This story is set long ago in the dreamtime, and tells of what happened when a mischievous frill neck lizard didn’t share honey with his two sisters, the blackbirds. One day Frill Lizard and his sisters were out hunting for food. While walking, Frill Lizard happened to look up in a tree, and discovered “a bees’ nest” filled with honey. Wanting the honey for himself, Frill Lizard offered to climb the tree and retrieve it, leaving his sisters waiting eagerly below. But instead of sharing the honey with them, Frill Lizard teased them with it. The blackbirds threw him a yirrbi (a skirt) so he could soak the honey up with it, but the greedy lizard tricked them again, and swallowed the honey “skirt and all”. The author tells us that from that time on, whenever the Frill Lizard gets excited, you can see the lump in this throat where his sister’s skirt got stuck.
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- Respond to the text by writing a paragraph about why you enjoyed the story and how you relate to the characters. What do you think about the message of the story? Can you relate to an experience where someone was being mischievous or greedy? You may write this in your homework book or as a comment below.
I enjoyed this story because I could relate to the blackbirds being teased. Sometimes I feel like the blackbirds when my older brothers are playing tricks on me and teasing me. I think the Frill Lizard got what he deserved!