2 Tales of Juan Bobo: "The 3-Legged Pot" and "The Sleep-over"

A Puerto Rican Folktale

By: Bill Gordh

Narrated by: Bill Gordh

Award-winning storyteller Bill Gordh (Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence winner, National Association of Parenting Periodicals Gold Award winner) presents this folk tale live with no script, accompanied only by his own dynamic banjo playing.

Juan Bobo often gets mixed up. One day his mother sent him to his grandma's to borrow a cooking pot since his mother's had a crack in it. Juan ran to Grand ma's and asked her for a pot. Grandma gave him a three-legged pot - the kind that can stand over the fire and doesn't need a level surface. He started home but got tired along the way and stopped to rest. He set down the pot. He looked at the pot and noticed its three legs. He decided it wasn't fair that he was carrying a three-legged pot when he had only two legs himself. He challenged the pot to a race home.

He determined that he should have a head start since he had only two legs. He began running. He got home and asked his mom if the pot had arrived. She said, "No." Juan Bobo declared, "I won!"

Another time Juan Bobo was at a friend's house, and it began to rain. It was a heavy rain, and Juan worried about getting soaked on his way home. Since it was night, his friend invited him for a sleepover. Juan smiled. "That would be great!" he exclaimed. "I'll be right back." He ran into the night and the pouring rain. His friend waited and waited. Finally a very wet Juan Bobo returned. "Where have you been?" asked his friend. Juan smiled and said, "I went home for my pajamas."

©2013 Bill Gordh (P)2014 Audible Inc.