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Stories That Shape Us: Why the Tortoise’s Shell Is Cracked
Episode 48 • 30th April 2026 • Faithfully Explore! • Laura Menousek
00:00:00 00:18:38

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🎧 Episode Title: Why the Tortoise’s Shell Is Cracked

A Yoruba Folktale About Sharing, Fairness, and Friendship

🌟 Episode Summary

In this imaginative and interactive episode of Faithfully Explore!, we journey to Yorubaland to hear a traditional folktale about Ìjàpá the tortoise. When a sky-high feast is announced, Ìjàpá uses his clever words to trick the birds and ends up learning a hard lesson about greed and fairness.

Through call-and-response storytelling, movement, and rich cultural exploration, children ages 5–12 discover an important truth: when we take only what we need, there is enough for everyone.

🌍 Journey Highlights

  • Travel to West Africa and explore Yoruba storytelling traditions
  • Learn the call-and-response: “Àló o!” “Àló!”
  • Meet Ìjàpá, the clever trickster tortoise
  • Take flight to the Sky People’s feast
  • Discover what happens when one person takes too much
  • Learn why the tortoise’s shell is cracked
  • Practice the value: There is enough when we share

🎒 Belief Backpack Takeaways

Pack these important lessons to carry with you:

1. Take what you need, not everything you want

Fairness helps everyone feel included.

2. Leave some for others

Kindness means thinking about the people around you.

3. Sharing helps the whole group

When we share, more people get to join in—and that builds friendship.

💬 Say it together:

“When we only take what we need, there is enough for everyone.”

🎯 Weekly Challenge

Download your Ìjàpá’s Sharing Shell Tracker at FaithfullyExplore.com!

Each time you share this week, color in part of the tortoise’s shell. By the end of the week, you’ll have a colorful reminder of your kindness and fairness.

🧠 For Parents & Educators

This episode supports:

  • Social-emotional learning (SEL)
  • Cultural literacy and global awareness
  • Listening and comprehension skills
  • Character education (fairness, honesty, empathy)

Discussion Questions:

  • What did Ìjàpá do that wasn’t fair?
  • How did his choices affect the others?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • When is it hard to share?

📚 Keep Exploring (Book Pairings)

💛 Final Thought

Stories help us understand the world—and ourselves. Ìjàpá’s story reminds us that even when we make mistakes, we can learn, grow, and choose kindness next time.

🎙️ Let’s Stay Connected

💻 Visit: FaithfullyExplore.com

📩 Share your child’s Sharing Shell Tracker with us!

⭐ Leave a review to help more families discover Faithfully Explore!

Àló o! … Àló!

Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and keep exploring 🌍✨

Transcripts

Laura:

Imagine a place where the trees whisper secrets.

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The sun shines like gold.

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And wait for it...

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Animals talk just like you and me.

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I'm Laura and you are listening

to Faithfully Explore.

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Today, we are flying across the

ocean to a beautiful place in

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West Africa called Yoruba Land.

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In this land, stories

don't travel in books.

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They travel from mouth to ear, like

a game of telephone that never ends.

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But hold on, you can't just

walk into a Yoruba story.

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You need the secret password.

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In Yoruba Land, when a storyteller is

ready to begin, they shout out a special

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call to wake up everyone's imagination.

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It's like saying, "Clear the

way, a story is coming through."

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Here's how it works.

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I say Àló o!

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And you shout back.

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Àló!

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Do you think you're loud

enough to start a story?

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Let's find out.

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Ready?

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1, 2, 3.

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Àló o!.

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Faithfully Explore! Intro:

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faithfully Explore!

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is the name.

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Learning together is our aim.

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Beliefs around the globe we'll track,

filling up our Belief Backpack.

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Laura: A long, long time ago,

the ground was dry and the tummy

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of every animal was rumbling.

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Rumble, rumble, rumble.

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Can you make a hungry sound?

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Now, in this village lived a

tortoise named Ìjàpá Say it with me.

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Ìjàpá moved very, very slowly, but he

had two sparkling eyes that never stopped

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looking for a way to get what he wanted.

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He didn't have big stompy feet like Erin,

the elephant, and he didn't have scary

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pointy claws like Kiniún, the lion, but

Ìjàpá had a secret weapon: his voice.

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He was so good at using his words that

he could always get what he wanted.

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One morning, Ìjàpá heard something that

did not belong when everyone was hungry.

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He heard celebration.

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He crept through the forest,

scri, scratch, scratch on

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his little legs following the

sound, until he found the birds.

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There were birds with feathers

as bright as a rainbow.

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Birds with long wobbly legs and birds with

wings that flapped as fast as a heartbeat.

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Everyone was chirping and giggling so

much that you would never guess that

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their tummies were grumbly and hungry.

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Ijapa: Hmm.

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Water's making you smile even

though our tummies are empty.

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Parrot: A party, a giant feast.

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Laura: A feast.

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As soon as Ìjàpá heard that

word, his mouth started watering.

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He had to go gulp.

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Just to keep from drooling.

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Up in the fluffy white

clouds lived the sky people.

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They had invited all the birds

to the biggest party ever.

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We're talking about bowls of

hot soup, yummy roasted treats,

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and sweet, juicy fruits.

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Ijapa: Oh my.

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I can almost taste the spicy rice in

those sweet, golden fried bananas.

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Laura: Ijapa remembered something sad.

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He didn't have wings.

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Only the birds could fly up to the clouds.

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He looked at his short stubby legs.

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They were made for walking on the

ground, not for soaring through the air.

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Ijapa: But the party is way up high,

and I'm stuck down here on the dirt.

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Laura: But did Ìjàpá give up?

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Oh, no.

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He did exactly what Ìjàpá always does.

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He put on a smile as

sweet as honey and said,

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Ijapa: Oh, Mr.

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Eagle.

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Oh, Miss Parrot, you

look so beautiful today.

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Won't you take me to the Sky Party?

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I'm so skinny, I'm practically invisible.

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Eagle: You but you don't have any wings.

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How are you going to get up to the clouds?

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Heron: You are too slow, Ìjàpá.

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You'll make us late for the snacks.

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Parrot: We know you tortoise,

you're just following your tummy.

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You'll do anything for a treat.

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Laura: Ìjàpá ducked his head

down and looked at his toes,

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pretending to be very shy.

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He was an expert at

acting like a good boy.

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While his brain was busy

hatching a sneaky plan.

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Ijapa: It's true.

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I've a bit of a troublemaker

before, but I'm so hungry.

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And you're hungry too.

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Shouldn't friends help

each other find food?

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We're all in this together, right?

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Laura: The birds looked at

each other and whispered.

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They felt a little bit sorry for him.

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No one wanted to be

mean to a hungry friend.

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So one by one, they

all nodded their heads.

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Parrot: Okay, Ìjàpá, you can come

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Laura: Each bird plucked

one single feather.

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Some were brown, some were snowy white.

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Some had spots, and some

like a blue black rainbow.

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They dropped them all into Ìjàpás hands.

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All night long, he worked and worked

until he made two big, colorful wings.

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They looked a little bit silly and a

little bit messy, but they were wings.

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Everybody stand up and

spread your arms wide.

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Can you flap them like you're

flying all the way to the clouds?

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Flap faster, higher, higher.

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Up, up, up they went.

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The ground got smaller and smaller.

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The giant trees started to look

like tiny heads of broccoli.

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At first, Ìjàpá’s tummy felt a

little bit fluttery and nervous.

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Because these weren't real

feathers, and he was up very high,

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but then they reached the clouds.

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They were thick and soft and white,

just like giant piles of cotton candy.

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Ìjàpá let out a huge woohoo and

laughed out loud as they flew.

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The birds talked about being

on their best behavior.

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They reminded each other to say please

and thank you, and to wait their

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turn for snacks without grabbing.

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Ìjàpá listened very, very closely.

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He knew that being polite could sometimes

help him get exactly what he wanted.

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After a while, he cleared his throat

and put on his most serious face.

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Ijapa: My dear friends!

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I almost forgot.

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There's a very important

rule for Sky Parties.

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Everyone has to pick a special

party name just for today, the

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sky people will think we are very

fancy if we have special names.

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Laura: The birds blinked their eyes.

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They had never heard of a party name

rule before, but Ìjàpá sounded so

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smart, like he had been to a hundred

parties, so they all believed him.

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The birds chose new names.

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They laughed as they named themselves.

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Parrot: Bright Wing!

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Eagle: Sky Drummer.

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Heron: That Never Falls

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Laura: Then they asked Ìjàpá,

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Parrot: What about you?

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What is your party name?

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Laura: He paused.

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Ijapa: Call me All Of You.

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Parrot: All Of You?

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Ijapa: Exactly.

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We are one big team.

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Right?

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So what is a better name than all of you?

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It's the perfect name for a party.

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Laura: The birds chirped and

flapped their wings in excitement.

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They thought having a party name

sounded like a wonderful idea.

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It made them feel even more

ready for the big celebration.

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Because Ìjàpá was such a good

talker and used such fancy words,

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the birds made a big decision.

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They asked Ìjàpá to be their

leader and to do all the talking

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once they reached the sky.

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Can you guess what Ìjàpá

was really planning?

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Let's find out.

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When they finally reached the sky.

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The sky people were so happy to see them.

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They loved bright colors and

happy songs, and seeing all those

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rainbow feathers made the whole

sky feel like a giant celebration.

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Ìjàpá stepped forward, wiggling

his silly, colorful wings.

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He used his very best manners and said

the nicest things anyone had ever heard.

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He was so polite and spoke so

well that the sky people thought,

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" wow, this funny looking bird.

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Must be the king of all the birds."

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Then came the giant feast.

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Imagine the biggest yummiest dinner ever.

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There were pots of bubbly soup,

soft white mounds of pounded

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yam, and sweet golden treats.

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There were even towers

of fruit piled high.

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The birds were so hungry their

tummies were doing flips,

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but they stayed very still.

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They knew they had to wait

for the host to speak.

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A wise sky elder stepped forward, took

a tiny bite of the food, and smiled

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Sky Elder: Let the party begin.

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This yummy food is for all of you.

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Laura: Suddenly, Ìjàpá jumped

up and did a happy dance!

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Ijapa: Did you hear that?

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He said my name.

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My party name is All Of You.

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Remember?

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That means this whole

feast is just for me.

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Laura: The birds were shocked.

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Their beaks dropped open before they

could even say, Hey, wait a minute.

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Ìjàpá sat right down and

started gobbling everything up.

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He ate the biggest pieces of fruit, the

yummiest soup and the fluffiest yams.

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The sky people looked confused.

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They thought, "oh, look

how nice those birds are.

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They are letting their leader eat first.

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How polite."

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So a Ìjàpá kept eating, and eating,

and eating until he was stuffed.

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When he finally finished, the birds

rushed to the pots, but oh no, there were

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only tiny crumbs and empty bowls left.

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There was nothing but

the scraps at the bottom.

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Can you believe it?

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That greedy tortoise ate all the

spicy rice, the yummy yams, and

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every single bite of dessert.

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The poor birds only

got to lick the spoons.

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They were so mad that their feathers

stood straight up on their heads.

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The birds had a quick meeting.

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Parrot: He tricked us!

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Laura: One by one they

marched right up to Ìjàpá.

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Eagle: Give me back my feather.

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Parrot: Mine too.

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Eagle: No more flying for you, Ìjàpá!

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Laura: They pulled and they plucked

until his colorful wings fell

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apart like a pile of autumn leaves.

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Then the birds flapped their wings and

soared high into the sky, and there

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stood Ìjàpá on the very edge of a cloud.

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Looking down, down, down.

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Ijapa: Wait, come back.

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Please, I need your help.

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Go tell my wife  Nyanríbọ̀ to bring

out every soft thing in our house.

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Tell her to pile up the fluffy

blankets, the soft rugs, and

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the big pillows in the yard.

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I’m going to jump, and I

need a soft place to land.

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Laura: The birds just kept flying.

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They didn't wanna help the

sneaky tortoises at all.

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Finally, Parrot turned around.

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Now, Perrot was very smart, and he was

still very mad that Ìjàpá had tricked him.

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So he made a plan of his own.

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Parrot: Fine.

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Ìjàpá I'll take your message.

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Laura: Parrot flew all the way down

to Ìjàpá's house and found his wife,

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but he didn't tell her the truth.

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Parrot: Hello there.

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Your husband has a message.

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He says you must bring out all

the hard things in the house.

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Quick line the yard with heavy

rocks, crunchy tools, and big stones.

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Laura: Nyanríbọ̀ scratched her head.

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"Hard things.

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That sounds a bit strange," she thought,

but she wanted to help her husband,

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so she did exactly what Parrot said.

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Way up high.

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Ìjàpá looked down.

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He saw his wife moving

things around in the yard.

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From him all the way up in the clouds,

he couldn't see what the things were.

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He just hoped they were

soft, squishy pillows.

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He took a big, deep breath, closed

his eyes, and got ready to jump.

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Close your eyes to Explorers.

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Take a deep breath on the count of three.

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1, 2, 3.

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He tumbled through the whistling wind

down, down, down through the air.

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Screaming ah!

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Until the ground rushed

up to meet him and...

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crack!

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He hit the hard, stony

ground with a giant thud.

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His shell cracked into a million

tiny pieces that scattered all over

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the yard, like a broken puzzle.

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Nyanríbọ̀ let out a gasp and ran to him.

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She carefully gathered up every single

little piece of his shell in her hands.

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She found a very wise and patient

doctor who spent days and nights

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fitting all the jagged pieces back

together like a master builder.

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No matter how hard they

tried, Ìjàpá's shell was never

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perfectly smooth ever again.

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The cracks turned into bumpy scars,

and the lines turned into rough ridges.

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And that, my fellow explorers, is

why today when you see a tortoise

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wandering slowly through the grass,

you can see the story of that day.

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His shell reminds everyone that

it's much better to be kind and

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share than to be a greedy trickster.

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The birds gave Ìjàpá a beautiful

gift, one feather from each of them.

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They didn't have to do it.

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They did it because they wanted

to be kind and help a friend.

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Ìjàpá took all that kindness

and used it just for himself.

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He ate the whole feast.

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Even though there was plenty of food

for everyone to have a full tummy.

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He forgot a very important rule.

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When we only take what we need,

there is enough for everyone.

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But what happened to him, he ended

up all alone on a cold cloud with no

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wings, no snacks, and the saddest part

of all, no friends left to help him.

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What's inside our belief

backpack this week?

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Now let's zip open our Belief

Backpack and see what we're

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taking with us from today's story.

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First, take what you need.

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Not everything you want.

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Sometimes there is enough for

everyone, but only if each

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person takes a fair share.

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That might mean taking one cookie

instead of three, one turn instead

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of five, or a few craft supplies

instead of the whole pile.

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Second, leave some for others.

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A caring heart doesn't

just ask, do I have enough?

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It also asks, is there enough

left for everyone else?

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That is one way we show kindness

to the people around us.

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Third, sharing helps the whole group.

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When everyone takes only what they

need, more people get to join in more.

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People feel included, and the

whole group can be happy together.

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Fairness makes room for friendship.

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Say this with me:

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When we only take what we need,

there is enough for everyone.

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When we only take what we need,

there is enough for everyone.

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Now whisper it:

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When we only take what we need.

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There is enough for everyone.

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This week, I have a

special challenge for you.

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If you go to my website,

faithfully explore.com,

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you can download your Ìjàpá's

Sharing Shell Tracker, try

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to share throughout the week.

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Each time you share color in a part

of the tortoise's shell, by the end

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of the week, you will have a shell

as colorful as the wings Ijapa made.

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I'm so glad you explored

Yoruba Land with me today.

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Adventurers, before you go, let's practice

our secret code one last time to keep

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the magic of the story in our hearts.

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Are you ready,?

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Àló o!

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Fantastic!

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Just remember, look out for your flock,

share your snacks, and always leave

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room for a friend because life is much

more fun when we all fly together.

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This has been Faithfully Explore.

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I'm Laura.

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Until next time, stay curious,

stay kind, and keep exploring

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that wonderful world around you.

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Faithfully Explore! Outro:

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Faithfully Explore!

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is about you.

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Let's grow kinder together it's true!

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