How to write your own critter riddles - instructions on writing riddles about animals - includes riddles written by other children

Ranger Rick, May, 1995 by Phyllis Harvie

Want to stump your friends with riddles you've made up? Just find a pencil and paper and follow these easy steps.

1. Choose an animal. Let's write down the word cat.

2. Now list words that describe the animal: its sounds, body parts, other names, things it does, and anything unusual about it. For more ideas, look for stories about the animal in magazines and books. Here are some words you might write down for cat:

   cat     mew   panther
   kitty   pounce   lion
   tabby   tail   pussy
   claws   paws   tiger
   purr   fur   leopard

3. Say the words on the list several times. Next to those words, write other words that rhyme or sound something like them. Don't expect to think of other words to go with every word on the list. For example, here are some words that could go with the cat words:

* Words that rhyme

kitty--itty, bitty

cat--fat, flat, brat

tabby--crabby, flabby

* Words that contain the sound of a cat word

claws--closet (claws-et)

mew--museum (mew-seum)

paws--impossible (im-paws-ible)

fur--furious (fur-ious)

4. Use some of your rhyming words to write a riddle answer. For example, an answer could be itty bitty kitty.

Now all you need is a question. The question has to hint at what the answer will be. Here's one question that could go with the answer itty bitty kitty:

* What do you call the smallest cat in the world?

An itty bitty kitty.

5. Now use some of your "sound-alike" words for answers to other riddles. Then write riddle questions to go with them. Here are some to go with the cat words:

* Where do cats go to see how their relatives lived long ago?

The mew-seum.

* Why can't a lion wear high-heeled shoes? It's im-paws-ible.

6. Look at the riddles on the next page. They might give you some ideas about how to write other kinds of riddles.

7. Pick out the best riddle you wrote and try it on your friends. Then try another one! Did you stump them?

Our readers told us they made up these riddles. Not bad, huh?

What do you get when you put chickens on a playground? Fowl play.

Wangui Maina; New York, NY

What kind of car does a cow drive? A Cattle-lac.

Johanna Vonkuster; Corbin, KY

What do frogs wear to keep their feet cool? Open-toad shoes.

Hannah Lee; Cerritos, CA

What kind of shoes does a dachshund (wiener dog) wear? Dachs- siders.

April Trout; Red Lion, PA

What kind of X-ray does a doctor use to examine a lion? A cat scan.

Mike Bibby; Mansfield, MA

What sport makes tigers growl at each other? Soc-grrrr!

Jonathan Paterni; Pittsburgh, PA

How can you get a baby goat to come to you? Call, "Here, kiddie, kiddie!"

Justine Ellis; New York, NY

What did the little goat answer when the horse asked, "What is 100 x 100?" "How should I know? I'm just a kid."

Megan McBride; Torrance, CA

Why are octopuses so sweet? Because they're covered with suckers.

Abigail Green; Dardanelle, AR

What do you call a white bear's tooth? A polar molar.

Nora Gardner; Houston, TX

What do you get if you sit right behind a cow? A pat on the head!

Krystal Kennedy; Middletown, MD

What do you call a colt with a sore throat? A hoarse horse.

Katie Kharouf; Des Moines, IA

What do you call a daddy longlegs after it has been stepped on?

A deady longlegs.

Camille Prescott; Takoma Park, MD

What's an eagle's favorite book? Hawk-elberry Finn.

Mary Woll; Eureka, MO

Did you write your own nature riddle? If so, pick your favorite, tell us you made it up, and send it with your name and address to:

Reader Riddles

Ranger Rick, Dept. JK16

8925 Leesburg Pike

Vienna, VA 22184