Max冬冬

One night, Lucy tossed and turned.

She could not, would not, did not want to go to bed.

"I want to draw," she said.

Lucy dumped out her crayons.

She drew an oval body.

A square head.

Rectangle legs.

And circle eyes.

When she added triangles, the shapes turned into a...

MONSTER!

ROAR! said Monster.

"You don't scare me," said Lucy. "Let's play!"

Lucy and Monster built castles.

They flew airplanes.

They marched in a parade.

Then they skipped and jumped and crawled and stomped until Lucy was all worn out.

"Let's play sleeping lions," said Lucy.

CHASE! roared Monster.

"I'm too tired," said Lucy. "And so are you. Go to bed."

Lucy drew Monster a bed.

But Monster would not go to bed.

HUNGRY! roared Monster.

Lucy drew a mountain of meatballs.

THIRSTY!

Lucy drew a bucket of water.

POTTY!

Lucy drew a bathroom.

MORE PLAY? asked Monster.

"Go to bed," moaned Lucy.

But Monster would not go to bed.

COLD! whined Monster.

Lucy drew pajamas.

SCARED!

Lucy drew a huggy bear.

DARK!

Lucy drew a moon.

Then lucy crossed her arms.

"That's enough. Now go to bed."

NOT SLEEPY! snapped Monster.

"Maybe this will help," said Lucy.

BOOK! cheered Monster.

"Only if you get into bed," said Lucy.

Monster climbed into bed.

SOFT! sighed Monster.

Lucy tucked in Monster.

Then she read and read and read.

SLEEPY! whispered Monster.

Lucy watched one circle eye, then two circle eyes, slowly close.

Lucy drew curtains over the moon.

She laid down her head.

Then she finally, peacefully, went to bed.

On the ice, with the wind blowing gently, Big Bear stopped running.

How wonderful it was to be still...

to close his eyes...to dream!

Suddenly he heard a cry from the cliff above.

Who was it? Was it a hunter? He looked up quickly.

A child was tumbling through the sky, just like a snowflake.

He must have slipped and fallen.

He'd be crushed on the hard ice!

Big Bear ran, dived...

...and caught him safely in his huge paws.

The little boy trembled when he realized where he had landed.

"Don't be scared," said Big Bear.

He put the boy down and started on his way.

But soon he heard a voice behind him.

"Wait! I'm Minik! I'm coming with you."

They walked side by side until they reached an ice bridge.

Then Big Bear went ahead, slowly...carefully...to make sure the ice was thick enough.

Minik followed him trustingly.

After a while he said, "I like being with you. You protect me. Will you be my big brother?"

Big Bear laughed.

"How can I be your big brother? We're much too different!"

Minik led Big Bear to the edge of the water, and they leant down to stare at themselves.

"Look!" said Minik.

"We're not that different. We look just like each other when we smile!"

"Well, maybe," said Big Bear, "but I'm much taller than you."

Minik climbed onto a mound of snow.

"Not any more, you're not!" he laughed. "Now I'm taller than you!"

"But I can be terrifying!" said Big Bear.

To prove it, he growled loudly.

Minik climbed down, pretended he was a fearsome pirate, and shouted in his loudest voice, "I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"

Big Bear laughed.

"But I'm much faster than you!" he said.

He started to run, and then slid onto his back.

Minik jumped on, and together they skidded quickly over the ice.

"Look, I'm as fast as you!" Minik cried.

"Now watch me do some things I'm really good at!" said Minik.

He danced, juggled a snowball, and walked on his hands.

Big Bear tried to copy him.

"You're right that we're different," laughed Minik.

"But we don't have to be the same to be brothers, do we?"

Big Bear didn't reply. He had sensed a storm suddenly approaching.

"We must go!" he said. "Walk close to me, as quickly as you can. My body will protect you from the wind."

The wind raged and heavy snow fell.

"Don't be afraid!" Big Bear shouted. "I'll take you home, Little Brother!"

As the storm grew more violent, Minik became exhausted.

Twice he stumbled and almost fell.

Eventually he stopped--he could go no further.

Big Bear growled against the storm, but the wind drowned him out.

Minik began to grow faint, so Big Bear pulled him in close, desperately trying to warm him.

Just then a bright light shone in front of them. Headlights!

A man appeared on a sled.

Big Bear stopped dead.

This must be a hunter, and he was angry!

But Minik threw himself in front of Big Bear.

"Now it's my turn to protect you, Big Brother," he said.

Then suddenly Minik ran towards the hunter.

"It's Daddy!" he shouted.

"Daddy, stop! It's okay. Big Bear is my brother. He saved my life!"

"Minik, my little boy!" cried his father. "I've looked everywhere for you. Are you all right?"

Minik didn't reply. He had seen Big Bear turning to leave.

"Wait, Big Brother!" he cried.

He ran to him and held him tight.

"Goodbye, Big Brother!" he said. "I'll never forget you."

"And you'll live in my heart forever, Little Brother," said Big Bear.

Minik left on his father's sled, turning to watch Big Bear as he disappeared into the distance.

The storm had died down as quickly as it had come.

Minik listened to the wind, now blowing gently.

How wonderful it was to be still...

to close his eyes...to dream!

Turtle lived in a muddy pool.

Lots of animals came to the pool to drink.

Turtle loved to talk to the animals.

"Turtle is a big chatterbox," they said.

One day, Turtle saw two geese by the pool.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We are on our way home," said the geese.

"We live far, far away on a beautiful blue lake."

Turtle looked at his muddy pool.

"I wish I could go there," he said.

"Why don't you fly back with us?" asked the two geese.

"I can't fly," Turtle told them.

"We'll carry you to the lake," said the geese. "But you must not talk until we get home."

"I won't say one word!" said Turtle.

The geese found a long stick.

They held it in their beaks.

"Hold onto this with your mouth," they said.

"And remember! You must not talk. Not a word, or you will fall."

Turtle put the stick in his mouth and the two geese flew up, up into the sky.

As they flew over the trees, two parrots saw them.

Turtle wanted to shout back to them.

Just in time, he remembered not to talk.

The monkeys saw Turtle, too.

They waved their paws at him.

"You do look silly," they shouted.

Turtle wanted to shout.

Just in time, he remembered not to talk.

"Look! Turtle has to keep his mouth closed," laughed Snake.

"I bet you can't keep your mouth closed, Turtle. You can't stop talking."

"Yes I can!" shouted Turtle.

Down, down, down he fell.

Bump! Bump! Bump! he went.

The animals rushed to see if he was all right.

Turtle grinned up at them.

"You were right," he said. "I can't stop talking."

"But now I've been flying," he laughed, "I've got even more to talk about!"

And he went all the way home to his muddy pool.

One day my family went to town to watch a parade.

Many people were there to see the marching band.

The music was very loud.

Little Sister had to cover her ears.

I liked all the different instruments.

I said to Dad, "I want to play music, too."

When the parade ended, Dad and I walked to the music store to look at instruments.

I hoped that Dad would let me get one.

While we were at the music store, Mom and my sister went shopping for clothes and other stuff.

The store was filled with so many instruments.

"Wow, Dad!" I said. "I like the tuba."

But the tuba was just too heavy.

The flute was too squeaky.

The trombone was too long.

The guitar had too many strings.

But the drum was just right.

"That's it!" I said to Dad. "I will be a drummer."

Dad signed me up for lessons.

I couldn't wait to start playing my drum.

I played it during the car ride home.

It was a long ride, so I had a lot of time to play.

I played my drum before bed until Mom finally said, "Go to sleep now!"

I played my drum before breakfast until Mom made me go to school.

After school, I invited my friend over to see my drum.

But when I went to get it, it was not in my room.

I searched and searched, but I couldn't find my drum anywhere.

"Mom," I called. "My drum is missing!"

Mom asked Little Sister, "Did you do something with your brother's drum?"

"I hid it in my room," said Little Sister.

"He never stops playing, and it is too noisy!"

"Go and get it now!" Mom said.

The next day, I had my first lesson with the music teacher.

I'm a very good musician!

I'm so good my teacher let me try playing his drums.

Soon I will play my drum in a rock-and-roll band.

I can't wait for my family and friends to see me play.

They will be so proud of me.

But maybe before I played at my big rock-and-roll concert, I will have just a few more lessons.

One day Olivia was riding a camel in Egypt when her mother woke her up.

"Time to get up, sweetie-pie. Remember, you have soccer this morning. "

Olivia's uniform comes in a really unattractive green.

"Mommy, can you make me a red soccer shirt like this one? Please?..."

"But then you'll look different from everyone else on the team" explained her mother.

"That's the point."

When Olivia came home from practice, her mother was working on the shirt.

"Is it done yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," said her mother.

Olivia waited, and waited, and waited, till she was too exhausted to wait any longer.

So she went out to play with the cat.

"Look, darling, it's all done!" said the mother.

But something was missing.

"Wait a second," said Olivia.

"Where's my toy?"

"Where's my toy? It was right there on the bed. I just put it there. I remember exactly.

That's my best toy. I need it now! Somebody took my best toy!"

Olivia looked everywhere--under the rug, under the sofa, under the cat.

She asked her little brother, Ian, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY TOY?"

She asked her baby brother, William, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY TOY?"

"Wooshee gaga."

That night, and it was a dark and stormy night, Oliva was practicing her piano when she heard an awful sound.

The sound got louder and louder.

It was HORRIBLE, and it was coming from behind the door.

So, of course, Olivia went inside.

And that's when she saw it. It was...

THE DOG! And he'd chewed her toy to bits.

"Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy! It was Perry!" cried Olivia.

"He took my best toy and chewed it to bits, and now it's wrecked."

"I'm sorry, sweetie-pie," said her mother, "but doggies like to chew. And he didn't know it was your toy."

"My best toy."

"Don't worry," said Olivia's father.

"Tomorrow we'll go get you the very best toy in the whole world."

"Oh, thank you, Daddy. I love you more than anyone."

Still, it was Olivia's best toy. So she fixed it, adding a bow for extra beauty.

All better.

"Only books about cats tonight, Mommy."

But even Olivia couldn't stay mad forever.

How does a dinosaur go to school?

Does he walk?

Does he ride in a busy car pool?

Does he drag his long tail?

Is he late for the bus?

Does he stomp all four feet?

Does he make a big fuss?

When he gets to the school

does he roughhouse and punch?

Does he make a quick grab for a classmate's packed lunch?

Does he race up the stairs right ahead of the bell?

Does he interrupt class with his own show-and-tell?

Does a dinosaur yell?

And when in the classroom, plunked down in his chair

does a dinosaur fidget, his tail in the air?

Does he growl during chalk talks?

Or roar out of turn?

Does he make it too hard for the others to learn?

Does he stir up the classroom by making a noise?

Does he tease all the girls?

Does he pick on the boys?

No...

A dinosaur carefully raises his hand.

He helps out his classmates with projects they've planned.

At recess, he plays with a number of friends...

And growls at the bullies, till bullying ends.

He tidies his desk,

then he leaps out the door.

Good work. Good work, little dinosaur.

There was an old lady who swallowed a shell.

I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed a crab.

Why did she grab that crawling crab?

She swallowed the crab to live in the shell.

I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fish.

What a tickly fish, that swimming fish!

She swallowed the fish to catch the crab.

She swallowed the crab to live in the shell.

I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed a gull.

It wasn't dull to swallow a gull.

She swallowed the gull to scoop up the fish.

She swallowed the fish to catch the crab.

She swallowed the crab to live in the shell.

I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed a pail.

She didn't wail when she swallowed the pail.

She swallowed the pail to carry the gull.

She swallowed the gull to scoop up the fish.

She swallowed the fish to catch the crab.

She swallowed the crab to live in the shell.

I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed some sand.

Oh, how bland! To swallow sand!

She swallowed the sand to fill up the pail.

She swallowed the pail to carry the gull.

She swallowed the gull to scoop up the fish.

She swallowed the fish to catch the crab.

She swallowed the crab to live in the shell.

But I don't know why she swallowed the shell.

She didn't tell.

There was an old lady who swallowed a wave.

Swallowing a wave was such a big hassle,

that she suddenly burped...

and built a sand castle!

Anneena liked knitting. She made a scarf.

Anneena's mum helped her. The scarf was long and warm.

"It's a good scraf," said Anneena.

Biff and Chip came to play. It was a cold day.

Anneena put on her scarf. "What a cold day!"she said.

Biff looked at Anneena's scarf. "What a long scarf!"she said.

"I made it," said Anneena. " I couldn't stop knittting."

The children went to the park. They went to the pond.

The pond was frozen. It had ice on it.

Some children ran up. They pulled Anneena's scarf.

"Stop it!" shouted Anneena.

"Stop it!" shouted Anneena's mum.

A boy went on the ice. The ice was dangerous.

"Get off," shouted Anneena's mum. "The ice is not safe."

Anneena's mum couldn't get the boy. She couldn't get on the ice.

Everyone was frightend. "Help!"shouted the boy.

Anneena had a good idea. She took off her scarf.

"Make a rope," she said.

Anneena's mum made a rope.

She made it out of scarves and coats.

She threw it to the boy.

Eveyone pulled the rope.

They pulled the boy out of the pond.

The boy was safe.

"Hooray!" shouted Anneena.

"I am sorry!" said the boy. "Thank you."

"Ice is dangerous," said Anneena.

Anneena looked at her scarf.

"I'm glad I made it long," she said.

.

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living,

my baby you'll be.

The baby grew.

He grew and he grew and he grew.

He grew until he was two years old,

and he ran all around the house.

He pulled all the books off the shelves.

He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch

and flushed it down the toilet.

Sometimes his mother would say, "This kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet,

she opened the door to his room,

crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed,

and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The little boy grew.

He grew and he grew and he grew.

He grew until he was nine years old.

And he never wanted to come in for dinner,

he never wanted to take a bath,

and when grandma visited he always said bad words.

Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep,

the mother quietly opened the door to his room,

crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.

If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And while she rocked him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The boy grew.

He grew and he grew and he grew.

He grew until he was a teenager.

He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music.

Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep,

the mother opened the door to his room,

crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.

If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back

and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew.

He grew and he grew and he grew.

He grew until he was a grown-up man.

He left home and got a house across town.

But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.

If all the lights in her son's house were out,

she opened his bedroom window,

crawled across the floor,

and looked up over the side of his bed.

If the great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older.

She got older and older and older.

One day she called up her son and said,

"You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick.”

So her son came to see her.

When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick.

The son went to his mother.

He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night,

he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.

Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping.

He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

What if a dinasour catches a flu?

Does he whimper and whine in between each Atchoo?

Does he drop dirty tissues all over the floor?

Does he fling all his medicine out of the door?

Does he flip off his covers with tooth and with tail?

Does he dump out his juice and get sick in a pail?

Does a dinasour wail?

What if a dinasour goes to a doc?

Does he drag all his feet till his mom is in shock?

Does he hold his mouth closed when he's told, "Open wide"?

Does he scream? Is he mean?

Does he run off and hide?

Does he push back each drink, spit his pills in the sink?

Does he make a big stink?

Is that what you think?

No...

He drinks lots of juice, and he gets lots of rest.

He's good at the doctor's, 'cause doctors know best.

He uses a hankie on mouth and on nose.

He snuggles right down underneath the bedclothes?

He takes all his medicine without a fight.

He closes his eyes.

He whispers good night.

Then Mama and Papa tiptoe out the door.

Get well.

Get well, Little Dinasour.