Once upon a time there was a little Indian boy whose name was Sudi, who loved growling at tigers.
"You be careful," his mother told him. "Tigers don’t like being growled at."
But Sudi did not care, and one day, when his mother was out, he went for a walk to find a tiger to growl at.
As soon as Sudi came up the tiger sprang out and growled. "Grrrrr-Grrrrr-Grrrr-Grrrrrr!"
And Sudi growled right back. "Grrrr-Grrrrrr-Grrrrr-Grrrrrrrr!"
The tiger was annoyed! "What does he think I am?" he thought. "A squirrel? A rabbit? A mouse?"
So the next day, when he saw Sudi coming, he sprang out from behind the tree and growled louder than ever, "Grrrrrr-Grrrrr-Grrrr-Grrrrr-Grrrrrr!"
"Nice tiger! Good boy!" said Sudi, as he stroked him.
The tiger could not bear it and went away and sharpened his claws and lashed his tail and practiced growling. "I am a tiger!" he said. "T-I-G-E-R: TIGER. Grrrrrrr!" And then he went and had a drink at the pond. When he had finished drinking he looked at his reflection in the water. There he was, a lovely yellow tiger with black stripes and a long tail. He growled again, so loudly that he frightened even himself, and ran away. At last he stopped.
"What am I running away for?" he thought. "It’s only me. Oh dear, that boy has upset me! I wonder why he growls at tigers?"
The next day, when Sudi passed, he stopped him. "Why do you growl at tigers?" he asked.
"Well," said Sudi, "it’s because I’m shy, really And if I growl at tigers it sort of makes up for it, if you see what I mean."
"Oh, I see!" said the tiger.
"After all, tigers are the fiercest animals in the world and it is very brave to growl at them."
The tiger was pleased. "Fiercer than lions?"
"Oh yes!" said Sudi.
"And bears?"
"Much fiercer."
The tiger purred and felt friendly. "You are a nice boy!" he said, and gave him a lick.
After that they often went for walks together - and every now and then they growled at each other.
Story Time � 1984-1989 by Rubicon Press CC