Ribburta and the Rootintootin' Highfalutin' Ballet Extravaganza

Ribburta the frog had a BIG family. She had more family than you could count, even if you lined them up and told them to keep still for an hour.

Mostly, Ribburta liked being part of a big family. But there was one thing about being part of this big family that Ribburta did not like.

And that was... being the only one with little legs.

Ribburta wanted to be a dancer, more than anything in the wet wide world. All her family — even her Grandpa Hopodopolus — had graceful, long, dancer’s legs and could leap into next week.

But not Ribburta.

Great Jumping Jehosaphat, the Dance Master of the Leaping Legs School, was a family friend, and he loved Ribburta. But he didn’t let her join his school — because of her little legs.

So Ribburta sat on a log and sadly watched the dance class.

“Now TENSE ... BOING and TENSE...BING... Steady… ready... LEAP!” said Great Jumping Jehosaphat. “Good work! That’s all for today!”

Ribburta’s family took a bow and smiled, and headed for home.

Ribburta was about to follow, when she thought she heard noises coming from a nearby bush. The noises sounded like evil chuckling.

Don’t be stupid, thought Ribburta. Bushes aren’t evil!

And she hopped home.

The next morning, when Ribburta woke up, there was no one about. They were all at dance practice. Even Grandpa Hopodopolus.

It was very quiet. Then, in the silence, Ribburta heard a strange sound. It got louder. And closer…

It went BOING... “Oh, me!” ...BING... “Oh, my!”.. SPLOTT... “Oh, dear!”...

And there, suddenly, was Great Jumping Jehosaphat. He was all muddy and pale green.

“Ribburta!” he gasped. “Your entire family, even your Grandpa Hopodopolus, has been kidnapped! The evil, cunning fox, Jock, has bagged the lot! He would have got me too, except — ” and here the Dance Master hung his head —“I was so scared I fainted behind a log, and he didn’t notice me.” There were tears in his bulgy eyes.

Ribburta patted his shoulder. “But... why?” she asked.

With trembling hands, the Dance Master held out a poster.

“He’s stolen them — to put on his own show!” Jehosaphat wailed. “And there's nothing we can do about it!”

“What do you mean?” said Ribburta. “Aren’t you going after him?”

The Dance Master looked horrified.

“Go... into the Rootintootin’ Woods!?” he gasped.

Ribburta just stared at him until he threw up his hands.

“All right!” he croaked. “I’ll go!”

“No,” said Ribburta firmly. “We’ll go.”

The Rootintootin’ Woods was a terrifying place, full of spiky bushes and scary sounds and animals who thought of frogs as snacks on legs.

Ribburta and the Dance Master nervously followed Jock the Frog Stealer’s trail deep into the Woods, until…

“What’s that?” Jehosaphat whispered.

Ribburta stopped hopping and listened hard.

There was a sound, up ahead....

“Now TENSE... BOING and TENSE...BING... Steady… ready... LEAP!”

They arrived at a clearing in the trees. There was a big wooden cage and log seats, and… Jock ​​the Fox putting Ribburta’s family through their dance.

“LEAP!” cried Jock. “Higher! Higher!”

Finally he was satisfied, and he shoved Ribburta’s exhausted family into the cage.

Right, thought Ribburta. This is one show that must not go on!

And then she thought, Or maybe it should…

“Come on,” she whispered to Jehosaphat. “We’re going in.”

“What?!” squeaked the Dance Master. “Yikes!”

But Ribburta grabbed his arm and hurried over to the cage.

“RIBBURTA!! JEHOSAPHAT!!” yelled her family. “Get us out of here!”

“Shush!” whispered Ribburta frantically. Luckily, Jock was busy painting signs and didn’t hear. “I can’t get you out, but I think I know how I can save the day!”

As her whole family listened, their eyes grew bigger and bigger.

“Come one! Come all! Jock the Fox’s Rootintootin’ Highfalutin’ Ballet Extravaganza is about to begin!" Jack barked. “Please don’t eat the artistes!"

The crowd was mostly foxes, who are known to enjoy ballet, and Jock was taking in money hand over foxy fist.

“Roll up! Roll up!” he cried with delight. “Welcome to the Greatest Display of Gravity-Defying Flights of Fancy This Side of Your Wildest Dreams!”

He grinned, showing off his sharp white teeth.

“Put your paws together, please, because they’re Toadally Awesome...The Dancing Frogs!”

Ribburta held her breath. This was it!

The Dance Master hopped solemnly forward and smiled nervously. Jock looked surprised but stepped back from the stage.

The Dance Master lifted a twig. It was what he used to give the dancers their directions.

Every eye was fixed on that twig. The Dance Master held it up, paused, and then…

He turned into a crazy windmill! He waved and signaled and thrashed about, looking like a forest in a high wind.

And his dancers did exactly what he asked of them. They BOINGED wildly left and BINGED crazily right. Grandpa Hopodopolus kept leaping into the arms of the smaller frogs and knocking them over.

It was an absolute mess! The audience couldn’t believe their eyes. They started to stomp and boo.

Ribburta yelled, “YOU CALL THIS BALLET? I CALL THIS APPALLING!”

The audience yelled, too. “That’s right! This is rubbish!”

“WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK!” Ribburta screeched.

The foxes began to chant, “Money back! Money back!” until suddenly they realized... Jock and their money had disappeared!

But Ribburta saw him. “Over by the cage!” she cried. “He’s running away — with all your money!”

Shouting loudly, the audience raced off after Jack into the Rootintootin’ Woods.

Only the frogs were left. They looked at Ribburta and smiled huge froggy grins.

“Three cheers for Ribburta —the frog with BIG ideas!” cried the Dance Master.

Every frog in Ribburta’s enormous family cheered loudly three times!

And that’s a lot of cheers.