Turtle Tales

Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions

Folktales, Legends, Informational Texts

Motivate readers with these free printable stories all about turtles. Print the one-page reading passages for offline use or test comprehension with the fun online quiz games. Recommended level: 3rd Grade and up

Legends & Folktales

How Turtle Flew South for the Winter Native American Sioux Legend
Turtle was walking around through the fallen leaves when he saw many birds gather together. "What's happening?" asked Turtle. Read more.

How Turtle Became King Folktale from Africa
A long time ago, two animals wanted to be king of their village. Read more.

Turtle and the Magic Drum Folktale from Nigeria
Long ago there was a king who had a magic drum. Whenever he beat the drum, a big feast appeared. Read more.

The Turtle and the Birds Legend from Ghana
Long, long ago, the Cloud People held a feast. "Come up, all of you who have wings, and let us feed you." Read more.

Why Turtles Live in the Water Folktale from West Africa
Turtles used to live on land until one day when a very clever turtle was caught by hunters. Read more.

The Turtle and the Spider Folktale from Ghana
One day, after a very long walk, the turtle smelled some delicious food coming from the spider's house. Read more.

The Turtle and the Monkey Folktale from the Philippines
A turtle and a monkey found a banana tree floating in a river. "Let's divide it," said the turtle. Read more.

How the Turtle Got Its Shell Folktale from Australia
A long, long time ago, a turtle and a snail lived together in the deep ocean. Read more.

The Magic Sea Turtle Hawaiian Legend
A long time ago, a big beautiful green sea turtle laid an egg on the shores of the black sand beach. Read more.

Informational Text & Fiction

A Turtle the Size of a Car! Informational Text
More than 6 million years ago, giant turtles roamed the earth. But it wasn't until 2020 that scientists finally found and identified their remains. Read more.

The Turtle That Tries to Fly Funny Story
A young turtle lives by a big tree in the forest. Every day, the turtle climbs up the tree and crawls along the branches. Read more.

The Turtle Burger Funny Story
Leo had a pet turtle named Pokey. When Leo went to visit his friends and relatives, he often took Pokey along. Read more.

Extinct Turtle Found - News Story
A tortoise species, Chelonoidis Phantasticus, thought to have gone extinct more than 100 years ago, has been discovered in the Galapagos. Read more.

The Christmas Turtle - Holiday Story
Did you ever find a surprise gift under the Christmas tree a few days after Christmas? Read more.

Turtle Riddle Scrambles
Turtle Riddles Word Order Game

More Free Online Reading Comprehension
Lizard Stories
Multicultural Legends

PRINTABLE PDFs

Turtle Tales
7 Reading Passages with Q's and A's

"These legends were very interactive and engaging for my class. I have several turtle lovers and these stories gave them a chance to see them in very majestic ways. The kids even started writing their own Turtle Legends."

"Super awesome resource for reading comprehension that aligns with Social Studies as well."
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