Tops and Bottoms Story
Tops and Bottoms Story
and
Bottoms
adapted and illustrated
by Janet Stevens
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why is it important to
grow food crops?
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Once upon a time there lived a very lazy
bear who had lots of money and lots of land.
His father had been a hard worker and a smart
business bear, and he had given all of his
wealth to his son.
But all Bear wanted to do was sleep.
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Not far down the road lived a hare. Although Hare was
clever, he sometimes got into trouble. He had once owned
land, too, but now he had nothing. He had lost a risky bet
with a tortoise and had sold all of his land to Bear to pay
off the debt.
Hare and his family were in very bad shape.
“The children are so hungry, Father Hare! We must
think of something!” Mrs. Hare cried one day. So Hare and
Mrs. Hare put their heads together and cooked up a plan.
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The next day Hare hopped down the road to Bear’s
house. Bear, of course, was asleep.
“Hello, Bear, wake up! It’s your neighbor, Hare, and
I have an idea!”
Bear opened one eye and grunted.
“We can be business partners!” Hare said. “All we
need is this field right here in front of your house. I’ll
do the hard work of planting and harvesting, and we
can split the profit right down the middle. Yes, sir,
Bear, we’re in this together. I’ll work and you sleep.”
“Huh?” said Bear.
“So, what will it be, Bear?” asked Hare. “The top half
or the bottom half ? It’s up to you—tops or bottoms?”
“Uh, let’s see,” Bear said with a yawn. “I’ll take the
top half, Hare. Right—tops.”
Hare smiled. “It’s a done deal, Bear.”
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So bear went back to sleep, and Hare and his
family went to work. Hare planted, Mrs. Hare
watered, and everyone weeded.
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Bear slept as the crops grew.
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When it was time for the harvest, Hare
called out, “Wake up, Bear! You get the
tops and I get the bottoms.”
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Hare and his family dug up the carrots, the
radishes, and the beets. Hare plucked off all
the tops, tossed them into a pile for Bear, and
put the bottoms aside for himself.
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Bear stared at his pile. “But, Hare, all the best
parts are in your half !”
“You chose the tops, Bear,” Hare said.
“Now, Hare, you’ve tricked me. You plant this
field again—and this season I want the bottoms!”
Hare agreed. “It’s a done deal, Bear.”
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So bear went back to sleep, and Hare and his family
went to work. They planted, watered, and weeded.
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Bear slept as the crops grew.
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When it was time for the harvest,
Hare called out, “Wake up, Bear! You
get the bottoms and I get the tops.”
442
Hare and his family gathered up the lettuce, the
broccoli, and the celery. Hare pulled off the bottoms
for Bear and put the tops in his own pile.
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Bear looked at his pile and scowled. “Hare, you have
cheated me again.”
“But, Bear,” Hare said, “you wanted the bottoms this time.”
Bear growled. “You plant this field again, Hare. You’ve
tricked me twice, and you owe me one season of both tops
and bottoms!”
“You’re right, poor old Bear,” sighed Hare. “It’s only fair
that you get both tops and bottoms this time. It’s a done
deal, Bear.”
444
So Bear went back to sleep, and Hare and his
family went to work. They planted, watered, and
weeded, then watered and weeded some more.
445
Bear slept as the crops grew.
446
When it was time for the harvest, Hare called
out, “Wake up, Bear! This time you get the tops
and the bottoms!”
447
There in front of Bear’s house lay a
high field of corn. Hare and his family
yanked up every cornstalk. Hare tugged
off the roots at the bottom and the tassels
at the top and put them in a pile for Bear.
Then he carefully collected the ears of
corn in the middle and placed them in
his own pile.
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Bear rubbed his eyes and watched.
“See, Bear? You get the tops and the
bottoms. I get the middles. Yes, sir, Bear.
It’s a done deal!”
449
By now Bear was wide awake. “That’s it, Hare!”
he hollered. “From now on I’ll plant my own crops
and take the tops, bottoms, and middles!”
Hare and his family scooped up the corn and
hopped down the road toward home.
450
Bear never again slept through a season of
planting and harvesting. Hare bought back
his land with the profit from the crops, and
he and Mrs. Hare opened a vegetable stand.
451
And although Hare and Bear learned
to live happily as neighbors, they never
became business partners again!
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