Illustrations also by Joanna Troughton
Tortoise had a dream….
He dreamt of a tree which
was in a secret place.
From the tree’s branches grew
all the fruits of the earth –
bananas, dates, coconuts, melons,
millet, yams, cassava, maize,
pineapples and oranges.
Grandmother Koko has heard about the tree and she told Lion where to find it. All the animals thought that Tortoise was too slow and they wanted to go instead. They all failed, as they didn’t see the obstacles in their paths. Lion was first, then Elephant, Hyena, Ostritch, Baboon and lastly, Giraffe! All of them were warned not to look around but to look out. Despite them going, Tortoise also went to look for the tree, though against a slower pace than the other animals. He didn’t look around like the other animals and was determined to find this tree he saw in his dream. On the next image you can see his obstacle! The most dangerous and deadliest! The illustrations in this book are amazing, I wish I could scan them all in.
So he saw the scorpion in his path
“Lucky I didn’t look round,” thought Tortoise.
“Omumbo-rombonga,” he said to himself..
“Have you remembered the name?”
said the animals, as they saw
Tortoise slowly and steadily coming.
“Look behind you,” said Tortoise…
“Omumbo-rombonga,” cried Tortoise
This book is an African Folk Tale. A plain simple story about a tortoise that dreamt about this miraculous tree. Like many other books there is a message behind the story. What message does this story convey? – you might want to ask. From my point of view, a couple. Firstly, tortoise shows us determination. He dreamt this dream and he knew he could “follow” his dream. His “dream” was to find this tree he dreamt of and he did it “slowly, but steadily”. He also faced the most dangerous obstacle of all the animals. All the other animals faced an obstacle that could easily be overcome and despite of it, they forgot the name of the tree. Tortoise’s obstacle was a deadly one and he bravely continued his “dream”, despite this dangerous scorpion. He wasn’t put off by anything, he kept a cool head and moved on. This is how we should be in life. We should follow our dreams and don’t be put off by any obstacle, however simple, dangerous or deadly. You should continue on your journey to reach for your dream. I have a couple of dreams, more than I think I can achieve, but I will slowly and steadily continue following my dreams. Some of my current dreams are: to publish my own book, to start my own school, to play the piano again! To play the violin, to play any flute instrument – again, to write another children’s story, to climb mount Kilimandjaro and to do another sky diving jump! I’ve done it once and it was amazing! I would also like to play one of the big chess “engines” like Anand or one of my favourites, Ivanchuk or Kramnik. Topalov looks too scary, I think he’s got a mind of steel. I think he will give you one look and you will start shivering and lose the game even before you’ve started! haha…Oh, I forgot, my actual dream is to teach chess during school time only and to kids in primary schools. There should be a chess school and kids should play chess all day long! How’s that one! If I look back at this list of dreams, it seems to me they all are impossible, well – for the next year at least. I think I’m going to wake up one morning, shouting: “omumbo-rombonga!” and see what happens! haha…maybe, just maybe, my dreams will come true at once. The end of this story is brilliant. Tortoise shouted the name of the tree and all the different fruits came down and he shared it with all the animals and then tortoise announced: They all should plant a seed. So, those seeds grew for future generations to have food too. More lessons from this book! Share and care for one another!
The next song – “The impossible Dream” – is sung by Peter O’Toole and comes from the movie:MAN OF LA MANCHA
Lyrics: The Impossible Dream
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star
Music here. Next you can listen to the music of by Jim Brickman… Dream come true. This cd was sent to me by one of my chess player-friends in the USA!
Jim Brickman
Dare To Dream
Let nothing hold you back from
exploring your wildest fantasies,wishes, and aspirations.
Don’t be afraid to dream big
and to follow your dreams
wherever they may lead you.
Open your eyes to their beauty;
open your mind to their magic;
open your heart to their possibilities.
Dare to dream.
Whether they are in colour or in black and white,
whether they are big or small,
easily attainable or almost impossible,
look to your dreams,
and make them become reality.
Wishes and hopes are nothing
until you take the first step
towards making them something!
Dare to dream,
Because only by dreaming,
will you ever discover
who you are, what you want,
and what you can do.
Don’t be afraid to take risks,
to become involved,
to make commitment.
Do whatever it takes to makeyour dreams come true.
Always believe in miracles,
and always believe in you!
+++
~ Julie Anne Ford ~
Chessalee 