Read the whole story straight through. Tap 🔊 to listen along. This is an old West African folk tale — watch how one silly lie sets off a long chain of trouble.
Long ago, in a small 1 village in West Africa, all the animals lived together by the great forest. They worked together, they shared the waterhole, and most of the time they were kind to one another.
One morning, Mosquito met Iguana by the waterhole. Mosquito buzzed up close and told a silly 2 LIE. "Iguana! I just saw a farmer digging up yams as BIG as I am!"
Iguana rolled his eyes. "What nonsense! I don't want to hear another word from that mosquito." So Iguana stuffed two little sticks in his ears and walked away grumbling to himself.
Iguana walked past Python on the path. Python lifted his head and said, "Good morning, friend." But Iguana, with sticks in his ears, heard NOTHING. He walked right by without a word.
Python was puzzled and worried. "Why won't Iguana speak to me? Maybe he is angry. Maybe he is planning some EVIL against me!" Python began to panic.
Python crawled quickly into Rabbit's burrow to hide. Rabbit saw a long snake winding into her home — and PANICKED! She dashed out of the burrow and tore across the grass as fast as she could go.
Rabbit's mad dash through the grass startled Crow. Crow flew up into the air and CAWED loudly through the forest — caw, caw, caw! Every animal knew that cawing meant danger.
Monkey heard Crow's alarm. Thinking the worst, Monkey leapt from tree to tree to warn the others. He jumped so wildly that he landed on a dead branch high above the forest floor.
The dead branch SNAPPED. It fell — KA-BOOM! — straight onto Mother Owl's nest. One of her little owlets was crushed.
Mother Owl was heartbroken. She wept and wept. It was Mother Owl's job to wake the SUN each morning by calling to it. But now, in her grief, she would not call. So the sun did not rise. The world stayed dark.
Day after day, the world stayed dark. The animals grew afraid. At last they gathered for a great council. King Lion sat in the middle and asked the question every animal needed answered: "Who is to BLAME for this darkness?"
One by one, the animals traced the chain back. Monkey said, "I broke the branch because Crow was cawing." Crow said, "I cawed because Rabbit was running." Rabbit said, "I ran because Python was in my burrow." Python said, "I hid because Iguana would not speak to me." Iguana said, "I plugged my ears because of MOSQUITO'S silly lie."
Mosquito heard her name. She buzzed away in shame — and HID. The animals decided together: it was MOSQUITO'S fault. King Lion sent word to Mother Owl that the truth had been found, and at last Mother Owl mourned her owlet and called up the sun again.
To THIS day, Mosquito feels guilty. That is why she buzzes in people's ears — bzzzzz! — asking, "Is everyone STILL angry at me?" And to this day, people SLAP her in answer. So the next time a mosquito buzzes in your ear, you know what story she is asking about.
Pick an answer to see if it's right. Fred will explain.
Now look at the WORDS, the CHARACTERS, and the EVIDENCE in the text.
Now look at HOW the author tells the story and the BIG lesson it teaches.
When one thing CAUSES another, writers use special signal words to show the link. The most common ones are because, so, since, and as a result. This story is full of them — and learning them helps you SHOW causes and effects in your own writing.
✏️ PRACTICE — Find the signal word
🖊️ USE — Now you try
Fred will give you ⭐ stars (out of 3) and tell you how to make your answer even better.
Three tiers of words from the story, then a 4-round quiz to test what you know.
| Word | What it means (Grade 3 friendly) | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| pourquoi | a folk tale that EXPLAINS why something in nature is the way it is (say: poor-KWAH) | "Why Mosquitoes Buzz" is a pourquoi tale because it explains the buzz. |
| mosquito | a tiny flying insect that buzzes and bites; the females drink blood | A mosquito buzzed in my ear all night. |
| iguana | a large lizard with rough scaly skin that lives in hot places | The iguana sat in the sun, very still. |
| python | a long, thick snake that squeezes its prey instead of biting with venom | The python wound through the grass without a sound. |
| council | a meeting where people (or animals) gather to talk about a problem and decide | The animals called a council to find who was to blame. |
| blame | to say someone is the cause of something bad | The animals blamed Mosquito for the chain of trouble. |
| mourn | to feel deep sadness because someone you love has died or been hurt | Mother Owl could not stop mourning her lost owlet. |
| chain | a series of linked events, where each one CAUSES the next | One lie started a chain that almost stopped the sun. |
| Word | Quick definition |
|---|---|
| village | a small group of homes where people live close together |
| forest | a large area of land covered with many trees |
| waterhole | a small pool or pond where animals come to drink |
| yam | a long, thick root vegetable that people grow and eat in West Africa |
| stick | a small piece of wood broken from a tree |
| ear | the body part used for hearing |
| burrow | a hole in the ground that an animal digs to live in |
| panic | sudden, very strong fear that makes you react without thinking |
| dash | to run very fast for a short distance |
| crow | a large black bird known for loud cawing |
| monkey | a small, smart animal that lives in trees and has a long tail |
| branch | a long arm of a tree that grows out from the trunk |
| owlet | a baby owl |
| sun | the bright star that gives the Earth light and warmth |
| dark | without light; how the world is at night |
| Word | Quick definition |
|---|---|
| the | a tiny word we use before naming people, places, or things |
| of | shows that something belongs to or comes from something else |
| and | joins two words or ideas together |
| said | past tense of "say" — what someone spoke |
| ran | past tense of "run" — moved very fast on feet |
| walked | past tense of "walk" — moved on foot, not running |
| called | past tense of "call" — said loudly to get someone's attention |
| came | past tense of "come" — moved toward a place |
Play all four rounds. Each round tests the words in a new way!
How Many Mosquitoes Are There? There are about 3,500 different kinds (species) of mosquitoes living on Earth. They live on every continent except Antarctica. The folk tale you just read says there is ONE Mosquito feeling guilty — but in real life, there are billions and billions of them.
Why Do They Bite People? Only the FEMALE mosquitoes bite. They need a tiny drop of blood to make their eggs. Male mosquitoes don't bite at all — they sip flower nectar instead. So the next time a mosquito buzzes by, remember: only the moms drink your blood, not the dads.
What Makes the BUZZ? The buzzing sound is not the mosquito asking forgiveness — it is the sound of her wings beating about 500 times every second. That super-fast flutter pushes the air and makes a high N1 hum. Different kinds of mosquitoes beat their wings at different speeds, so they make different sounds — that's how they find each other.
The Most Dangerous Animal in the World. Mosquitoes are tiny, but they can carry sickness from one person to another. The most dangerous one is called malaria. Because mosquitoes spread illness, scientists call them the deadliest animal in the world — more dangerous than tigers, sharks, or bears. So the folk tale was right about ONE thing: a tiny mosquito really can cause BIG trouble.
Pick an answer to see if it's right. Fred will explain.
The Cradle of Oral Storytelling. West Africa is the region on the west coast of the African continent. It is one of the oldest centers of oral storytelling in the world. Long before there were books or schools, families and villages passed on their wisdom by TELLING stories at night, around fires. The "Mosquitoes" tale you just read began this way — told from grandparent to grandchild for hundreds of years.
Who Were the Griots? In many West African villages, there was one very special person called a griot (say: GREE-oh). The griot was the village's storyteller, historian, and singer all in one. Griots learned hundreds of tales by heart. They could recite whole family N2 histories going back many generations — without writing a single word down. Even today, some griots still keep this old job alive.
Countries Famous for Their Tales. Some of the West African countries known for the richest storytelling traditions are Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal. Each has its own languages, customs, and tales. Some stories travel from one country to the next as people moved or traded — that is how tales like "Why Mosquitoes Buzz" became known across all of West Africa.
Anansi the Spider — Another West African Hero. Maybe the most famous storyteller hero in West African folk tales is Anansi the Spider, from Ghana. Anansi is small, sneaky, and clever — like our Mosquito. He uses tricks and quick thinking to outsmart bigger animals. People say Anansi stories are SO important that he became known as "the keeper of stories." So when you read about Anansi or Mosquito, you are hearing tales that have been told around West African fires for many, many years.
From Spoken Story to Written Book. Folk tales like "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears" began as oral stories — spoken out loud, never written. People told them around fires, in homes, and to children at bedtime. Over time, some of these stories crossed oceans and continents. Visitors heard them, took them home, and shared them. Eventually, somebody decided to write them down.
The 1975 Caldecott Medal. An American author named Verna Aardema heard this West African mosquito story and decided to write it down for American children. In 1975, her version was published as a picture book — illustrated by two amazing artists named Leo and Diane Dillon. The book won the N3 CALDECOTT MEDAL, the biggest prize in America for picture books. Suddenly, children all over the world could read a West African tale.
Writing Tales Down Helps — and Changes — Them. When you write an oral tale down, you SAVE it from being forgotten. That's a wonderful thing. But you also change it. The teller has to pick ONE way to tell it, while the story might have been told many different ways in many villages. So the version you read is one beautiful version — but maybe not the only one.
Why It Matters Today. Without writers like Verna Aardema, many old folk tales would have been LOST when the last grandparents who knew them passed away. But because they wrote them down, you can still read this West African tale — over many, many years after it was first whispered around a fire. The storytellers and the writers both helped: one kept the tale alive in their voice, the other in ink. Both saved the story for you.
Pick ONE writing prompt. Fred will give you stars and feedback.
Videos that build context for the folk tale OR teach more about the non-fiction topics (real mosquitoes, West Africa, how folk tales travel).
If the primary video isn't a good fit, here are vetted alternates:
These are for talking, not writing. Use them as a class share, a turn-and-talk with a partner, or a family chat at home.