Once upon a time in the Atacama Desert, there lived a Bushman named Billy. Billy was a nomad and always roamed the desert in search of food and water. One day, as he was wandering through the sand dunes, he stumbled upon a strange plant. It was covered in dung and not very appetizing. But being an adaptable Bushman, Billy decided to give it a try. To his surprise, the plant was delicious! He ate and ate until he was full.

Excited by his discovery, Billy set off to find more of these plants. He walked and walked until he came across an oasis. The oasis was filled with the same strange plants covered in dung! Billy was overjoyed and spent the next few days feasting on the plants and drinking the fresh water from the oasis.

But one day, as he was eating the plants, he noticed that they were starting to taste a little funny. Suddenly, Billy realized that he had been eating cactus all along! He quickly ran back to the oasis and drank some water to wash away the bad taste in his mouth.

From that day on, Billy made sure to only eat plants that he was familiar with and to always bring a map when he traveled through the desert. The end.

Reflections

1. What did Billy learn from his mistake of eating the dung-covered cactus?
2. Why is it important to be adaptable when traveling through the desert?
3. Can you think of other ways Billy could have found out what kind of plant he was eating?
4. Why do you think Billy was able to eat the cactus even though it was covered in dung?