Crocodile asks various animals to look at his sore tooth but they refuse, fearing he will eat them. Ostrich agrees to help. When she puts her head in his mouth, Crocodile snaps down due to being hungry. As Ostrich pulls her head out, her neck stretches longer and longer until she escapes. Ostrich is left with a long neck that allows her to reach high berries and see far, while Crocodile apologizes for hurting her due to his hunger.

1. How the Ostrich got its long neck

2. One day, on a river banks in Africa, Crocodile woke up with
a toothache.

3. He decided to swim down the river and ask the other
animals to have a look at his sore tooth.

4. First he swam to Monkey who was in a tree on the river
bank. He called “Monkey, I have a sore tooth. Can you
please have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No way! I
am not putting my head in your jaws, you might eat me,”
Monkey replied.

5. So Crocodile swam on. He got to Elephant who was sitting on
the water’s edge. He called “Elephant, I have a sore tooth. Can
you please have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No way! I
am not putting my head in your jaws, you might eat me,”
Elephant replied.

6. So Crocodile swam on. Next he saw two birds who were flying
above him. He called “Birds, I have a sore tooth. Can you please
have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No way! We are not
putting our heads in your jaws, you might eat us,” they replied.

7. So Crocodile swum on. He got to the Deer who was running
along the side of the river. He called “Deer, I have a sore tooth.
Can you please have a look and see why it is so sore?”. “No
way! I am not putting my head in your jaws, you might eat me,”
Deer replied.

8. Crocodile was beginning to get really sad that no one
wanted to look at his sore tooth. He could not understand
why they did not want to help him. ‘I would never eat them,
they are my friends’, he thought. He decided to keep
swimming and hopefully find someone along the river who
would help him.

9. As he continued to swim down the river he saw Ostrich. He
thought Ostrich would help because she is so nice. He called
“Ostrich, I have a sore tooth. Can you please have a look and
see why it is so sore?”. She said, “Yes sure Crocodile! Open
wide”.

10. Crocodile was so happy that his friend Ostrich would help him.
Although, as he swam over to her he began to feel very, very
HUNGRY.

11. He opened his mouth wide for Ostrich to have a look. But
when she put her head into Crocodile’s jaws, Crocodile
snapped down on her head!

12. Crocodile would not let go because he was so hungry. All the
other animals were watching and calling “Pull Ostrich, pull!”. So
Ostrich pulled as hard as she could but she could not get her
head out of Crocodile’s jaws.

13. Ostrich kept pulling but every time she pulled, her neck
stretched longer and longer and longer.

14. She finally got her head out, but when she stood up she
realised she now had a really, really long neck.

15. Crocodile felt really bad and said “I am so sorry Ostrich, I did not
want to hurt you. I am just so hungry”. Ostrich said “That is fine
Crocodile, I know you did not mean to hurt me”.

16. In fact, Ostrich began to like her new long neck as she could
now pick berries of the high trees and see far, far into the jungle.