Wednesday, February 23, 2011
For The Multilingual Children
Spanish is about my fifth language. How many languages do you have, children? What? You'd better get out there with paper and pencils and learn some new words. That's the way to go!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Boy With The Panpipes by Joanne Morris Okano
There was once a boy who wandered from town to town, playing his panpipes and carrying his belongings in a knapsack.
One day, he stopped at the boarding house of an old widow. She lived with her son, a treacherous man.
The boy, dressed in rags, came to the door and asked the widow if he might stay with her family for the night, in return for playing on his wonderful musical instrument.
"Surely you have a mother?" she asked him. "Won't she be worried about you?"
"Oh, no, ma'am," replied the boy. "She died a long time ago and my father has sent me to look for work as he is very ill and cannot pay for our groceries. But he writes me letters and is kind to me and lets me play with his toys he had when he was a boy."
"Very well, then," said the widow. "Come in little fellow. You may play for us while I make the dinner."
She made them a turnip and eggplant moussaka while the boy played the panpipes and then played with the dog. The dog barked and at this point, the treacherous son of the widow came home. Seeing the boy's belongings by the door, he came in and said,
"I will kill you if you do not play on your panpipes."
At first the boy was frightened by the widow's son and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The dog growled.
The widow's son had a well-groomed appearance, but had hate in his heart. He had been out all day looking for work, he said, but had found nothing.
"Never mind. I will play for you," said the boy kindly and resumed playing.
Soon the widow's son calmed down and sat down to a good meal. After supper, the boy played more music and the family listened. By the end of the evening the widow's son felt a spark of kindness in his heart and stopped swearing, which he had been doing all evening.
The widow was so thankful, she gave the boy a bagful of stinging nettles to make herbal tea for his father. The father gradually revitalized from drinking the stinging nettle tea, playing fiddle music with the boy. Their money worries were over and the boy stayed at home with his father all the time and attended school once again.
THE END
One day, he stopped at the boarding house of an old widow. She lived with her son, a treacherous man.
The boy, dressed in rags, came to the door and asked the widow if he might stay with her family for the night, in return for playing on his wonderful musical instrument.
"Surely you have a mother?" she asked him. "Won't she be worried about you?"
"Oh, no, ma'am," replied the boy. "She died a long time ago and my father has sent me to look for work as he is very ill and cannot pay for our groceries. But he writes me letters and is kind to me and lets me play with his toys he had when he was a boy."
"Very well, then," said the widow. "Come in little fellow. You may play for us while I make the dinner."
She made them a turnip and eggplant moussaka while the boy played the panpipes and then played with the dog. The dog barked and at this point, the treacherous son of the widow came home. Seeing the boy's belongings by the door, he came in and said,
"I will kill you if you do not play on your panpipes."
At first the boy was frightened by the widow's son and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The dog growled.
The widow's son had a well-groomed appearance, but had hate in his heart. He had been out all day looking for work, he said, but had found nothing.
"Never mind. I will play for you," said the boy kindly and resumed playing.
Soon the widow's son calmed down and sat down to a good meal. After supper, the boy played more music and the family listened. By the end of the evening the widow's son felt a spark of kindness in his heart and stopped swearing, which he had been doing all evening.
The widow was so thankful, she gave the boy a bagful of stinging nettles to make herbal tea for his father. The father gradually revitalized from drinking the stinging nettle tea, playing fiddle music with the boy. Their money worries were over and the boy stayed at home with his father all the time and attended school once again.
THE END
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