The Little Hippo’s Usefulness
There was a “Who’s the Most Skilled” competition in the forest, and many animals won prizes. Only the little hippo lost in every event, and everyone called him “Useless.” The little hippo blushed with shame and quietly hid in the grass to cry.
A little bird on the tree saw him and said, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Everyone has their own special talent. I see that you have a big mouth, so why don’t you learn to sing from me?” The little hippo felt happy when he heard this and started learning to sing from the bird. But his loud voice was so booming that everyone covered their ears, holding their heads, and shouted, “It sounds terrible! It sounds terrible!”
The little hippo was so sad that he started crying again. The lion saw this and said, “Your eyes are sharp, why don’t you learn to hunt with me?” The little hippo really wanted to learn some skill, but he didn’t want to hurt any animals, so he didn’t want to learn hunting. The lion shook his head at the little hippo and walked away with his hunting rifle.
The little hippo hung his head and was about to cry again. Just then, a camel caravan carrying large packages passed by. The little hippo thought, “My legs and arms are very strong, I should join the camel team!” So he followed the camel caravan into the desert. But the little hippo wasn’t used to walking in the desert, and before long, he was so tired that he collapsed. Lying on the ground, the little hippo felt really upset!
After returning from the desert, the little hippo saw the frog chef. The frog noticed how unhappy the little hippo looked and said, “Look at your round belly, just like mine. You should learn to cook from me.” The little hippo happily tied on an apron and followed the frog chef to start cooking. But the little hippo’s hands were too big and clumsy, and he couldn’t chop the vegetables finely at all.
Feeling downcast, the little hippo went back to the riverside and sat alone, sulking. He muttered to himself, “Sigh, I’m really useless!” Just then, a little squirrel appeared. The squirrel wanted to cross the river, but there was no bridge. What could it do? The squirrel saw the little hippo and said, “Brother Hippo, you’re strong and can swim. Can you help me cross the river?” The little hippo was thrilled and carried the little squirrel across the river. At that moment, he finally realized something: everyone has a use. So he set up a service station by the river, hanging up a sign that read, “Free River Crossing.” The little hippo had found his purpose!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
