it to her friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the snail.
“That’s nice,” 说 the snail, who really didn’t care one way 或者 the other.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the turtle.
“I don’t blame you,” 说 the turtle, who didn’t much like wiggly things.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the polliwog.
“What fun!” 说 the polliwog.
“What are 你 going to turn into?”
But the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 hurried on her way, looking for someone else to tell her secret to.
“I wish I could turn into something else when I grow up!” 说 the polliwog.
“You will,” 说 the fish. “All polliwogs do.”
“What am I going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
But the 鱼 saw a tasty bug and dashed after it.
“When I grow up,” 说 the caterpillar, who had circled the pond and was going around for the 秒 time, “when I grow up,” she told the polliwog again, “I’m going to turn into something else.”
“So am I!” 说 the polliwog.
“You?!” The 毛虫, 毛毛虫 was so surprised she almost fell into the pond.
“The 鱼 说 so,” the polliwog told her. “Fish know things. They go to school.”
The 毛虫, 毛毛虫 was upset.
“I though only caterpillars could do it,” she 说 rather sadly.
“What am we going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
“Well, I’m going to turn into a butterfly!” 说 the caterpillar.
“Then I guess I will, too!” the polliwog 说 happily. “What fun! Let’s do it together!”
“All right,” the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 agreed, although she would rather have done it alone. “But I get to go first!”
The polliwog didn’t mind. He wasn’t at all sure how it was done. “I’ll watch you,” he said.
So when the time came, the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 started to spin a cocoon.
“This is the tricky part,” she said.
The polliwog watched as the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 spun. Soon only her head was uncovered.
“Now I have to close the lid,” she said.
“And when I come out, I’ll be a butterfly.”
“Go ahead!” the polliwog 说 excitedly. “I want to see 你 do it!”
“It will take a while,” the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 warned. She started spinning again and was soon out of sight in the cocoon.
For a long time nothing happened.
But the polliwog was patient.
He watched
and watched
and watched,
for days
and days,
and days.
At last there was activity in the cocoon. The end of it opened and, very slowly, the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 climbed out.
Only she wasn’t a 毛虫, 毛毛虫 anymore. She was a butterly! A beautiful yellow butterfly!
The polliwog was so excited he hopped up and down with delight!
He hopped! Up and down! Like a frog!
“I was so busy watching you,” he said, “I didn’t notice what was happening to me!”
“You’re a very handsome frog,” the 蝴蝶 said, as she flew off to try her new wings.
But the frog was puzzled. “I thought I was going to be a butterfly,” he said.
A 毛虫, 毛毛虫 wiggled by. “When I grow up,” he 说 proudly to the frog, “I’m going to turn into something else!”
But the frog wasn’t listening.
He was admiring his reflection in the water.
“I am, 你 know, a very handsome frog!” he said.
As ducks and hippopotamuses and 你 and I get older, we get bigger. Especially hippopotamuses.
But not caterpillars.
They turn into butterflies.
Turning into something else like that is not a thing just anybody can do.
Down 由 the pond there lived a 毛虫, 毛毛虫 who was very proud of being different.
She bragged about it to her friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the snail.
“That’s nice,” 说 the snail, who really didn’t care one way 或者 the other.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the turtle.
“I don’t blame you,” 说 the turtle, who didn’t much like wiggly things.
“When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else,” she told the polliwog.
“What fun!” 说 the polliwog.
“What are 你 going to turn into?”
But the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 hurried on her way, looking for someone else to tell her secret to.
“I wish I could turn into something else when I grow up!” 说 the polliwog.
“You will,” 说 the fish. “All polliwogs do.”
“What am I going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
But the 鱼 saw a tasty bug and dashed after it.
“When I grow up,” 说 the caterpillar, who had circled the pond and was going around for the 秒 time, “when I grow up,” she told the polliwog again, “I’m going to turn into something else.”
“So am I!” 说 the polliwog.
“You?!” The 毛虫, 毛毛虫 was so surprised she almost fell into the pond.
“The 鱼 说 so,” the polliwog told her. “Fish know things. They go to school.”
The 毛虫, 毛毛虫 was upset.
“I though only caterpillars could do it,” she 说 rather sadly.
“What am we going to turn into?” the polliwog asked.
“Well, I’m going to turn into a butterfly!” 说 the caterpillar.
“Then I guess I will, too!” the polliwog 说 happily. “What fun! Let’s do it together!”
“All right,” the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 agreed, although she would rather have done it alone. “But I get to go first!”
The polliwog didn’t mind. He wasn’t at all sure how it was done. “I’ll watch you,” he said.
So when the time came, the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 started to spin a cocoon.
“This is the tricky part,” she said.
The polliwog watched as the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 spun. Soon only her head was uncovered.
“Now I have to close the lid,” she said.
“And when I come out, I’ll be a butterfly.”
“Go ahead!” the polliwog 说 excitedly. “I want to see 你 do it!”
“It will take a while,” the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 warned. She started spinning again and was soon out of sight in the cocoon.
For a long time nothing happened.
But the polliwog was patient.
He watched
and watched
and watched,
for days
and days,
and days.
At last there was activity in the cocoon. The end of it opened and, very slowly, the 毛虫, 毛毛虫 climbed out.
Only she wasn’t a 毛虫, 毛毛虫 anymore. She was a butterly! A beautiful yellow butterfly!
The polliwog was so excited he hopped up and down with delight!
He hopped! Up and down! Like a frog!
“I was so busy watching you,” he said, “I didn’t notice what was happening to me!”
“You’re a very handsome frog,” the 蝴蝶 said, as she flew off to try her new wings.
But the frog was puzzled. “I thought I was going to be a butterfly,” he said.
A 毛虫, 毛毛虫 wiggled by. “When I grow up,” he 说 proudly to the frog, “I’m going to turn into something else!”
But the frog wasn’t listening.
He was admiring his reflection in the water.
“I am, 你 know, a very handsome frog!” he said.