An adaptation of How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin from the book Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.
Far away and long ago, an island in the Red Sea was home to a boy named Cyrus. Cyrus’s family were Parsis, keepers of traditions from an ancient place called Persia. He loved to tell stories about his ancestors and their journey across the sea to find a new home.

Cyrus had three very special things: a shiny hat that his grandmother had given him, a sturdy knife for cooking, and a stove that he treated with great care.
Cyrus loved to cook a special cake filled with fruits and spices. The delicious smell would waft across the island, making everyone’s mouth water.
One sunny day, Cyrus decided to bake the most giant, delicious cake ever. He hummed a happy tune his mother taught him as he mixed the ingredients. When finished, the cake was as enormous as an elephant’s footprint and smelled like a dream come true!

Suddenly, out of the jungle came a big, gray Rhinoceros. This wasn’t your typical zoo rhino – oh no! Back then, the Rhinoceros’s skin was tighter, more like a superhero’s costume. He had fewer wrinkles and absolutely zero manners. This Rhinoceros had never learned about sharing or asking politely.
Cyrus, being the friendly person he was, called out, “Hello there! Would you like to join me for some cake?”
But the Rhinoceros didn’t reply. Instead, he charged straight for the cake, his tiny eyes fixed on the delicious treat.
Surprised by the Rhinoceros’s bad manners, Cyrus quickly climbed up a nearby palm tree to safety. From his perch, he watched as the Rhinoceros knocked over the special stove with his horn and sent the cake rolling across the sand.
“Oh dear,” Cyrus sighed, “That’s not how we treat other people’s things.”
The Rhinoceros didn’t seem to care. He scooped up the entire cake on his horn and gobbled it down in one big gulp! Then, without so much as a “thank you,” he swished his tail and wandered back into the jungle.

Cyrus climbed down from the tree, brushed off his clothes, and set his stove right again. He wasn’t angry, but he did feel a little sad that the Rhinoceros hadn’t learned about kindness and sharing.
“Hmm,” Cyrus thought, “Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned here.” He thought for a bit, then came up with a little rhyme:
“When we take without asking,
Or forget to be kind,
We might miss out on friendships
And good times we could find.”
And let me tell you, those words had more power than you might think. Something very strange was about to happen to that cake-stealing Rhinoceros!
The days grew very hot. Everyone, including Cyrus and the animals, looked for ways to cool off.
Cyrus decided to take a refreshing swim in the sea. As he was walking to the beach, he spotted the Rhinoceros again. To Cyrus’s surprise, the Rhinoceros was doing something extraordinary โ he was taking off his skin!
Yep, you heard that right. The Rhinoceros unclasped three big buttons, slipped right out of his skin, and waddled into the water.
Cyrus watched, fascinated. He had an idea. He didn’t want to be unkind, but he did think the Rhinoceros could use a gentle reminder about manners.
Cyrus returned to his camp and gathered some of the cake crumbs. He brought them to the beach and carefully sprinkled them inside the Rhinoceros’s empty skin. He made sure not to use too many โ just enough to be a little itchy.
“Sometimes,” Cyrus mused, “we learn best when we can feel what others feel. Maybe a little itchiness will help the Rhinoceros understand why being considerate is important.โ
Then Cyrus climbed up a palm tree to watch what would happen next.
Feeling nice and cool from his swim, the Rhinoceros came lumbering out of the water. He grabbed his skin and pulled it on, buttoning up those three big buttons at the bottom. But as soon as he did, he felt something wasn’t quite right.
It started as a tiny tickle. Then, a bigger tickle. Then suddenly – ITCHY ITCHY ITCHY!
The Rhinoceros started to wiggle and squirm, trying to scratch every part of himself at once. He bounced around like popcorn in a hot pan.
Then he had an idea. He flopped down onto the sand and started to roll. He rolled this way and that way like a beach ball caught in the wind. But every time he rolled, those pesky cake crumbs just tickled him more and more!
The Rhinoceros spotted the palm tree and ran over to rub his back against the tree trunk. He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed some more. He rubbed so hard that his skin started to stretch and fold!
A big fold appeared over his shoulders. Another fold popped up where the buttons used to be (oops, he rubbed those right off!). Even more, folds wrinkled up over his legs. The poor Rhinoceros looked like he was wearing a baggy, wrinkly suit that was way too big for him!
From his spot in the palm tree, Cyrus watched with a mix of amusement and sympathy. He hadn’t meant to make the Rhinoceros so uncomfortable, just to teach him a little lesson.

Finally, the itchy Rhinoceros spotted Cyrus in the tree. “Oh, hello there!” he called out, still scratching. “I remember you! You’re the one who made that delicious cake. I’m so sorry I ate it all without asking. I don’t suppose you have any idea what’s making me so itchy, do you?โ
Cyrus climbed down from the tree. “Well,” he said gently, “I might have sprinkled a few cake crumbs in your skin while you were swimming. I thought it might help you understand how it feels when someone does something inconsiderate.โ
The Rhinoceros looked thoughtful, even as he kept scratching. “I see,” he said. “I guess I didn’t think about how you felt when I ate your cake without asking. That wasn’t very nice of me, was it?โ
Cyrus smiled. “We all make mistakes sometimes,” he said. “The important thing is that we learn from them. What do you say we go back to my camp, and I’ll help you clean out those itchy crumbs? Then maybe we could bake a new cake together โ one we can share.โ
So Cyrus and the Rhinoceros became friends, and from that day on, they often shared cakes and stories on the beach. Cyrus taught the Rhinoceros about his family’s recipes, and the Rhinoceros showed Cyrus the best spots on the island to find the juiciest fruits for their cakes.

And while the Rhinoceros’s skin stayed a bit wrinkly, his heart grew three sizes with kindness and good manners. And if you listen closely on a quiet night, you might just hear the distant sound of a Rhinoceros and his friend laughing and sharing a slice of cake under the stars.
0 Comments