Episodes
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Blue Mountain
All night we climbed the mountain,
Excited in the dark,
The flare from the small lamps up ahead
Looked like a tiny spark.
We reached the top just as the sun
Was wiping the sleep from its eyes
And sending out red fingers
To investigate the skies.
It suddenly leapt out of bed,
Wrapped the world in an orange flame,
And we gasped in wonder at the sight,
This was why we came.
We watched the shy blush spread across
The face of the bashful sky,
We saw the cars like tiny ants
In the roads below, crawl by.
We heard the birds chirp awake,
Saw them flit across to plunder
The rose-apples and the hog-plum tree.
Heard a waterfall roar like thunder.
We washed our faces with the dew,
Breathed the perfume of the Four O’Clock,
Watched a lizard climb a stone to sun itself,
Then scuttle away in shock.
We headed back down the mountain,
The sun was wide-awake and bright,
Our legs were tired and heavy,
But inside, our hearts were light. -
Say Please, Little Bear
Daddy Bear and Little Bear were on their way to playgroup.
But Little Bear kept wandering off.
“Keep hold of my hand, Little Bear!” said Daddy Bear.
“Go gently, Little Bear!” said Daddy Bear at playgroup.
But Little Bear didn’t listen.
“Little Bear, it isn’t nice to snatch!”
“It’s better when we share, Little Bear,” said Daddy Bear.
Later, Daddy Bear took Little Bear to Little Bunny’s birthday party.
They went shopping on the way.
“Please hold my hand, Little Bear!” said Daddy Bear wearily.
Then something in the shop window gave Daddy Bear an idea.
“Look, Little Bear,” he said. “Mouse wants to speak to us!”
“Mouse wants to come to the party too, Little Bear,” said Daddy Bear. “But he hates to be late!”
They reached Little Bunny’s party on time. Mouse whispered in Daddy Bear’s ear.
“Mouse says, excuse me, please,” said Daddy Bear.
Little Bear ran to play on the train. Mouse whispered in Daddy Bear’s ear again.
“Mouse says, can she have a ride on the train, please?”
Little Bear snatched the popcorn from his friends.
Mouse whispered in Daddy Bear’s ear once again.
“Mouse says, would you like some popcorn, Bunny and Mole?”
When it was time to go, Little Bear stood silently on the doorstep.
“Mouse says, thank you for having me,” said Daddy Bear.
Little Bear looked at Mouse.
Then he looked at Daddy Bear.
Then he looked at Little Bunny’s mummy and said, “And thank you for having me.”
“Oh, thank you for coming, Little Bear,” smiled Little Bunny’s mummy.
“You and Mouse can come and play any time.”
“Mouse likes the way you said thank you,” said Daddy Bear.
“And so do I.” -
Missing episodes?
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Into the Forest
One night I was woken up by a terrible sound.
The next morning all was quiet.
Dad wasn’t there.
I asked Mum when he was coming back but she didn’t seem to know.
I missed Dad.
The next day Mum asked me to take a cake to Grandma, who was poorly.
I love Grandma. She always tells me such fantastic stories.
There are two ways to get to Grandma’s house: the long way round, which takes ages, or the short way through the forest.
“Don’t go into the forest,” said Mum. “Go the long way round.”
But that day, for the first time, I chose the quick way.
I wanted to be home in case Dad came back.
After a short while I saw a boy.
“Do you want to buy a nice milky moo-cow?” he asked.
“No,” I said. (Why would I want a cow?)
“I’ll swap it for that sweet fruity cake in your basket,” he said.
“No, it’s for my poorly grandma,” I said, and walked on.
“I’m poorly,” I heard him saying, “I’m poorly…”
As I went further into the forest I met a girl with golden hair.
“What a sweet little basket,” she said. “What’s in it?”
“A cake for my grandma. She’s poorly.”
“I’d like a lovely cake like that,” she said.
I walked on and could hear her saying, “But it’s a lovely little cake, I’d like one like that…”
The forest was becoming darker and colder, and I saw two other children huddling by a fire.
“Have you seen our dad and mum?” the boy asked.
“No, have you lost them?”
“They’re cutting wood in the forest somewhere,” said the girl, “but I wish they’d come back.”
As I walked on I could hear the dreadful sound of the girl crying, but what could I do?
I was getting very cold and wished that I’d brought a coat.
Suddenly I saw one. It was nice and warm, but as soon as I put it on I began to feel scared.
I felt that something was following me.
I remembered a story that Grandma used to tell me about a bad wolf.
I started to run, but I couldn’t find the path. I ran and ran, deeper into the forest, but I was lost.
Where was Grandma’s house?
At last—there it was!
I knocked on the door and a voice called out, “Who’s there?”
But it didn’t really sound like Grandma’s voice.
“It’s me. I’ve brought a cake from Mum,”
I pushed the door open a little.
“Come in, dear,” the strange voice called.
I was terrified. I slowly crept in.
There in Grandma’s bed was …
Grandma!
“Come here, love,” she sniffed. “How are you?”
“I’m all right now,” I said.
Then, I heard a noise behind me and turned round …
DAD!
I told them everything that had happened.
We all had a hot drink and I ate two pieces of Mum’s delicious cake.
Then we said goodbye to Grandma, who was feeling much better.
When we got home I pushed open the door.
“Who’s there?” a voice called.
“It’s only us,” we said.
And Mum came out, smiling. -
Millions of Cats
Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
“If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
“A cat?” asked the very old man.
“Yes, a sweet little fluffy cat,” said the very old woman.
“I will get you a cat, my dear,” said the very old man.
And he set out over the hills to look for one.
He climbed over the sunny hills.
He trudged through the cool valleys.
He walked a long, long time and at last he came to a hill which was quite covered with cats.
Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere.
Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
“Oh,” cried the old man joyfully, “Now I can choose the prettiest cat and take it home with me!”
So he chose one. It was white.
But as he was about to leave, he saw another one all black and white and it seemed just as pretty as the first,
So he took this one also.
But then he saw a fuzzy grey kitten way over here which was every bit as pretty as the others so he took it too.
And now he saw one way down in a corner which he thought too lovely to leave so he took this too.
And just then, over here, the very old man found a kitten which was black and very beautiful.
“It would be a shame to leave that one,” said the very old man. So he took it.
And now, over there, he saw a cat which had brown and yellow stripes like a baby tiger.
“I simply must take it!” cried the very old man, and he did.
So it happened that every time the very old man looked up, he saw another cat which was so pretty he could not bear to leave it, and before he knew it, he had chosen them all.
And so he went back over the sunny hills and down through the cool valleys, to show all his pretty kittens to the very old woman.
It was very funny to see those hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats following him.
They came to a pond.
“Mew, mew! We are thirsty!” carried the hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
“Well, here is a great deal of water,” said the very old man.
Each cat took a sip of water, and the pond was gone.
“Mew, mew! Now we are hungry!” said the hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
“There is much grass on the hills,” said the very old man.
Each cat ate a mouthful of grass and not a blade was left!
Pretty soon the very old woman saw them coming.
“My dear!” she cried, “What are you doing?” I asked for one little cat, and what do I see?—
“Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere, hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
“But we can never feed them all,” said the very old woman, “they will eat us out of house and home.”
“I never thought of that,” said the very old man, “what shall we do?”
The very old woman thought for a while and then she said, “I know! We will let the cats decide which one we should keep.”
“Oh yes,” said the very old man, and he called to the cats, “which one of you is the prettiest?”
“I am!”
“I am!”
“No, I am!”
“No, I am the prettiest!” “I am!”
“No, I am! I am! I am!” cried hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of voices, for each cat thought itself the prettiest.
And they began to quarrel.
They bit and scratched and clawed each other and made such a great noise that the very old man and the very old woman ran into the house as fast as they could.
They did not like such quarreling.
But after a while the noise stopped and the very old man and the very old woman peeped out of the window to see what had happened.
They could not see a single cat!
“I think they must have eaten each other all up,” said the very old woman, “it’s too bad!”
“But look!” said the very old man, and he pointed to a bunch of high grass.
In it sat one little frightened kitten.
They went out and picked it up.
It was thin and scraggly.
“Poor little kitty,” said the very old woman.
“Dear little kitty,” said the very old man, “how does it happen that you were not eaten up with all those hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats?”
“Oh, I’m just a very homely little cat,” said the kitten, “So when you asked who was the prettiest, I didn’t say anything. So nobody bothered about me.”
They took the kitten into the house, where the very old woman gave it a warm bath and brushed its fur until it was soft and shiny.
Every day they gave it plenty of milk-
-and soon it grew nice and plump.
“And it is a very pretty cat, after all!” said the very old woman.
“It is the most beautiful cat in the whole world,” said the very old man.
“I ought to know, for I’ve seen –
Hundreds for cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats –
And not one was as pretty as this one.” -
The Story of Ferdinand
Once upon a time in Spain, there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand.
All the other little bulls he lived with would run and jump and butt their heads together, but not Ferdinand.
He liked to sit just quietly and smell the flowers.
He had a favorite spot out in the pasture under a cork tree.
It was his favorite tree and he would sit in its shade all day and smell the flowers.
Sometimes his mother, who was a cow, would worry about him.
She was afraid he would be lonesome all by himself.
“Why don’t you run and play with the other little bulls and skip and butt your head?” she would say.
But Ferdinand would shake his head.
“I like it better here where I can sit just quietly and smell the flowers.”
His mother saw that he was not lonesome, and because she was an understanding mother, even though she was a cow, she let him just sit there and be happy.
As the years went by Ferdinand grew and grew until he was very big and strong.
All the other bulls who had grown up with him in the same pasture would fight each other all day.
They would butt each other and stick each other with their horns.
What they wanted most of all was to be picked to fight at the bull fights in Madrid.
But not Ferdinand – he still liked to sit just quietly under the cork tree and smell the flowers.
One day five men came in very funny hats to pick the biggest, fastest, roughest bull to fight in the bull fights in Madrid.
All the other bulls ran around snorting and butting, leaping and jumping so the men would think that they were very very strong and fierce and pick them.
Ferdinand knew that they wouldn’t pick him and he didn’t care.
So he went out to his favorite cork tree to sit down.
He didn’t look where he was sitting and instead of sitting on the nice cool grass in the shade he sat on a bumble bee.
Well, if you were a bumble bee and a bull sat on you what would you do?
You would sting him. And that is just what this bee did to Ferdinand.
Wow! Did it hurt! Ferdinand jumped up with a snort.
He ran around puffing and snorting, butting and pawing the ground as if he were crazy.
The five men saw him and they all shouted with joy.
Here was the largest and fiercest bull of all.
Just the one for the bull fights in Madrid!
So they took him away for the bull fight day in a cart.
What a day it was! Flags were flying, bands were playing…
and all the lovely ladies had flowers in their hair.
They had a parade into the bull ring.
First came the Banderilleros with long sharp pins with ribbons on them to stick in the bull and make him mad.
Next came the Picadores who rode skinny horses and they had long spears to stick in the bull and make him madder.
Then came the Matador, the proudest of all – he thought he was very handsome, and bowed to the ladies. He had a red cape and a sword and was supposed to stick the bull last of all.
Then came the bull, and you know who that was, don’t you?
-- FERDINAND
They called him Ferdinand the Fierce and all the Banderilleros were afraid of him and the Picadores were afraid of him and the Matador was scared stiff.
Ferdinand ran to the middle of the ring and everyone shouted and clapped because they thought he was going to fight fiercely and butt and snort and stick his horns around.
But not Ferdinand. When he got to the middle of the ring he saw the flowers in all the lovely ladies’ hair and he just sat down quietly and smelled.
He wouldn’t fight and be fierce no matter what they did.
He just sat and smelled. And the Banderilleros were mad and the Picadores were madder and the Matador was so mad he cried because he wouldn’t show off with his cape and sword.
So they had to take Ferdinand home.
And for all I know he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly.
He is very happy.
The End -
Chapter 4 A Dumb Balancing Act
“Are we gonna play football?” I asked Miss Small.
“No,” Miss Small said.
“How about basketball?” asked Ryan.
“Nope.”
“Soccer?”
“Not even close.”
“Baseball? Hockey? Tennis?”
“No. No. No.”
“Curling?” I asked.
“No.”
“I thought you said we were gonna have fun,” Michael complained.
“I did,” said Miss Small .
“So what are we gonna do?” I asked.
Miss Small went to a box near the bleachers and pulled out some giant feathers that were as long as her arms.
“We’re going to balance these peacock feathers,” she said.
“What!” I asked.
“Whoever can balance a feather on their finger the longest is the winner,” Miss Small said. She took a feather and balanced it on her finger. “See, it’s easy!”
She gave each of us a feather. I put the feather on my finger. It fell off right away. I put it back on my finger, and it fell off again. I tried moving my finger back and forth like Miss Small did to hold the feather up, but it fell off anyway.
Balancing feathers was not fun. It was dumb.
I looked up to see if Ryan could balance his feather. But his fell off. I turned around to see how Michael was doing. His feather fell off too.
In fact, there was only one kid in the whole class who was still balancing the dumb feather.
It was Andrea Young! Her dumb feather was just standing up all straight on her dumb finger like it was glued there.
“Good job, Andrea!” said Miss Small.
“You have excellent balance.” And she gave Andrea a certificate that said she was a feather-balancing expert.
“Thanks, Miss Small,” Andrea said.
“Maybe Fizz Ed won’t be so bad after all!”
I hate her. -
Remember Me
创作：冬冬 翻译：冬爸
T’was a cold and windy night,
When I first told her the news.
She wept and begged, but, nonetheless,
I had to do what I had to do.
I held my rifle tight,
And veered my horse around.
From the bottom of my heart rose a chill
Between the sobbing sounds.
I couldn’t let go,
But yet, I had no choice.
I could still remember the whip
Of the commander’s voice.
I was off to sea,
To fight the pirate rage.
And I don’t know if I’ll return
To turn another page.
I’m half past my prime.
Eventually I’ll go.
But when I do, promise me,
You’ll remember me so.
勿忘我
寒冷的夜晚冷风嗖嗖，
我告诉她说马上要走。
她哭着求着让我留下，
可我心已定无法回头。
我拿起步枪紧握在手，
我纵身一跃拨转马头。
她抽搐哽咽眼泪涟涟，
我内心涌起一股寒流。
难以释怀却无法放手，
万般无奈却无法停留。
将军的声音犹在耳畔，
唯遵从命令快马加鞭。
我要前往汹涌的波涛，
去捍卫正义消灭海盗。
不知道能否凯旋归来，
不知道能否带回捷报。
大好的年华业已过半，
我要去沙场消灭敌顽。
分别的时刻终于来临，
请一定把我记在心间。 -
Chapter 3 Fun, Fun, Fun with Miss Small
Miss Small was carrying a basketball, a football, a soccer ball, a kickball, and just about every other kind of ball you could name. She ran out and climbed up on the bleachers. Then she jumped off the bleachers and jumped on one of those little trampolines on the floor.
She did a flip, went flying through the air, and tried to dunk all those balls in the basketball hoop. One or two of them went in, but mostly they went flying all over the place.
So did Miss Small. She landed in a heap on the floor.
Miss Small is off the wall!
“Are you okay?” we all asked as we gathered around her. I was afraid she might have broken something, because she was just lying there without moving.
“I’m fit as a fiddle!” Miss Small replied. “I just wanted to show you how you’re not supposed to behave in the gym. In Fizz Ed, safety is our biggest concern.”
Miss Daisy said she had to go back to class, and she left. Miss Small stood up slowly. It was amazing! Nobody could do anything except stare at her with their mouth open.
“Wow!” we all said.
The amazing thing was that Miss Small was really tall! Like, she was a million inches big. Her head just about reached the basketball hoop. It was like a giant had walked into the room. She must be the tallest person in the history of the world!
Miss Small was the opposite of her name. It was like a fat guy was named Mr. Thin or a dumb guy was named Mr. Smart or a really handsome guy was named Mr. Ugly or . . . well, you get the idea.
Miss Small blew into the shiny silver whistle that was hanging around her neck.
“Hey, kids! Are you ready to have some fun?”
“Yeah!” we all hollered.
“We’re going to have lots of fun in Fizz Ed!” she said. “Fun fun fun, all the time! That’s my motto.”
“What’s a motto?” asked Ryan.
“I don’t know,” Miss Small said. “What’s a motto with you?”
Then she laughed.
“Do you like to play games?” Miss Small asked. “I love playing games!”
“I like to play video games,” one of the boys said.
“Those aren’t the kind of games I’m talking about,” said Miss Small. “Real games are even more fun. I’m talking about running and jumping and chasing games. We’re going to play Red Light Green Light, Red Rover, Spud, Mother May I, Duck Duck Goose. . . . ”
“Those games are lame,” Ryan whispered in my ear.
“Kids can get hurt when they run and jump and chase each other,” said Andrea. “My mother told me to always be careful so I don’t get hurt.”
“Can you possibly be any more boring?” I asked Andrea.
She is gonna make a great grown-up when she grows up. She’s only eight, and she’s already mature, which is a fancy way to say boring.
“Do we have to play games where somebody loses?” asked that crybaby Emily. “I think the team that loses should win too. My dad told me I’m a winner whether I win or lose.”
“Your dad is weird,” I said, even though Emily looked like she might cry again. “If everybody wins, what’s the point of playing the game? That’s why you play. To beat the other team.”
“Competing is icky,” said Andrea.
“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, A.J. It’s how you play the game that counts,” said Miss Small. “In Fizz Ed, our goal is to have fun and build strong, healthy bodies. But most of all, by the end of the term, I want you all to have cooties.”
“Cooties!” everybody shrieked.
“Girls have cooties!” shouted all the boys.
“Boys have cooties!” shouted all the girls.
I never really knew what cooties were, but I knew they were something horrible that you wouldn’t want to get.
“Everybody should have cooties,” said Miss Small. “Cooties stands for COOperation, TEAmwork, and Sportsmanship.”
Oh. I didn’t care much about that stuff. I just wanted to beat Andrea Young at something because she thinks she is so smart. Besides, words that are made from the letters of other words are dumb.
Miss Small blew her whistle again.
“Before we do anything, we have to stretch.”
Miss Small got down on the floor again and did some push-ups. Then we had to do push-ups. She did some sit-ups. Then we had to do sit-ups. She did some windmills and arm circles. Then we had to do windmills and arm circles.
“See if you can touch your toes,” Miss Small said. “Now see if you can touch the sky. You want to be loose as a goose in a caboose.”
Stretching was boring, and dumb, too. Nobody can touch the sky. After we stretched, Miss Small made us do about a million hundred jumping jacks.
“Isn’t this fun?” Miss Small asked when we were finished.
I thought I was gonna throw up.
She blew her whistle again.
“Okay, now that we’re all as loose as a goose in a caboose, who wants to play a game?”
“I do!” we all shouted.
Finally! -
New York is 3 hours ahead of California,
纽约时间比加州时间早三个小时，
but it does not make California slow.
但加州时间并没有变慢。
Someone graduated at the age of 22,
有人22岁就毕业了，
but waited 5 years before securing a good job!
但等了五年才找到好的工作！
Someone became a CEO at 25,
有人25岁就当上CEO，
and died at 50.
却在50岁去世。
While another became a CEO at 50,
也有人迟到50岁才当上CEO，
and lived to 90 years.
然后活到90岁。
Someone is still single,
有人依然单身，
while someone else got married.
同时也有人已婚。
Obama retires at 55,
奥巴马55岁就退休，
but Trump starts at 70.
川普70岁才开始当总统。
Absolutely everyone in this world works based on their Time Zone.
世上每个人本来就有自己的发展时区。
People around you might seem to go ahead of you,
身边有些人看似走在你前面，
some might seem to be behind you.
也有人看似走在你后面。
But everyone is running their own RACE, in their own TIME.
但其实每个人在自己的时区有自己的步程。
Don’t envy them or mock them.
不用嫉妒或嘲笑他们。
They are in their TIME ZONE, and you are in yours!
他们都在自己的时区里，你也是！
Life is about waiting for the right moment to act.
生命就是等待正确的行动时机。
So, RELAX.
所以，放轻松。
You’re not LATE.
你没有落后。
You’re not EARLY.
你没有领先。
You are very much ON TIME, and in your TIME ZONE Destiny set up for you.
在命运为你安排的属于自己的时区里，一切都准时。 -
The Dot
Art Class was over, but Vashti sat glued to her chair.
Her paper was empty.
Vashti’s teacher leaned over the blank paper.
“Ah! A polar bear in a snow storm,” she said.
“Very funny!” said Vashti. “I just CAN’T draw!”
Her teacher smiled.
“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”
Vashti grabbed a marker and gave the paper a good, strong jab.
“There!”
Her teacher picked up the paper and studied it carefully.
“Hmmmmm.”
She pushed the paper toward Vashti and quietly said, “Now sign it.”
Vashti thought for a moment.
“Well, maybe I can’t draw, but I CAN sign my name.”
The next week, when Vashti walked into art class, she was surprised to see what was hanging above her teacher’s desk.
It was the little dot she had drawn—HER DOT!
All framed in swirly gold!
“Hmmph! I can make a better dot that THAT!”
She opened her never-before-used set of watercolors and set to work.
Vashti painted and painted.
A red dot.
A purple dot.
A yellow dot.
A blue dot.
The Blue mixed with the yellow.
She discovered that she could make a GREEN dot.
Vashti kept experimenting.
Lots of little dots in many colors.
“If I can make little dots, I can make BIG dots, too.”
Vashti splashed her colors with a bigger brush on bigger paper to make bigger dots.
Vashti even made a dot by NOT painting a dot.
At the school art show a few weeks later, Vashti’s many dots made quite a splash.
Vashti noticed a little boy gazing up at her.
“You’re a really great artist. I wish I could draw,” he said.
“I bet you can,” said Vashti.
“ME? No, not me. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler.”
Vashti smiled.
She handed the boy a blank sheet of paper.
“Show me.”
The boy’s pencil shook as he drew his line.
Vashti stared at the boy’s squiggle.
And then she said…
“Sign it.” -
Miss Nelson Is Missing
The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again.
Spitballs stuck to the ceiling.
Paper planes whizzed through the air.
They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.
“Now settle down,” said Miss Nelson in a sweet voice.
But the class would not settle down.
They whispered and giggled.
They squirmed and made faces.
They were even rude during story hour.
And they always refused to do their lessons.
“Something will have to be done,” said Miss Nelson.
The next morning Miss Nelson did not come to school.
“Wow!” yelled the kids. “Now we can really act up!”
They began to make more spitballs and paper planes.
“Today let’s be just terrible!” they said.
“Not so fast!” hissed an unpleasant voice.
A woman in an ugly black dress stood before them.
“I am your new teacher, Miss Viola Swamp.”
And she rapped the desk with her ruler.
“Where is Miss Nelson?” asked the kids.
“Never mind that!” snapped Miss Swamp. “Open those arithmetic books!”
Miss Nelson’s kids did as they were told.
They could see that Miss Swamp was a real witch.
She meant business.
Right away she put them to work.
And she loaded them down with homework.
“We’ll have no story hour today,” said miss Swamp.
“Keep your mouths shut,” said Miss Swamp.
“Sit perfectly still,” said Miss Swamp.
“And if you misbehave, you’ll be sorry,” said Miss Swamp.
The kids in Room 207 had never worked so hard.
Days went by and there was no sign of Miss Nelson.
The kids missed Miss Nelson.
“Maybe we should try to find her,” they said.
Some of them went to the police.
Detective McSmogg was assigned to the case.
He listened to their story.
He scratched his chin.
“Hmmmm,” he said. “Hmmm.”
“I think Miss Nelson is missing.”
Detective McSmogg would not be much help.
Other kids went to Miss Nelson’s house.
The shades were tightly drawn, and no one answered the door.
In fact, the only person they did see was the wicked Miss Viola Swamp, coming up the street.
“If she sees us, she’ll give us more homework.”
They got away just in time.
Maybe something terrible happened to Miss Nelson!
“Maybe she was gobbled up by a shark!” said one of the kids.
But that didn’t seem likely.
“Maybe Miss Nelson went to Mars!” said another kid.
But that didn’t seem likely either.
“I know!” exclaimed one know-it-all. “Maybe Miss Nelson’s car was carried off by a swarm of angry butterflies!”
But that was the least likely of all.
The kids in Room 207 became very discouraged.
It seemed that Miss Nelson was never coming back.
And they would be stuck with Miss Viola Swamp forever.
They heard footsteps in the hall.
“Here comes the witch,” they whispered.
“Hello, children,” someone said in a sweet voice.
It was Miss Nelson!
“Did you miss me?” she asked.
“We certainly did!” cried all the kids.
“Where were you?”
“That’s my little secret,” said Miss Nelson.
“How about a story hour?”
“Oh yes!” cried the kids.
Miss Nelson noticed that during story hour no one was rude or silly.
“What brought about this lovely change?” she asked.
“That’s our little secret,” said the kids.
Back home Miss Nelson took off her coat and hung it in the closet (right next to an ugly black dress).
When it was time for bed she sang a little song.
“I’ll never tell,” she said to herself with a smile.
P.S. Detective McSmogg is working on a new case.
He is now looking for Miss Voila Swamp.
-
It was Christmas Eve, and Harold had to have a Christmas tree before Santa Claus arrived.
So, in a warm woolen cap and mittens, with his purple crayon and the moon, he set off for the north woods.
Harold made sure he went north, by the big dipper. He was glad it happened to be a clear starry night.
Suddenly he remembered Santa Claus came by sleigh. There would have to be snow.
And there was snow. There was a blizzard.
Harold shivered. It’s a fine night to be out, he thought, for a snowman.
The snowstorm was worse than he imagined. Even a snowman didn’t look cheerful in it.
Harold gave the snowman a muffler to wear.
And, happily, the storm finally was showing signs of letting up.
The snow stopped falling but it lay in big drifts. It covered everything.
From the looks of things, Harold thought, he might very well be at the North Pole.
But this couldn’t be really the North Pole, he told himself, because he knew that Santa Claus’s workshop is at the North Pole.
And here all Harold could see was snow.
Still, it did look remarkably like the North Pole, Harold reflected, as he climbed up on a snowdrift as big as a house.
It was a house. He really was at the North Pole, on the roof of Santa’s workshop.
With smooth snow over the eaves Harold was sure Santa Claus was inside. He was snowed in. And it was the night before Christmas.
Why, Harold asked excitedly, couldn’t Santa come out up the chimney?
Then he realized that was a silly question.
Of course Santa Claus could come up a chimney.
The difficulty was, Santa’s sleigh full of toys couldn’t come out that way. Harold thought.
Then he acted fast. He told Santa to come out without the sleigh and not to worry, to leave things to him.
Santa Claus appeared to be rather doubtful.
But Harold confidently went to work lining up the reindeer.
Soon Prancer and Dancer were pawing at the snow, eager to be off around the world.
Harold wasn’t quite certain of the names of the other reindeer.
But he made sure there were eight of them.
They were all handsome and spirited animals.
And, if they weren’t exactly in their right order, none of them complained.
Harold harnessed them with no difficulty.
And he hitched them to a splendid sleigh.
It had a comfortable seat for Santa Claus.
And it had room for a sizeable bag of toys.
He generously filled the bag to overflowing.
For a moment Harold thought of looking to see which were his parents.
But there wasn’t time. He told Santa Claus to get in the sleigh and deliver the toys.
And, without more ado, he waved goodbye.
He would have liked to ride with Santa but he still had to find a Christmas tree.
And he had to get it home, and decorate it too, before Santa got there.
He looked everywhere for a Christmas tree, but all he could see was the moon.
He wondered how the moon would look on top of a Christmas tree, as an ornament.
It looked fine over the tree. And the tree also looked fine under the moon.
It was just the tree he had been looking for.
Now the only problem was to get it home.
It had to stand in the living room, between the fireplace and the big soft chair.
Fortunately, the tree fitted in perfectly. Harold hung up one of his stockings on the fireplace mantel.
And he climbed into the big soft chair to wait for Santa Claus to arrive. -
Harold and the Purple Crayon
One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight.
There wasn’t any moon, and Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight.
And he needed something to walk on.
He made a long straight path so he wouldn’t get lost.
And he set off on his walk, taking his big purple crayon with him.
But he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere on the long straight path.
So he left the path for a short cut across a field. And the moon went with him.
The short cut led right to where Harold thought a forest ought to be.
He didn’t want to get lost in the woods. So he made a very small forest, with just one tree in it.
It turned out to be an apple tree.
The apples would be very tasty, Harold thought, when they got red.
So he put a frightening dragon under the tree to guard the apples.
It was a terribly frightening dragon.
It even frightened Harold. He backed away.
His hand holding the purple crayon shook.
Suddenly he realized what was happening.
But by then Harold was over his head in an ocean.
He came up thinking fast.
And in no time he was climbing aboard a trim little boat.
He quickly set sail.
And the moon sailed along with him.
After he had sailed long enough, Harold made land without much trouble.
He stepped ashore on the beach, wondering where he was.
The sandy beach reminded Harold of picnics. And the thought of picnics made him hungry.
So he laid out a nice simple picnic lunch.
There was nothing but pie.
But there were all nine kinds of pie that Harold liked best.
When Harold finished his picnic there was quite a lot left.
He hated to see so much delicious pie go to waste.
So Harold left a very hungry moose and a deserving porcupine to finish it up.
And, off he went, looking for a hill to climb, to see where he was.
Harold knew that the higher up he went, the farther he could see. So he decided to make the hill into a mountain.
If he went high enough, he thought, he could see the window of his bedroom.
He was tired and he felt he ought to be getting to bed.
He hoped he could see his bedroom window from the top of the mountain.
But as he looked down over the other side he slipped—
And there wasn’t any other side of the mountain. He was falling, in thin air.
But luckily, he kept his wits and his purple crayon.
He made a balloon and he grabbed on to it.
And he made a basket under the balloon big enough to stand in.
He had a fine view from the balloon but he couldn’t see his window, He couldn’t even see a house.
So he made a house, with windows.
And he landed the balloon on the grass in the front yard.
None of the windows was his window.
He tried to think where his window ought to be.
He made some more windows.
He made a big building full of windows.
He made lots of buildings full of windows.
He made a whole city full of windows.
But none of the windows was his window.
He couldn’t think where it might be.
He decided to ask a policeman.
The policeman pointed the way Harold was going anyway. But Harold thanked him.
And he walked along with the moon, wishing he was in his room and in bed.
Then, suddenly, Harold remembered.
He remembered where his bedroom window was, when there was a moon.
It was always right around the moon.
And then Harold made his bed.
He got in it and he drew up the covers.
The purple crayon dropped on the floor. And Harold dropped off to sleep. -
One afternoon Olivia was walking down the hall when she heard her mother talking to her aunt. “I’m at the end of my tether. I’d just finished cleaning the kitchen when Olivia decided to make a smoothie. A blueberry smoothie.”
Olivia, hearing her name, paused to listen.
“I told her, ‘Don’t fill it up to the top. Don’t put all the blueberries in. And not too much milk, or then it will splatter!’”
“Mommy, I KNOW how to use the blender.”
“Guess who had to clean that up? Then,” her mother continued, “there was the episode with the laundry…”
“I asked her to put her father’s white shirts in the washer.
‘Olivia,’ I said, ‘put them in one at a time or else they will tangle…’”
“‘…and only one capful of soap.’”
“Mother, I KNOW how to work the washing machine!”
“Olivia, you put your red socks in with the white shirts, and now the white shirts are pink!”
“I think they look pretty!”
“Well, then, you wear them!”
Which she did.
“Oh, I wish there was somewhere I could send her until she develops some SENSE!”
Some SENSE?! Thought Olivia. I’m the only one in this house with any sense!
What ELSE is she saying about me? Maybe I should investigate.
She decided to investigate.
But she had to be sneaky.
Olivia, who had always stood out, now needed to blend in.
She might be anywhere.
Anywhere.
Seriously anywhere.
“Honestly, she’s exhausting. Yesterday I had to ask her five times to clean up her room. If only there were someplace where they could teach her to listen… like military school.”
Olivia’s mother had been planning to take Olivia to the ballet as a surprise, but now she was having second thoughts. “Do you think if I take her to the ballet, that she can sit through it without wiggling and squirming?”
Olivia sneaked around the corner just in time to hear her father say, “Oh, that’s the perfect place to take her! After all, it’s an INSTITUTION!”
The next day Olivia asked her teacher, “What’s an institution?”
“That’s a good question, Olivia. An institution can be many things. It can be a building, like a library, or a tradition, like a marriage. Or it could be the military, or a prison…”
Prison?!
The next morning Olivia’s mother told her to be ready and dressed by six o’clock that evening.
“I’m going to take you somewhere SPECIAL!”
“Where are you taking me?” Olivia asked in a very small voice.
“It’s a SURPRISE!”
“Okay, Mommy, I’ll be ready.”
All that sad day Olivia tried to figure out what she would need for an institution.
She packed up her few pitiful possessions, put on her best dress, and went downstairs.
“Oh, you can’t take your things where you’re going…”
“You’re awfully quiet tonight, Olivia.”
Olivia didn’t answer.
She was saying good-bye to the city she loved so well.
When they got out of the taxi, Olivia cried out, “THE BALLET?! You’re taking me to the BALLET?!”
“Yes, darling! That’s the SURPRISE!”
“I thought you were taking me to an INSTITUTION!”
“An institution? Olivia … have you been eavesdropping?”
“What does ‘eavesdropping’ mean?” asked Olivia.
“It means listening to other people’s conversations, sweetheart.”
“Mommy, I would NEVER do that! I was SPYING!”
Before they took their seats, her mother asked her if she needed to use the you-know-what.
“No,” said Olivia, “I’m fine.”
Of course ten minutes into the first act, Olivia needed to use the you-know-what.
Badly.
“Excuse me, my little one needs to use the you-know-what.”
“Of course. It’s the door on the left.”
“Do you need me to come with you, Olivia?” her mother asked.
“I KNOW how to go to the bathroom, Mommy.”
“I have one just that age. They can be a handful.”
“They certainly can. You can’t turn your back for one second.”
“Not one single second!”
“There you are!” said Olivia’s mother.
“You took such a long time, I was getting worried.”
“It was a lot farther away than the lady said.”
“Thank you, Mommy. That was beautiful.”
“Darling, I’m so glad you liked it.”
“Although,” Olivia added, “the girls in the pas de quatre could have worked on their entrechats.
“Well, Olivia, what have you learned by eavesdropping?”
“Partial truths and misinformation——”
“And how did that make you feel?”
“Insecure and suspicious——”
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ll cook dinner all next week.”
“Oh no you won’t!” said her mother.
“MOMMY, I KNOW how to COOK!”
The End (at least until tomorrow) -
The Cow Tripped over the Moon
A Nursery Rhyme Emergency
Here comes the ambulance! It’s on its way.
Who’s had an accident in Storyland today?
Driver, put your foot down. Don’t waste time.
This is an Emergency Nursery Rhyme!
Who have we here? It’s the farmer’s cow!
She fell from a great, big height somehow.
“I saw it happen,” laughs a little hound.
“She tripped on the moon and fell to the ground.”
She chipped a hoof and grazed her knees!
“Pass me the cow-sized plasters, please,”
says the ambulance man to the ambulance crew.
They patch her up and the cow goes “Moo!”
Here comes the ambulance! Off we go!
It’s a Nursery Rhyme Emergency –
anyone we know?
Who’s had an accident?
What’s wrong now?
Rock-a-bye Baby fell from a bough.
The wind broke the branch
as she rocked to sleep
and Baby landed in the compost heap.
“Let’s check the patient. Is she hurt?”
No, but covered in weeds and dirt,
with an old banana stuck to her head.
She just needs a bath then straight to bed.
Here comes the ambulance down the lane.
It’s a Nursery Rhyme Emergency yet again!
Has little Polly Flinders burnt her thumb?
Has Little Jack Horner choked on a plum?
Who could it be, do you suppose?
It’s a poor little maid with a very sore nose.
She was pegging out the washing when a bird flew by.
Its four and twenty brothers had been baked in a pie.
It pecked off her nose very hard, hard, hard,
so they fix it with pastry and lard, lard, lard.
Here comes the ambulance! It’s on another call.
It’s a Nursery Rhyme Emergency! Someone had a fall.
He fell off the wall. Did he break his leg?
Who is the patient covered in egg?
All the King’s Men, let the ambulance through!
All the King’s Horses, shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
Humpty Dumpty has smashed his shell,
but the ambulance crew soon makes him well –
they put him together with jam and bread.
“Crumbs!” says Humpty. “They fixed my head!”
Here comes the ambulance down the hill.
It’s a Nursery Rhyme Emergency – is someone ill?
Someone blew a horn but we don’t know who.
Look beneath the haystack…It’s Little Boy Blue!
He was meant to look after a herd of sheep,
but the poor little lamb fell fast asleep.
The cows in the corn came and nibbled the hay,
then sat on the stack where the little lad lay.
The crew checks him over: “He isn’t in pain,
but he may never play on the horn again –
it’s been sat on, flattened and bent out of shape.”
So they fix it with hammers and trumpet tape.
Here comes the ambulance into town.
It’s a Nursery Rhyme Emergency – hurry down!
The ambulance arrives and screeches to a stop.
They run to save the weasel …
but the weasel goes
POP! -
We were all sitting around the big kitchen table. It was Saturday morning. Pancake morning. Mom was squeezing oranges for juice. Henry and I were betting on how many pancakes we each could eat. And Grandpa was doing the flipping.
Seconds later, something flew through the air headed toward the kitchen ceiling…
…and landed right on Henry.
After we realized that the flying object was only a pancake, we all laughed, even Grandpa. Breakfast continued quite uneventfully. All the other pancakes landed in the pan. And all of them were eaten, even the one that landed on Henry.
That night, touched off by the pancake incident at breakfast, Grandpa told us the best tall-tale bedtime story he’d ever told.
“Across an ocean, over lots of huge, bumpy mountains, across three hot deserts, and one smaller ocean…
… there lay the tiny town of Chewandswallow.
In most ways, it was very much like any other tiny town. It had a Main Street lined with stores, houses with trees and gardens around them, a schoolhouse, about three hundred people, and some assorted cats and dogs.
But there were no food stores in the town of Chewandswallow. They didn’t need any. The sky supplied all the food they could possibly want.
The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was its weather. It came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything that everyone ate came from the sky.
Whatever the weather served, that was what they ate.
But it never rained rain. It never snowed snow. And it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed mashed potatoes and green peas. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.
The people could watch the weather report on television in the morning and they would even heat a prediction for the next day’s food.
When the townspeople went outside, they carried their plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives and napkins with them. That way they would always be prepared for any kind of weather.
If there were leftovers, and there usually were, the people took them home and put them in their refrigerators in case they got hungry between meals.
The menu varied.
By the time they woke up in the morning, breakfast was coming down.
After a brief shower of orange juice, low clouds of sunny-side up eggs moved in followed by pieces of toast. Butter and jelly sprinkled down for the toast. And most of the time it rained milk afterwards.
For lunch one day, frankfurters, already in their rolls, blew in from the northwest at about five miles an hour.
There were mustard clouds nearby. Then the wind shifted to the east and brought in baked beans. A drizzle of soda finished off the meal.
Dinner one night consisted of lamb chops, becoming heavy at times, with occasional ketchup. Periods of peas were followed by gradual clearing, with a wonderful Jell-O setting in the west.
The Sanitation Department of Chewandswallow had a rather unusual job for a sanitation department. It had to remove the food that fell on the houses and sidewalks and lawns. The workers cleaned things up after every meal and fed all the dogs and cats. Then they emptied some of it into the surrounding oceans for the fish and turtles and whales to eat. The rest of the food was put back into the earth so that the soil would be richer for the people’s flower gardens.
Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse.
One day there was nothing but Gorgonzola cheese all day long.
The next day there was only broccoli, all overcooked.
And the next day there were brussel sprouts and peanut butter with mayonnaise.
Another day there was a pea soup fog. No one could see where they were going and they could barely find the rest of the meal that got stuck in the fog.
The food was getting larger and larger, and so were the portions. The people were getting frightened. Violent storms blew up frequently. Awful things were happening.
One Tuesday there was a hurricane of bread and rolls all day long and into the night. There were soft rolls and hard rolls, some with seeds and some without. There was white bread and rye and whole wheat toast. Most of it was larger than they had ever seen bread and rolls before.
It was a terrible day.
Everyone had to stay indoors. Roofs were damaged, and the Sanitation Department was beside itself. The mess took the workers four days to clean up, and the sea was full of floating rolls.
To help out, the people piled up as much bread as they could in their backyards. The birds picked at it a bit, but it just stayed there and got staler and staler.
There was a storm of pancakes one morning and a downpour of maple syrup that nearly flooded the town. A huge pancake covered the school. No one could get it off because of its weight, so they had to close the school.
Lunch one day brought fifteen-inch drifts of cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. Everyone ate themselves sick and the day ended with a stomachache.
There was an awful salt and pepper wind accompanied by an even worse tomato tornado. People were sneezing themselves silly and running to avoid the tomatoes. The town was a mess. There were seeds and pulp everywhere.
The Sanitation Department gave up. The job was too big.
Everyone feared for their lives. They couldn’t go outside most of the time. Many houses had been badly damaged by giant meatballs, stores were boarded up and there was no more school for the children.
So a decision was made to abandon the town of Chewandswallow.
It was a matter of survival.
The people glued together the giant pieces of stale bread sandwich-style with peanut butter…
…took the absolute necessities with them, and set sail on their rafts for a new land.
After being afloat for a week, they finally reached a small coastal town, which welcomed them. The bread had held up surprisingly well, well enough for them to build temporary houses for themselves out of it.
The children began school again, and the adults all tried to find places for themselves in the new land. The biggest change they had to make was getting used to buying food at a supermarket. They found it odd that the food was kept on shelves, packaged in boxes, cans and bottles. Meat that had to be cooked was kept in large refrigerators. Nothing came down from the sky except rain and snow. The clouds above their heads were not made of fried eggs. No one ever got hit by a hamburger again.
And nobody dared to go back to Chewandswallow to find out what had happened to it. They were too afraid.”
Henry and I were awake until the very end of Grandpa’s story. I remember his goodnight kiss.
The next morning we woke up to see snow falling outside our window. We ran downstairs for breakfast and ate it a little faster than usual so we could go sledding with Grandpa.
It’s funny, but even as we were sliding down the hill we thought we saw a giant pat of butter at the top, and we could almost smell mashed potatoes. -
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs.
Or at least they think they do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret.
Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story.
I’m the wolf. Alexander T. Wolf.
You can call me Al.
I don’t know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it’s all wrong.
Maybe it’s because of our diet.
Hey, it’s not my fault wolves eat cute little animals like bunnies and sheep and pigs.
That’s just the way we are.
If cheeseburgers were cute, folks would probably think you’re Big and Bad, too.
But like I was saying, the whole Big Bad Wolf thing is all wrong.
The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar.
This is the real story.
Way back in Once Upon a Time time, I was making a birthday cake for my dear old granny.
I had a terrible sneezing cold.
I ran out of sugar.
So I walked down the street to ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar.
Now this neighbor was a pig.
And he wasn’t too bright, either.
He had built his whole house out of straw.
Can you believe it? I mean who in his right mind would build a house of straw?
So of course the minute I knocked on the door, it fell right in. I didn’t want to just walk into someone else’s house. So I called, “Little Pig, Little Pig, are you in?” No answer.
I was just about to go home without the cup of sugar for my dear old granny’s birthday cake.
That’s when my nose started to itch.
I felt a sneeze coming on.
Well I huffed.
And I snuffed.
And I sneezed a great sneeze.
And you know what? That whole darn straw house fell down. And right in the middle of the pile was the First Little Pig—dead as a doornail.
He had been home the whole time.
It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw. So I ate it up.
Think of it as a big cheeseburger just lying there.
I was feeling a little better. But I still didn’t have my cup of sugar. So I went to the next neighbor’s house.
This neighbor was the First Little Pig’s brother.
He was a little smarter, but not much.
He had built his house of sticks.
I rang the bell on the stick house.
Nobody answered. I called,” Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?”
He yelled back, “Go away wolf. You can’t come in. I’m shaving the hairs on my chinny chin chin.”
I had just grabbed the doorknob when I felt another sneeze coming on.
I huffed. And I snuffed. And I tried to cover my mouth, but I sneezed a great sneeze.
And you’re not going to believe it, but this guy’s house fell down just like his brother’s.
When the dust cleared, there was the Second Little Pig – dead as a doornail. Wolf’s honor.
Now you know food will spoil if you just leave it out in the open.
So I did the only thing there was to do. I had dinner again.
Think of it as a second helping. I was getting awfully full.
But my cold was feeling a little better.
And I still didn’t have that cup of sugar for my dear old granny’s birthday cake.
So I went to the next house. This guy was the First and Second Little Pigs’ brother.
He must have been the brains of the family. He had built his house of bricks.
I knocked on the brick house. No answer.
I called, “Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?”
And do you know what that rude little porker answered?
“Get out of here, Wolf. Don’t bother me again.”
Talk about impolite!
He probably had a whole sackful of sugar.
And he wouldn’t give me even one little cup for my dear sweet old granny’s birthday cake.
What a pig!
I was just about to go home and maybe make a nice birthday card instead of a cake, when I felt my cold coming on.
I huffed.
And I snuffed.
And I sneezed once again.
Then the Third Little Pig yelled, “And your old granny can sit on a pin!”
Now I’m usually a pretty calm fellow. But when somebody talks about my granny like that, I go a little crazy.
When the cops drove up, of course I was trying to break down this Pig’s door. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The news reporters found out about the two pigs I had for dinner.
They figured a sick guy going to borrow a cup of sugar didn’t sound very exciting.
So they jazzed up the story with all of that “Huff and puff and blow your house down.”
And they made me the Big Bad Wolf.
That’s it.
The real story. I was framed.
But maybe you could loan me a cup of sugar. -
The Gruffalo’s Child
The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood.
“Why not? Why not?” “Because if you do
The Big Bad Mouse will be after you.
I met him once,” said the Gruffalo.
“I met him a long long time ago.”
“What does he look like? Tell us, Dad.
Is he terribly big and terribly bad?”
“I can’t quite remember,” the Gruffalo said.
Then he thought for a minute and scratched his head.
“The Big Bad Mouse is terribly strong
And his scaly tail is terribly long.
His eyes are like pools of terrible fire
And his terrible whiskers are tougher than wire.”
One snowy night when the Gruffalo snored
The Gruffalo’s Child was feeling bored.
The Gruffalo’s child was feeling brave
So she tiptoed out of the gruffalo cave.
The snow fell fast and the wind blew wild.
Into the wood went the Gruffalo’s Child.
Aha! Oho! A trail in the snow!
Whose is this trail and where does it go?
A tail poked out of a logpile house.
Could this be the tail of the Big Bad Mouse?
Out slid the creature. His eyes were small
And he didn’t have whiskers – no, none at all.
“You’re not the Mouse.” “Not I,” said the snake.
“He’s down by the lake – eating gruffalo cake.”
The snow fell fast and the wind blew wild.
“I’m not scared,” said the Gruffalo’s Child.
Aha! Oho! Marks in the snow!
Whose are these claw marks? Where do they go?
Two eyes gleamed out of a treetop house.
Could these be the eyes of the Big Bad Mouse?
Down flew the creature. His tail was short
And he didn’t have whiskers of any sort.
“You’re not the Mouse.” “Toowhoo, not I,
But he’s somewhere nearby, eating gruffalo pie.”
The snow fell fast and the wind blew wild.
“I’m not scared,” said the Gruffalo’s Child.
Aha! Oho! A track in the snow!
Whose is this track and where does it go?
Whiskers at last! And an underground house!
Could this be the home of the Big Bad Mouse?
Out slunk the creature. His eyes weren’t fiery.
His tail wasn’t scaly. His whiskers weren’t wiry.
“You’re not the Mouse.” “Oh no, not me.
He’s under a tree – drinking gruffalo tea.”
“It’s all a trick!” said the Gruffalo’s Child
As she sat on a stump where the snow lay piled.
“I don’t believe in the Big Bad Mouse …
“but here comes a little one, out of his house!
Not big, not bad, but a mouse at least –
You’ll taste good as a midnight feast.”
“Wait!” said the mouse. “Before you eat,
There’s a friend of mine that you ought to meet.
If you’ll let me hop onto a hazel twig
I’ll beckon my friend so bad and big.”
The Gruffalo’s Child unclenched her fist.
“The Big Bad Mouse – so he does exist!”
The mouse hopped into the hazel tree.
He beckoned, then said, “Just wait and see.”
Out came the moon. It was bright and round.
A terrible shadow fell onto the ground.
Who is this creature so big, bad and strong?
His tail and his whiskers are terribly long.
His ears are enormous, and over his shoulder
He carries a nut as big as a boulder!
“The Big Bad Mouse!” yelled the Gruffalo’s Child.
The mouse jumped down from the twig and smiled.
Aha! Oho! Prints in the snow.
Whose are these footprints? Where do they go?
The footprints led to the gruffalo cave
Where the Gruffalo’s Child was a bit less brave.
The Gruffalo’s Child was a bit less bored …
And the Gruffalo snored and snored and snored. -
The Gruffalo
咕噜牛
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.
一只小老鼠，叽布叽布，在密林深处溜达。
一只狐狸看到它，馋得口水直滴答。
“Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come and have lunch in my underground house.”
“亲爱的小老鼠，你要上哪啊？
进来吃午饭吧，树底下就是我的家。
“It’s terribly kind of you, Fox, but no--
I’m going to have lunch with a gruffalo.”
“哦，狐狸，你太客气啦！可是很抱歉--
咕噜牛约我来吃饭，一会就见面。”
“A gruffalo? What’s a gruffalo?”
“A gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know?”
“咕噜牛？咕噜牛是谁啊？”狐狸问道。
“咕噜牛就是咕噜牛。怎么，你连这也不知道？”
“He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws,
And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.”
“他有可怕的獠牙，可怕的爪子，
可怕的嘴里长满了可怕的牙齿！”
“Where are you meeting him?”
“Here, by these rocks,
And his favorite food is roasted fox.”
“你们要在哪见面？“
“就在这块岩石旁边，
烤狐狸这个菜他最喜欢！”
“Roasted fox! Oh my !” Fox said.
“Goodbye, little mouse,” and away he sped.
“烤狐狸？天哪！小老鼠，我还有事要先走！”
狐狸说着，飞也似的就开溜。
“Silly old Fox! Doesn’t he know？
There’s no such thing as a gruffalo！”
“这只狐狸真是蠢！什么咕噜牛！
难道他不知道，咕噜牛根本就没有？”
On went the mouse through the deep dark wood.
An owl saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.
这只小老鼠，叽布叽布，继续在林中溜达。
一只猫头鹰看到他，馋得口水直嘀嗒。
“Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come and have tea in my treetop house.”
“亲爱的小老鼠，你要上哪儿啊？
上来喝杯茶吧，树洞那儿就是我的家。
“It’s frightfully nice of you, Owl, but no--
I’m going to have tea with a gruffalo.”
“哦，猫头鹰，你太好心啦！可是很抱歉--
咕噜牛约我来喝茶，一会儿就见面。”
“A gruffalo? What’s a gruffalo?”
“A gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know?”
“咕噜牛？咕噜牛是谁啊？”狐狸问道。
“咕噜牛就是咕噜牛。怎么，你连这也不知道？”
“He has knobbly knees, and turned-out toes,
And a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.”
“他的膝盖特别鼓，脚趾叉得特别大，
鼻头上的毒瘤特可怕！
“Where are you meeting him?”
“Here, by this stream,
And his favorite food is owl ice cream.”
“你们要在哪见面？”
“就在这条小河边，
他最喜欢猫头鹰冰淇淋！”
“Owl ice cream? Toowhit！ Toowhoo!
Goodbye, little mouse,” and away Owl flew.
“猫头鹰冰淇淋?对不起，小老鼠，我还有事要先走！”
猫头鹰说着，拍拍翅膀就开溜。
“Silly old Owl! Doesn’t he know？
There’s no such thing as a gruffalo！”
“这只猫头鹰真是蠢！什么咕噜牛！
难道他不知道，咕噜牛根本就没有？”
On went the mouse through the deep dark wood.
A snake saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.
这只小老鼠，叽布叽布，继续在林中溜达。
一条蛇看到他，馋得口水直嘀嗒。
“Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come for a feast in my log-pile house.”
“亲爱的小老鼠，你要上哪儿啊？
进来喝杯酒吧，木头堆里就是我的家。
“It’s wonderfully good of you, Snake, but no--
I’m having a feast with a gruffalo.”
“哦，蛇，你太热情啦！可是很抱歉--
咕噜牛约我来喝酒，一会儿就见面。”
“A gruffalo? What’s a gruffalo?”
“A gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know?”
“咕噜牛？咕噜牛是谁啊？”蛇问道。
“咕噜牛就是咕噜牛。怎么，你连这也不知道？”
“His eyes are orange, his tongue is black;
He has purple prickles all over his back.”
“他有黄澄澄的眼睛，黑舌头，
紫色的倒刺长满在他背后。”
“Where are you meeting him?”
“Here, by this lake,
And his favorite food is scrambled snake.”
“你们要在哪见面?”
“就在这个湖旁边,
炒蛇肉这个菜他最喜欢!”
“Scrambled snake？ It’s time I hid!
Goodbye, little mouse,” and away Snake slid.
“炒蛇肉？对不起，小老鼠，我还有事要先走！
这蛇说着扭着身子就开溜。
“Silly old Snake! Doesn’t he know？
There’s no such thing as a gruffal...
“这条蛇真是蠢！什么咕噜牛！
难道他不知道，咕噜牛根本就......”
“Oh！”
噢！
But who is this creature with terrible claws，
And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws?
He has knobbly knees and turn-out toes，
And a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.
His eyes are orange, his tongue is black;
He has purple prickles all over his back.
哪来这么个大怪物---
他有可怕的獠牙，可怕的爪子，
可怕的嘴里长满了可怕的牙齿！
他的膝盖特别鼓，脚趾叉得特别大，
鼻头上的毒瘤特可怕！
他有黄澄澄的眼睛，黑舌头，
紫色的倒刺长满在他背后。
“Oh help! Oh no!
It’s a gruffalo!”
“哦，不，不，不！救命啊！怎么真有......
怎么真有......咕噜牛？”
“My favorite food!” the Gruffalo said.
“You’ll taste good on a slice of bread!”
“我最爱吃小老鼠！”咕噜牛说道，
“弄个老鼠汉堡，味道肯定非常好！
“Good?” said the mouse. “Dont’t call me good!
I’m the scariest creature in this world.
Just walk behind me and soon you’ll see,
Everyone is afraid of me.”
“味道好？你先别说我味道好！
有件事情，恐怕你还不知道，
在这林子里，大家怕我怕得不得了，
只要跟我走一圈，马上就让你看到，
他们个个见了我，吓得全都赶紧逃。”
“Oh, sure!” said the Gruffalo, bursting with laughter.
“You lead the way and I’ll follow after.”
“那我倒要开开眼！”咕噜牛哈哈大笑，
“你在前面走，我跟在你后面瞧。”
They walked and walked till the Gruffalo said,
“I hear a hiss in the grass ahead.”
一大一小往前走，咕噜牛忽然停下，
草丛里面嘶嘶响，你可知道那是啥？
“It’s Snake,” said the mouse. “Why, Snake, hello!”
Snake took one look at the Gruffalo.
“一定是那条蛇在爬。”小老鼠说，“蛇啊蛇，你好！”
蛇抬起头，把咕噜牛瞧了瞧。
“Oh, dear!” he said, “Goodbye, little mouse,”
And slid right into his log-pile house.
“哦，我的天啊！”他说，“我得赶紧把命逃！”
哧溜溜他就不见了。
“You see?” said the mouse. “I told you so.”
“Amazing!” said the Gruffalo.
They walked some more till the Gruffalo said,
“I hear a hoot in the trees ahead.”
“看见没有？”小老鼠说，“大家见我都逃跑！”
“这事还真是有点怪！”咕噜牛说道。
一大一小继续走，咕噜牛忽然又停下。
“树梢顶那咕咕响，你可知道那是啥？”
“It’s Owl,” said the mouse, “Why, Owl, hello!”
Owl took one look at the Gruffalo.
“一定是那只猫头鹰在叫。”小老鼠说，“猫头鹰，你好！”
猫头鹰低下头，把咕噜牛瞧了瞧。
“Boo-whoo!” he said, “Goodbye, little mouse,”
And flew right up to his treetop house.
“哦，我的妈呀！”他说，“我得赶紧把命逃！”
呼啦啦他也不见了。
“You see?” said the mouse. “I told you so.”
“Astounding!” said the Gruffalo.
They walked some more till the Gruffalo said,
“I hear some paws on the path ahead.”
“看见没有？”小老鼠说，“大家见我都逃跑！”
“你还真是不得了！”咕噜牛说道。
一大一小继续走，咕噜牛忽然又停下。
“前面路上啪啦响，你可知道那是啥？”
“It’s Fox,” said the mouse. “Why, Fox, hello!”
Fox took one look at the Gruffalo.
“一定是那只狐狸。”小老鼠说，“狐狸，你好！”
狐狸抬起头，把咕噜牛瞧了瞧。
“Oh help!” he said, “Goodbye, little mouse,”
And ran right into his underground house.
“哦，救命啊！”他说，“我得赶紧把命逃！”
转眼间他也不见了。
The mouse said,“Gruffalo, now you see,
Everyone is afraid of me!
But now my tummy is beginning to rumble,
and my favorite food is -- gruffalo crumble!”
“看见没有，咕噜牛。”小老鼠说道。
“他们个个见了我，全都吓得赶紧逃！
溜溜达达走半天，我的肚子早饿啦！
听说咕噜牛肉很不错，我倒真想尝尝它！
“Gruffalo crumble!” the Gruffalo said,
And quick as the wind he turned and fled.
“咕噜牛肉！”咕噜牛一声叫，
快得像风，他转身就逃！
All was quiet in the deep dark wood.
The mouse found a nut and the nut was good.
密林深处静悄悄，
小老鼠捧着榛果美美地嚼，
这榛果的味道真是好！ -
The Lotus Lantern
Red lanterns hung from strings above Liang’s head. “What a beauty!” Liang exclaimed as he walked in the streets of the Chinatown.
Suddenly, Liang saw it. It was hung above the grand stage. A beautiful lantern shaped like a lotus. It bloomed in front of Liang’s eyes. Liang saw a tag beside the Lotus Lantern: $300.
Liang sadly shook his head. “By the time I’ve earned that much money, Chinatown will be closed!” he thought.
Liang went to the stage. He took a seat on one of the folding chairs.
“Welcome! I’m your host!” the host announced. “We have great acts for you! But first, I’ll have to choose a volunteer! How about you there, young man?” He pointed a long crooked finger at Liang.
Liang basically got pushed onto the stage by the crowd. He had to do many weird stunts and acts.
Finally the show was over. Liang sighed in relief, “Finally!” He was still dizzy from the hypnotizing show.
Liang heard the host say, “Thank you, young man! Now, you can take this lantern home with you!” He grinned as he handed Liang the Lotus Lantern.
Liang could not believe it. He took the lantern home immediately.
“Mom! Dad! Look what I’ve got!” Liang cried.
He told his parents all the things that had happened.
“Great! It could replace that old lantern in your room!” Mom said.
“I’m not going to replace that lantern! I’m going to hang this one beside the old one!”
He got right to work. And soon he was finished.
“Okay, you’ve got to put the lantern out now, darling!” Dad called into Liang’s room.
Liang tried to put out the lantern. But there was an invisible force holding him back.
“Dad, come help me! I can’t put it out!” Liang’s father ran to the lantern and put it out easily.
“Those tricks of yours are not going to fool me!” He cried angrily as he stormed out.
Liang heard a sound, “Come! Put me on! You will get great rewards! If you don’t, I will bring doom to your whole family!”
Liang thought it was a bad dream. So he fell into deep sleep.
The next day, Liang went to school, and bad luck came upon him.
He spilled his milk on his clothes and broke his pen. He tore his books and lost his coat. He was scolded badly by his parents.
Later that night Liang heard the voice again, “Put me on! Or the bad luck will continue, and I will bring doom to your family!”
Liang thought it was a nightmare. So again he fell asleep.
Even worse luck the next day.
He bumped his head in the gym class. He flunked the math test. And he acted poorly in the Chinese class.
The teachers shouted at Liang. And his parents gave him a dressing down again.
“Put me on! Put me on!” The ghostly voice echoed beside Liang’s ears.
Liang grabbed the lantern and tossed it out the window.
The next day, Mom scolded Liang again. For the lantern had somehow got itself lit again and was hung on the kitchen ceiling. Liang grabbed the lantern and ran to the Chinatown.
“I want to return this!” Liang gasped as he finally reached the stage. A worker took the lantern and Liang ran off.
That night, the lantern appeared again in Liang’s room.
Liang lit the old lantern. He thought that it would make him safer.
The next morning, both lanterns were gone. Liang saw a note:
I sacrificed myself to save you. I am your old lantern. I had a battle with the Lotus Lantern while you were asleep. He was an evil magician. Just remember, Liang, all that glitters is not gold.
Truly yours,
The Old Lantern
So Liang and his parents lived happily ever after, and no one knows what had happened to those two lanterns.
莲花灯
红色的灯笼挂在阿良的头顶上。“太漂亮了！”阿良走在唐人街的街道上，一边走，一边赞叹道。
突然，阿良看到了它，它就挂在大舞台的上方。那是一盏漂亮的灯笼，形状和莲花一样。莲花在阿良的眼前绽放着。阿良看到莲花灯旁有一个价格标签：300美元。
阿良伤心地摇了摇头。“等我挣够了钱，唐人街就关门了。”他想到。
阿良来到舞台旁，他在折叠椅上坐了下来。
“欢迎光临。我是今晚的主持人。”主持人说道。“今晚有精彩的表演。不过，首先，我们要挑选一名志愿者。你怎么样，年轻人？”他用又长又弯的指头指着阿良。
阿良几乎是让人推上舞台的。他表演了几个很奇怪的节目。
表演结束了。阿良如释重负，叹了口气说道：“终于结束了！” 不过，刚刚参加完催眠节目，他还觉得晕乎乎的。
阿良听到主持人说道：“谢谢，年轻人。现在，你可以把灯笼拿回家了。”他一边笑着，一边把莲花灯递给阿良。
阿良简直不敢相信。他马上拿着灯回家了。
“妈，爸！ 看我拿回什么了！”阿良说道。
他把事情的经过一五一十地告诉了父母。
“太好了！你可以把你屋里那个旧灯笼换下来了！”妈妈说道。
“我不会把那个换下来！我要把这个挂在那个边上！”
说干就干。很快，灯笼挂好了。
“好了，亲爱的，把灯吹灭吧。”爸爸对着阿良的房间喊道。
阿良想把灯吹灭。可是，有一种无形的力量在阻遏着他。
“爸，快来帮帮我！我吹不灭！”阿良的爸爸快步来到灯前，轻而易举地把灯吹灭了。
“你那些个小把戏，甭想蒙我！”他说着，气咻咻地走了出去。
阿良听到一个声音说道：“快，把我点亮，你会得到奖赏！否则，你全家都会遭殃！”
阿良以为是个噩梦，于是，便睡去了。
第二天，阿良上学去了。厄运真的来了。
牛奶洒到衣服上了，钢笔坏了，书撕破了，外套也丢了。回家后，让爸妈臭骂了一顿。
那天晚上，阿良又听到那个声音。“把我点亮。否则，厄运会继续缠着你。而且，你全家都会遭殃！”
阿良以为是个噩梦，于是，又睡下了。
第二天，更加倒霉的事发生了。
体育课上，撞了头；数学测验，挂了；中文课上，也表现得不如人意。
老师批评了他，父母又是一顿臭骂。
“把我点亮！把我点亮！”幽灵般的声音在阿良耳畔回响。
阿良猛地抓起灯笼，把它扔出窗外。
第二天，妈妈又凶了阿良一顿。不知怎么回事，灯笼又亮了，而且，挂在了厨房的天花板上。阿良抓起灯笼，跑到唐人街上。
“我要退货！”阿良终于来到了大舞台上，上气不接下气地说道。一名工作人员接过了灯笼。阿良跑开了。
那天晚上，灯笼再次出现在阿良的房间里。
阿良把旧灯笼点亮了。他觉得，这样他会安全一些。
第二天早上，两盏灯都不见了。阿良看到一张纸条：
为了你，我牺牲了自己。我是你原来的灯笼。你睡觉的时候，我和莲花灯进行了一场搏斗。他是一个邪恶的魔术师。记住，阿良，闪闪发光物，未必尽黄金。
你忠实的
旧灯笼
阿良和他的父母从此幸福地生活在一起。至于那两盏灯后来怎么样了，没人知道。 - Show more
