307T: Put the bread under your hat!

Children’s story: A mother asks her little boy (as I remember the story took place in Africa) to bring home a calf she bought from a neighbor. He hangs the calf around his neck and both boy and calf are unhappy about that arrangement. Mother says, “No, no, you should have led the calf on a rope. ” Then she asks him to fetch a loaf of bread from the baker. He drags it home on a rope. She says, “No, no, you should have put the bread under your hat!” Next she asks him to buy some butter from a neighbor. The boy puts the butter under his hat, but it’s a hot day and he comes home dripping with butter running down from the top of his head. I don’t remember how it ends. I would have been reading it about 55 years ago; don’t know publication date. Thank you so much.

7 thoughts on “307T: Put the bread under your hat!

  1. Penny

    For a southern American version of this story, check out the truly hilarious Epossumondas by Coleen Salley and Janet Stevens.

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  2. Ann

    This is based on the old folk tale called ‘Lazy Jack’. There are a number of variations and adaptations of it, one of which is Sara Cone Bryant’s ‘Epaminondas’.

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