# Slow To Learn

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 21 Apr 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71259421/at489_slowtolearn_mixdown.mp3

Yes, tortoises are slow, but they still get to where they need to be. Written especially for this podcast by Simon. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yes, hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
[0:18] Speaker 1: where you suggest the animal for us to write a
[0:20] Speaker 1: story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand
[0:24] Speaker 1: new animal story here just for you. You can listen
[0:28] Speaker 1: to all Animal Tales stories advert free via our premium service,
[0:33] Speaker 1: where you also get over ninety premium only stories. Find
[0:38] Speaker 1: out more in the text that accompanies this episode, and remember,
[0:42] Speaker 1: for a tiny fee, they're advert free. Cameron is from
[0:47] Speaker 1: Nottingham in England, and he would like a story with
[0:51] Speaker 1: a tortoise, a dogong and a praying mantis. You can
[0:55] Speaker 1: learn more about these creatures in the animal facts after
[0:58] Speaker 1: the story. Now settle back, relax, and I'll begin slow
[1:06] Speaker 1: to learn. Tortoises don't exactly run or even hurry, but
[1:13] Speaker 1: if the day is warm and they've got somewhere they
[1:15] Speaker 1: need to be, then they can move along quite nicely.
[1:20] Speaker 1: It may not look very fast, but to a tortoise,
[1:23] Speaker 1: it's fast enough to get them to where they're going.
[1:27] Speaker 1: Cameron was just such a tortoise, making his way across
[1:31] Speaker 1: the leaf litter and sprawling roots of the forest floor.
[1:36] Speaker 1: Hey tortoise shouted. A tiny praying mantis perched on a
[1:41] Speaker 1: large drooping leaf. Look at me, Look at me, hello,
[1:47] Speaker 1: little mantis, said Cameron as he craned his neck upwards.
[1:52] Speaker 1: The praying mantis was green, with large eyes and two
[1:56] Speaker 1: folded legs that it held in front of its body.
[2:00] Speaker 1: Look at me, tortoise, proclaimed the mantis. You do look amazing,
[2:06] Speaker 1: said Cameron kindly. That's because I am, declared the mantis.
[2:13] Speaker 1: All insects fear the power of the praying mantis. We're
[2:17] Speaker 1: lethal predators who can strike with lightning speed. Highah. The
[2:24] Speaker 1: mantis was now leaping about on the leaf, thrashing his
[2:27] Speaker 1: arms as if he was attacking invisible prey. Cameron smiled.
[2:33] Speaker 1: The insect before him was tiny and could easily have
[2:37] Speaker 1: perched upon his head, and yet it was brimming with
[2:41] Speaker 1: confidence despite its sighs. Can you see how fast I am?
[2:47] Speaker 1: Shouted the mantis as he zipped left and right. Have
[2:51] Speaker 1: you ever seen anything as fast as me? Once or twice?
[2:56] Speaker 1: Said Cameron, really, replied the mantis with disbelief. I find
[3:03] Speaker 1: that hard to believe. Look how quickly I can move.
[3:08] Speaker 1: You're a blur, said Cameron. I can barely keep track
[3:12] Speaker 1: of you. That's right, Look at me, go, jeered the mantis. Then,
[3:19] Speaker 1: quite suddenly, he stopped, tilting his head to look at Cameron.
[3:24] Speaker 1: How can you tortoises stand being so very very slow.
[3:30] Speaker 1: We're not very very slow, Cameron replied, We're just fast
[3:36] Speaker 1: enough to get where we need to go. Well, I
[3:39] Speaker 1: think you're slow, said the mantis. How do you catch
[3:44] Speaker 1: anything to eat when you can't move quickly? To demonstrate,
[3:49] Speaker 1: he flicked his miniature arms back and forth in a flash.
[3:54] Speaker 1: Tortoises don't need to do that, explained Cameron. Our food
[3:59] Speaker 1: doesn't run away? Is it because your food is rooted
[4:03] Speaker 1: to the spot with fear? Asked the mantis. No, grinned
[4:08] Speaker 1: Cameron with a shake of his head. More like rooted
[4:12] Speaker 1: in the ground. Well, I can't imagine how boring and
[4:17] Speaker 1: dull it must be to be you, said the mantis.
[4:21] Speaker 1: I could never be so slow. Well, i'd best be off.
[4:26] Speaker 1: I've got so much to see and do. Without another word,
[4:30] Speaker 1: the praying mantis flicked its wings and disappeared into the
[4:34] Speaker 1: forest canopy. What an amusing little fellow, said Cameron. With
[4:41] Speaker 1: the distraction over, he plodded on his way. The leaf
[4:46] Speaker 1: litter on the forest floor was deep, which meant Cameron
[4:50] Speaker 1: struggled at times to push through it, and some of
[4:54] Speaker 1: the sprawling roots were thick and long, making it difficult
[4:58] Speaker 1: for him to get past. But Cameron didn't let this
[5:01] Speaker 1: bother him. He couldn't change the leaf litter or alter
[5:06] Speaker 1: the roots, so there was little point in letting it
[5:09] Speaker 1: bother him. Rather than get frustrated by it, he just
[5:13] Speaker 1: accepted that it would take longer to get past, and
[5:17] Speaker 1: that was fine. He'd still get to where he needed
[5:20] Speaker 1: to go, and that place was just up ahead. He
[5:25] Speaker 1: could smell the salt water in the air and hear
[5:28] Speaker 1: the lap of the ocean against the rocks long before
[5:32] Speaker 1: he stepped out of the shadow of the trees into
[5:35] Speaker 1: the sunlight. The rocky outcrop he stood on was a
[5:39] Speaker 1: little higher than the sea water, in which floated a
[5:43] Speaker 1: large whiskered face. There you are, said the dugong, gently
[5:49] Speaker 1: bobbing up and down. You got here at last, Carina.
[5:55] Speaker 1: I got here just as quickly as I needed to,
[5:58] Speaker 1: smiled the tortoise. Have you been waiting long? I don't
[6:03] Speaker 1: think so, replied Carina, as she slowly flexed her flippers.
[6:08] Speaker 1: I was too busy enjoying the sights and sounds around
[6:12] Speaker 1: me to be counting the minutes. Cameron was about to
[6:16] Speaker 1: ask the Dugong what she had been doing since they
[6:19] Speaker 1: last met, when a flicker of green landed on the
[6:22] Speaker 1: rocky ground beside him. Look at me, look at me.
[6:27] Speaker 1: Aren't I amazing? Cried the praying mantis, in a voice
[6:31] Speaker 1: that was surprisingly loud for such a tiny insect. Yes,
[6:36] Speaker 1: you are indeed amazing, said Cameron. Patiently. Watch how quickly
[6:42] Speaker 1: I can move, shouted the mantis as it began flashing
[6:46] Speaker 1: its arms and lunging left and right. My goodness, said
[6:52] Speaker 1: the dugong. What an animated little creature. It can barely
[6:56] Speaker 1: keep still. That's because I'm praying mantis, and I'm super fast. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,
[7:05] Speaker 1: declared the mantis as it performed further energetic displays. I
[7:11] Speaker 1: doubt you've ever seen anything as swift and magnificent as
[7:15] Speaker 1: me before. Cameron wanted to say that he had just
[7:20] Speaker 1: a short time ago when the mantis had stopped him
[7:23] Speaker 1: in the forest, but he was too polite to do so.
[7:27] Speaker 1: Don't you ever stay still? Asked Carina. The Dugong sometimes
[7:34] Speaker 1: nodded the mantis vigorously. When I stand like a statue,
[7:38] Speaker 1: so that my victims don't notice I'm there, and then bam,
[7:43] Speaker 1: I strike faster than a speeding meteor. You do have
[7:49] Speaker 1: a lot of energy, said Cameron. Oh I do, confirmed
[7:54] Speaker 1: the mantis. Unlike you two, of course, who don't appear
[7:58] Speaker 1: to have any We have energy, pointed out Cameron, just
[8:04] Speaker 1: enough to get us to where we need to go
[8:07] Speaker 1: and to do what we need to do. But the
[8:10] Speaker 1: mantis didn't appear to be listening. Instead, he was studying
[8:15] Speaker 1: the animal in the water. What sort of creature are you, anyway,
[8:20] Speaker 1: he asked. I'm a dugong, said Carina. Sometimes we're called
[8:27] Speaker 1: sea cows. Is that like a shark with razor sharp
[8:31] Speaker 1: teeth for catching your prey? The mantis asked excitedly. Nothing
[8:37] Speaker 1: like a shark, answered the dugong. We eat sea grass.
[8:44] Speaker 1: How boring and dull it must be to be you,
[8:47] Speaker 1: said the mantis. You look as slow as this tortoise here. Well,
[8:52] Speaker 1: i can't waste my day talking to you two slow coaches.
[8:56] Speaker 1: I've got places to go and pray to catch. In
[9:01] Speaker 1: a flicker of green, the praying mantis beat its wings
[9:05] Speaker 1: and flew back into the forest. What a strange little insect,
[9:10] Speaker 1: said carena I don't think he means any harm, said Cameron,
[9:16] Speaker 1: as the breeze blew harder. Look, the storm is coming.
[9:22] Speaker 1: I guess it's that time of year, nodded the Dugong.
[9:26] Speaker 1: I'd best find some place safe away from these rocks,
[9:31] Speaker 1: and I'd better head back into the forest, added Cameron
[9:35] Speaker 1: as he slowly turned around. I look forward to seeing
[9:39] Speaker 1: you once the storm is over. There was no great rush.
[9:44] Speaker 1: The storm wouldn't hit hard for some time, yet Cameron
[9:48] Speaker 1: had enough time to get to where he was going.
[9:51] Speaker 1: He trudged back around twisted roots and through the deep
[9:55] Speaker 1: leaf litter to arrive at a small hollow beneath an old,
[9:59] Speaker 1: sprawling tree. A gap amongst the roots was just the
[10:04] Speaker 1: right size and shape for his patterned shell. No sooner
[10:09] Speaker 1: had he got himself settled when a voice outside shouted, hey,
[10:13] Speaker 1: you look at me. Look at me. In such a
[10:18] Speaker 1: tiny space, it wasn't easy for Cameron to turn himself around,
[10:23] Speaker 1: but he did so all the same, so that he
[10:26] Speaker 1: was looking outwards. Hello mantis, he said, as the wind
[10:31] Speaker 1: above tugged and pulled at the branches. You're the third
[10:36] Speaker 1: tortoise I've seen to day, he declared. I've been whizzing
[10:40] Speaker 1: about all over the island. I even saw a sea cow.
[10:44] Speaker 1: I bet you've never seen one of those. Cameron ignored this. Listen,
[10:51] Speaker 1: little mantis, it's not safe out in the forest right now.
[10:55] Speaker 1: Something terrible is coming. Pah, I'm not a afraid, announced
[11:01] Speaker 1: the mantis. I'm a vicious predator. Whatever it is, I'll
[11:06] Speaker 1: give it a fright. You don't understand, said the tortoise patiently.
[11:13] Speaker 1: Above the tree tops. The sky had grown dark with thick,
[11:17] Speaker 1: heavy clouds. What's coming is very fast and very strong.
[11:23] Speaker 1: It will descend from the skies and attack everything it meets.
[11:28] Speaker 1: Don't you know who I am? Laughed the mantis. I'm
[11:32] Speaker 1: mega fast and ultra strong, and I can fly too.
[11:37] Speaker 1: Whatever it is, it won't stand a chance against me.
[11:42] Speaker 1: I can understand why an animal as slow as yourself
[11:44] Speaker 1: would be so afraid, but not me. Look how amazing
[11:49] Speaker 1: I am. Yes, you are amazing, nodded Cameron, having to
[11:55] Speaker 1: raise his voice over the sound of the gusting wind.
[11:59] Speaker 1: But I fear that what is coming will be even
[12:02] Speaker 1: more so. I find that very hard to believe, sneered
[12:07] Speaker 1: the mantis. What sort of creature is more amazing than me?
[12:13] Speaker 1: It's not a creature, explained Cameron, it's a storm. The
[12:18] Speaker 1: wind is already blowing hard, but soon it will blow
[12:21] Speaker 1: much harder. It will tear leaves from branches, and branches
[12:26] Speaker 1: from trees, and trees from the earth. Stinging rain will
[12:31] Speaker 1: beat down, hammering against everything it touches, accompanied by booming
[12:36] Speaker 1: thunder and jagged lightning. A particularly strong gust tore through
[12:43] Speaker 1: the trees and made the mantis stagger on the bent
[12:46] Speaker 1: tree route he stood upon. Well, I'm not afraid of that,
[12:51] Speaker 1: he declared. I'm fast and I've got wings. I'll just
[12:56] Speaker 1: fly away to somewhere safe. It's too late for that,
[13:01] Speaker 1: explained Cameron. Even you aren't fast enough to outrun this storm. Nonsense,
[13:09] Speaker 1: bellowed the mantis defiantly. Just watch this. He leapt into
[13:15] Speaker 1: the air, wings fluttering hard, but he weighed next to nothing,
[13:20] Speaker 1: and the wind's strength was growing by the second. It
[13:24] Speaker 1: threw the mantis backwards like a dry leaf to smash
[13:28] Speaker 1: him against the bark of the tree. He hit the
[13:31] Speaker 1: ground in front of the tortoise's nose. There's no time
[13:36] Speaker 1: to flee, said Cameron. If the wind doesn't crush you,
[13:40] Speaker 1: the rain surely will. The mantis picked himself up, no
[13:46] Speaker 1: longer looking confidant. But what can I do? Where can
[13:51] Speaker 1: I go? He wailed with worry. Join me in here,
[13:56] Speaker 1: said Cameron, I'll protect you. He pulled his head into
[14:01] Speaker 1: his shell as he gently drew the mantis towards him
[14:04] Speaker 1: with his front legs. It was enough to shelter them
[14:08] Speaker 1: both than the worst of what was to come. How
[14:12] Speaker 1: do you know so much about this storm, whispered the
[14:16] Speaker 1: mantis feebly. I've never seen such a thing before. It
[14:22] Speaker 1: comes once a year around this time, Cameron replied. But
[14:27] Speaker 1: you didn't hatch until after the last storm had passed,
[14:31] Speaker 1: and you'll be gone by the time it comes again.
[14:34] Speaker 1: A praying mantis may be fast, but you live your
[14:38] Speaker 1: lives quickly too. You seem to know a lot, said
[14:43] Speaker 1: the mantis. Have you met the storm before many times?
[14:49] Speaker 1: Said the tortoise. In truth, I've lost count of how
[14:53] Speaker 1: often I've sheltered from a storm. Have you ever helped
[14:58] Speaker 1: some one like me before, asked the mantis. Once or twice,
[15:03] Speaker 1: said Cameron, although the truth was much greater than that.
[15:09] Speaker 1: For the first time in his short life, the praying
[15:12] Speaker 1: mantis was seeing the world through the eyes of another creature,
[15:17] Speaker 1: with nothing to do but hide and wait. The mantis
[15:21] Speaker 1: was learning that being fast wasn't everything. How long until
[15:26] Speaker 1: the storm is over, he asked. It's hard to say,
[15:31] Speaker 1: said Cameron. It'll be over when it's over, and there's
[15:35] Speaker 1: nothing we can do to change that. It won't be quickly,
[15:40] Speaker 1: but if we're patient, we'll get there soon enough. Feeling
[15:45] Speaker 1: safe and secure against the tortoise, the mantis was for
[15:49] Speaker 1: once happy to wait. The tortoise may be slow, he realized,
[15:55] Speaker 1: but that didn't mean the insect was better than him.
[15:59] Speaker 1: They were just different, and there was nothing wrong with that.
[16:04] Speaker 1: A tortoise once told me, I was amazing, said the
[16:07] Speaker 1: praying mantis, But that's nothing compared to you. Animal fact,
[16:17] Speaker 1: Tortoises are very long lived reptiles that in many cases
[16:21] Speaker 1: can outlive humans. Some individuals have been reported to live
[16:27] Speaker 1: beyond two hundred years of age. Dogongs belong to the
[16:32] Speaker 1: same family as manatees. They are slow moving marine mammals,
[16:37] Speaker 1: and although they don't live as long as tortoises, they
[16:40] Speaker 1: can still reach the age of seventy. There are many
[16:44] Speaker 1: species of praying mantis, with males typically being smaller than
[16:48] Speaker 1: females When kept as pets. Praying mantis can live for
[16:53] Speaker 1: around a year and a half, but in the wild
[16:56] Speaker 1: their lifespan is closer to six months. Thank you for
[17:01] Speaker 1: your great suggestions, Cameron. We hope that you all enjoyed
[17:05] Speaker 1: the story. Wherever you're listening in the world, don't forget
[17:09] Speaker 1: to look at our Animal Tales books over on Amazon
[17:13] Speaker 1: great bedtime reading, especially if you've discovered the joy of
[17:16] Speaker 1: reading for yourself. Make sure you join us next time
[17:20] Speaker 1: for another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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