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The Chinese Year of the Rat begins on February 7th 2008, (the last rat year was 12 years ago, in 1996). Bertie is celebrating the new year with a special story.
Rats are not exactly the most lovable creatures on earth, and when one was found in the Palace Kitchens recently, there were screams all round. The rat escaped to the pond where Prince Bertie the Frog lives, and Sadie the Swan demanded that he be expelled forthwith. But rats have rights too you know !
If you are interested in the Chinese Years named after animals, you can try this story. which explains how they got their names. We also have a video about the Aesop Fable – the Rat and the Elephant.
Read by Natasha. Duration 7.30.
The other day Bertie asked me to pop up to the Palace Kitchens to see if I could find him a nice piece of cheese. As you probably know, frogs don’t normally eat cheese, but Bertie is no ordinary frog – after all, he used to be a prince.
“Oh Natasha,” he said, “Green slime for dinner is all very well, but I do so miss the taste of a nice piece of creamy cheddar Cheese with just a little tang to it. Be a dear, and see if you can find me some up at the palace.”
But before I reached the door of the kitchen kitchen, I heard a scream from inside. At first I thought that perhaps someone had seen a ghost, because there are a few of those hanging around the palace, but then I heard the cook call out “
“Rat ! Rat RAAAAAAAT!”
The door was open a crack, and a moment later a grey creature with a pink nose squeezed through the opening and scuttled down the corridor. It almost ran over my toes .
I couldn’t help myself. I said
“EEEEEEEEK” !
Because although some of my best friends are animals, I can’t say that all that fond of rats. In fact they are probably my least favorite creatures of all, apart from cockroaches, and spitting cobras, oh yes, and I”m not so keen on jelly fish either.
[Audible Insert]
There was such a commotion inside the kitchen that it didn’t seem the right moment to wander in asking for a piece of cheddar, and so I went back down the garden to tell Bertie and the Pondlife what I had just seen – a rat inside the Royal Palace. Whatever next?
When I arrived at the pond, I found that the birds, fish, and amphibians who live their were holding a meeting. Sadie the black Swan was speaking and when she speaks, everyone listens, because she has what is called a very commanding presence.
“This is not a village pond,” she said. “It’s a Royal Pond. And there is no place here for a common, vulgar creature who belongs in the sewer.” .
A Canada Goose said “honk honk! “ And all the ducklings and signets – those are baby swans – cheeped and twittered in agreement. Only Colin the Carp said,
“Humph. She thinks she’s our Queen, she does.”
It was only then that I noticed that that not far away, the rat was hiding in the reeds. His little pink nose was twitching, and I could see that he was frightened. To my surprise, I actually felt quite sorry for him.
“I say t we should expel the rat forthwith!” said Sadie. And the water foul honked, quacked and twittered even louder than before.
I thought the rat was done fore, but then Bertie began to speak.
“Quiet. Quiet!!” he called out. And gradually the noise died down.
“Now Sadie is quite right,” he said, “When she says that this is a special pond. It is indeed a Royal Waterway, and nobody is a greater patriot for a pond than myself. But I think I know a thing or two about being Royal. After all, I used to be a prince. And let me tell you something.
First of all, a true Prince never turns anyone away because of the way they were born. It doesn’t matter if you are a peacock or a rat all creatures are equal. That’s the prince’s code. Except for dragons of course. We can’t have them around the place, because it’s our duty to fight them. But that’s a different matter.
Now let me tell you a secret. I might be a frog, but I was born in the Chinese Year of the Rat. And if a prince can be a rat – as well as a frog – then I say that rats have just as much right to live in a royal place as anyone.
As it happens, creatures who are born in the Year of the Rat are rather nice. They are smart and ambitious and easy to like.
And now here’s another thing. It just so happens that this year is the Year of the Rat . And do you know what that means?.. It means that Rats are Lucky this year ! And what’s more, to turn a rat away from our pond in the Year of the Rat would bring very bad luck indeed. So I say, Let’s hold a New Year’s Party for the Chinese Year of the Rat. And Let’s invite our New Friend to be our Guest of Honour!
And everyone honked and squawked and twittered even loader than before. The little tadpoles did somersaults in the water and even Colin the Carp was so moved that there was a little tear in his eye.
Sadie said, “Oh Bertie. Your so dignified. Now I see that it is indeed truly gracious to be kind to all creatures, even if they are yucky.!”
And at the party, every one ate loads and loads of Green slime, except for the Rat and Bertie, who stuffed themselves with a huge piece of Cheddar Cheese which I brought down from the palace specially for them.
And that’s the Story of how the one of the most ugly and hated creatures on earth was granted sanctuary on the pond. Because it’s a Royal Pond that Lives by The Prince’s Code – by the Royal Dicat of Bertie.
64 Comments
HAHA BERTIE ..Great choise of story… may you and the rest of ur friends at the pond have a prosperous and ratalicious new year
okay
niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I liked it.
IT WAS NICE AND FUNNY THE FUNNIEST PART IS EEEEW….
BUT THE ENDING WAS TOO SHORT AND NOT SO GOOD.
IF I AM THE JUDGE I WILL GIVE YOU ONLY 5/10 MARKS
BECAUSE IT was too funny at most part
Bloom
You are right that this one was a bit on the short side, but you can always try some of our longer bertie adventures such as Bertie on Holiday or Bertie and the Dragon
i love to hear stories about rat. this one is great! thank you for reading me this.
uhm… could you please read me a story about arthur(the rat).
i did nt read it yet because the earphones don’t work but it looks interesting, i was born in the year 1996 and now it’s 2008 and my birthday is tommarow on febuary 8th!
your doing a great job! good job natasha! 
Hi Cassandra – Happy Birthday and Happy Chinese New Year.
Raymond – Glad you like the Rat Stories – I’m not quite sure I know Arthur the Rat – does he ever come by the pond?
sniff sniff
I think he might mean Arthur the Aardvark, from the PBS kids show.
ffffffffffaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbb
uuuuuuuuuuullllllllllloooooooosss!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!natasha you are the
best reader ever i
hope you get my little note!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for gaara:u are like a dog smelling go houngang mall or mai kia sai
Very beautiful!!
yes
Well I really do love this book.
british so love you natasha
我我我我是是是是张张张张一一一一吃吃
Hi Natasha
your great love this story
from Ellie
我是是是是邹震雨雨雨雨
我是猪
I was born in the year 1996 and I am rat too!!!
hi, .
the story was ok. and had this morol:”all creitures have the same rights—even if they look ugly”
fondly
bill dengler
huh a rat cool
It is tooooooooooooooooo interesting.
ffffffffffaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbb
uuuuuuuuuuullllllllllloooooooosss!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!natashaniceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
like it
ahmed what is your first name because my second name is ahmed.any way it was wonderful the story was
nice good exerlent fabtabeloss
Cute voice!! I love your accent!
I hate rats very much.
I think that this is a grate story even I thogh never read it after all it is pretie grate after all
NICE STOREY AFTER ALL IT IS FABULOUSE AFTER ALL…………………………………..
i like
cheese
this story is very nice i adore it very much
nono 9 years old
i was born in the year of the rabbit i love rats and i have a pet rat called bertie hahah
I like this story a lot,
even though it’s a shortie
but if it was in a contest,
I’d only give it a 6/10.
Well, I still think Bertie is
right about all creatures being
fair.
if this story was in a contest i would give it a 10/10 because it was a amazing story
I liked this story, if the tiger havee won i would be a winner because i was born in the year of the tiger! The rat aws very cunning and thats why he won.
well done burtie and who ever wrote it with you! i loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great story i loved it, it was the best version of that story i have ever heard! It also helped me with my school work because we are doing about it at school so i just want to say
THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bertie, when is the next story coming out anyway. Also this story was really fun too. Oh and please, answer me bertie! Loyol fan, Phoebe.
AUSUME(너무 좋아)
it is very goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i woud give a 6/10
hey your chinese sentence dosen’t make sence translation
and it a bit offinsong it says i i i i i am am am am dirt dirty dirty eat eat eat邹震雨 said that
What has gotin in to beartie he thinks hes a prince
hansome colin please wright back
Dear Amy, thanks for your carp appreciation. I wrote back here.
http://storynory.com/2006/08/27/the-golden-fish/#comment-27599
not bad but it was funny.i really like sadei the swan her voice is very nice.give my thanks to natasha and please say that her voice is one of the best voices in the world.
Of course zahra is right.
Bertie, are you really 13 years old now? ( today )
Oh goodness! Please c’mon~ I really want to know what’s age of ya.
Either i might don’t understand.
In the story it says, “The Chinese Year of the Rat begins on February 7th 2008, (the last rat year was 12 years ago, in 1996). Bertie is celebrating the new year with a special story.”
Oh um… I guess Bertie was born in 1996…
Dear Princess Emma, the magic of stories means that I can be a different age each and every story if I want to.
i loved it!!!
please tell more about bertie, i’m a real fan!!!!!!!!!!
(oh, and why was the seats cold in the hockey arena?)……….
because FANS sat on them!!!hehehheh
please tell more longer.. stories pleaz
i do not like rats but after this ok, GO RAT`S!
birtie?
I WOULD GIVE THIS STORY 8/10 BECAUSE IT WAS VERY FUNNY BUT THE IT WAS VERY SHORT
hey, your supost to respond!
Neil, I do respond whenever I can
Did you have a pet rat,Bertie?
(Cough,cough)
¬ ¬
Kevan, my mother, the queen, told me that it wasn’t proper for a prince to have a rat for a pet. My brother, Harry, is awfully scared of them anyhow.