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4.11.26 - Part 1 · Children's Hour

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  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to radioi's Children's Story Hour. As a reminder,
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  RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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  blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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  read printed material. Today, we're going to be reading several
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  books about a day that comes every spring, and it's
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  called earth Day. Earth Day is on April twenty second,
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  So the first book I'm going to read is called
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  earth Day with Yasmin. It's written by Sadia Barugi and
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  illustrated by Debbie Romalia. The publisher of this book is
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  Picture Window Books and it was published in twenty twenty six.
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  Chapter one, Happy earth Day. It was April twenty second Earthday.
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  To celebrate Miss Alex had taken the class outside near
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  the playground. Yazmin saw a cart holding lots of cute
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  little baby trees. Each class will plant a row of
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  saplings on our school grounds. Missus Alex explained this is
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  a way to honor our planet and help the environment.
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  She picked up a spade and dug a small hole
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  in the dirt. Then she showed the students how to
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  carefully set a sapling inside the hole and cover it
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  with more soil. Miss Alex dug more holes, Yazmin and
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  her friends planted saplings into each one. How do saplings
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  healthy earth, yes, Mien asked. Plants produce oxygen, which humans
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  and animals need. Miss Alex said, they also take in
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  harmful air, so the air we breathe is cleaner. Alie
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  stroked a sapling softly, good little plant, he said, yes.
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  Mien was curious. How can they clean the air when
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  they're so tiny? She asked. We have to protect them
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  until they grow into big, strong trees. Miss Alex replied, yes.
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  Mien leaned over one of the saplings. We'll protect you,
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  she whispered. The illustration here shows the young girl named
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  Yasmin bending over a tiny little sapling baby tree. She's
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  talking to this little tree, telling it we'll protect you.
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  Chapter two, A Seed of an Idea. After school, yaz
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  Mien waited on the playground for Mamma to pick her up.
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  She could see the saplings waving gently in the wind.
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  They looked even smaller from so far away. Suddenly, a
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  rabbit hopped out from under a bush and nibbled on
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  one of them. Hey, yes, Mien cried, get away. Show.
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  The rabbit looked up. He twitched his nose and hopped
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  back into the bushes. This just then Mamma arrived. Everything okay, yes, Mien,
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  she asked, as they walked to the market next to
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  the school. We planted tiny trees for Earth Day, Yes,
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  Mien said, But a rabbit ate a leaf. Mama led
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  Yasmine to the vegetable bins at the market. Well, leaves
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  our part of a rabbit's diet, she said, But what
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  if he eats all the leaves? Yesmin gasped. What if
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  more rabbits common they eat all the happenings, Earthday will
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  be ruined. Mama smiled and picked up some lettuce. Earthday
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  honors everything on the planet. She explained, that includes rabbits
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  and other animals. The earth is their home too. Yasmine
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  looked at the lettuce. Then she saw some seed packets
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  on a rack nearby. She had an idea. The illustration
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  here shows Yasmine and her mother in the market as
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  a little shopping basket, and yes, Mien is looking at
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  a rack of seeds Chapter three, A Green Fix. The
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  next day, Miss Alex's class went outside to check on
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  their saplings. Several of them had chewed up leaves. What happened?
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  Emma asked. It was rabbits, Yes, Mien reported with a sigh,
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  I saw one yesterday. Hmmm. Miss Alex tapped a finger
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  on her chin. Does anyone have any idea? Ali snapped
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  his fingers. We should build a fence to keep the
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  rabbits out, he said. But the earth belongs to rabbits too, yes,
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  Mien said, and leaves are their food. So what should
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  we do? Emma asked, I have an idea, Yes, Mien said.
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  She reached into her bag. Then she held up a
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  few young lettuce plants and a packet of lettuce seeds.
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  What if we plant led us to feed the rabbits,
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  she said. Miss Alex smiled, that's a wonderful idea. Yasmin,
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  The students got to work planting a little garden for
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  the rabbits. They chose a spot away from the new trees.
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  The little plants will help feed the rabbits until the
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  seeds grew into more lettuce plants. Yes, Means explained, hooray
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  for helping the earth, Ali said, pumping his fist and
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  the rabbits. Imma cheered, yes, Mean smile. The illustration here
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  shows six children in the Yasmin's class and their teacher
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  Miss Alex standing outside where they have planted the lettuce
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  plants and some lettuce seeds. And in the background there
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  is a sign that someone has painted that says Rabbits Welcome.
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  So here's some information at the end of the story
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  that says learn about Earth Day. Earth Day was first
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  celebrated in nineteen seventy in the United States. The idea
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  for this special day was inspired around the time of
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  the Vietnam War. Today, it is celebrated every April twenty
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  second around the world. More than one hundred and ninety
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  countries honor Earth Day each year Earth Day as a
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  special theme. Recent themes have been about supporting sources of
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  clean energy like wind and solar, and reducing the use
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  of plastics. In twenty sixteen, the United Nations chose Earth
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  Day to sign the Paris Agreement. This is a promise
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  many countries have made to help protect the environment. People
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  mark the day by doing activities to help the environment.
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  Here is a list of ways people celebrate Earth Day
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  around the world, Cleaning up parks, beaches and other public spaces,
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  organizing rallies or protests to teach people about the environment,
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  working on recycling projects to reduce waste, planting trees, gardens,
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  or other plants, Attending concerts or events that raise money
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  for environmental issues, learning how to compost to help turn
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  food scraps into rich soil. Helping with projects to protect
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  wildlife in the community. Now, at the end of this book,
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  there is a glossary, And the glossary is just a
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  little dictionary that has words that you have heard in
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  the story. The first word is diet, the food a
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  person or animal eats. Next is environment the nature all
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  around us. Harmful means dangerous or unhealthy. Honor to pay
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  respect to let us a leafy, green vegetable nibble, to
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  take a small bite, Oxygen a gas in the air
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  that we need to breathe, produce or produce means to
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  make ruined broken beyond repair. Sapling a young tree, soil
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  healthy dirt needed for planting. And spade a small pointed shovel.
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  And the last page of the book tells us that
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  we can chat with Yasmin. Here's what she says. Gardening
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  is a great way to honor Earth Day. Does your
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  school or communities celebrate Earth Day? If they don't, ask
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  your friends and family to join you for some Earth
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  day activities now. The book also gives us a suggestion
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  at the end to make a bird feeder. In the story,
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  yesmine helps feed the wildlife near her school. Here's an
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  idea for a bird feeder to feed the birds in
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  your neighborhood. What you need cardboard such as an empty
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  cereal box, a pencil, scissors, a tray or shallow dish
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  with edges, bird seed, peanut butter, a spatula, and a
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  piece of string or ribbon. Here's what you do. Number one,
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  flatten the cardboard and draw a large circle on it.
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  Cut out the circle. Number two, draw a smaller circle
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  in the middle of the bigger circle, so that the
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  shape looks like a doughnut. Cut out the smaller circle.
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  Fill the tray or dish with bird seed. Use the
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  spatula to spread a thin player of peanut butter on
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  both sides of the cardboard donut. Set the doughnut into
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  the tray to coat it with bird seed. Turn the
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  doughnut over to cote the other side. Sprinkle extra seeds
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  on the empty spots to fully cover it. Cover it.
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  Tie a stream or ribbon through the hole in the doughnut.
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  Find a spot outside to hang it. In a day
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  or two, you might spot birds at your feeder. That
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  was a great story. Now here's another one about some
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  young people celebrating Earth Day. It's called Bradford Street Buddies,
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  Springtime Blossoms. It was written by Jerdine Nolan and illustrated
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  by Michelle Heninger. This book was published by green Light Readers,
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  a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in twenty seventeen. Chapter one,
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  Signs of Spring. It was homework time in the Perkins house.
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  Jada and Jamal were thinking very hard, but they really
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  wanted to go outside and play. In this first illustration,
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  we see the twins, Jada and Jamal, sitting in their
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  living room with their school books out, doing their homework.
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  Rolling around on the floor are two cats. Continuing. Jada
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  heard something. She ran to the window. Jamal followed along,
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  so did Snugly and Cuddly a robin. My first sign
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  of spring, announced Jada. Now I need only two more
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  things for my list. I found something for my list,
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  chuckled Jamal. What Jada asked? Mom and Dad working in
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  the yard. That said, Jamal and Muzzy is helping. That
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  is a sure sign of spring. Giggled Jada. The illustration
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  here shows the two cats, snugly and cuddly looking out
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  the window with Jada and Jamal. You can see through
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  the glass of the window Jada and Jamal's mom and
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  dad outside working in the yard. And there's their dog
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  in His name is Muzzy. There looks like they're trimming
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  some branches off a tree and planting some things in
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  the yard. Continuing, it was a sunny afternoon on Bradford Street.
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  Mister Perkins was trimming trees and bushes. Missus Perkins was
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  planting flowers. Can we come outside, asked Jamal. Muzzy barked
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  he wanted them to come outside too. Is your homework done?
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  Missus Perkins asked, we're doing it now, said Jada. We
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  can finish it quicker outside, added Jamal. Missus Pritchett wants
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  us to find signs of spring. Jada explained, Can we
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  come outside, please beg Jamal. Sure, last, mister Perkins, it's
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  too nice to be inside anyway. I see birds building
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  a nest. Jamal shouted, I found a fuzzy caterpillar, exclaimed Jada. Yes,
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  spring is blossoming all around us, said Missus Perkin, the
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  purple crocuses are already poking through the ground. The illustration
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  here shows Jada and Jamal outside with their mother, Missus Perkin,
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  and Jamal sees a bird's nest inside a tree, and
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  it shows a fuzzy caterpillar that Jada is holding in
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  her hand. Missus Perkins is kneeling on the ground planting things.
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  And then the little purple crocuses, which are tiny purple flowers,
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  have already poked up through the ground, and they're beautiful
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  on the beautiful green grass outside. Continuing, and Jamal collected
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  the big pile of branches mister Perkin had cut. What
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  should we do with these sticks, asked Jada. Well, they're
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  not just sticks, explained mister Perkin. They're for scythia and
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  cherry tree branches. Oh, said Jamal. We'll keep some and
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  give some to Missus Garcia, said Missus Perkins. Why would
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  anyone want a bunch of dried up branches, asked Jada.
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  Look closely, answered Missus Perkins. They aren't dried up at all. Oh,
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  I see tiny yellow buds, observed Jada. I see pink
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  buds on these, said Jamal. Missus Garcia wants to use
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  some of the branch cuttings to grow new bushes and trees.
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  And herry y, said mister Perkin. She can bring some
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  inside too. They'll brighten up the house. That's right, agreed
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  Missus Perkin. The buds will blossom in a vase filled
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  with water in a warm house. Jada looked at Jamal
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  and shrugged. I didn't know that. She said. Maybe Josh
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  and mister Cornell would like some branches too, said Jamal.
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  I'll go ask. I'll go with you, said Jada. My
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  list is all done. Now mine too, said Jamal. The
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  illustration here shows the family outside holding the beautiful branches
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  of Precipia in their hands. And there's Muzzy, the little dog.
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  The dog has a branch in his mouth too. Chapter two,
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  A colorful surprise. The next morning, there was a colorful
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  surprise in the kitchen. Mister and Missus Perkins were right.
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  The buds had opened into yellow and pink blossom. Now
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  our house is blooming all over, laughed Jamal. Could we
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  bring a bouquet of branches to school from Missus Pritchett,
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  Jada asked. Missus Perkins smiled. I made two extra bouquets
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  last night, she said. Jada and Jamal clapped. On the
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  way to school, the twins saw Carlita and Josh. We're
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  bringing some branches to school from Missus Pritchett announced, Jamal.
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  Did your branches bloom? Asked Jada. Oh, yes, Carlita said,
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  the blossoms gave my mom the best idea. She made
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  pink blossom cupcakes for our Deli. Mmmm, said Josh. Spring
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  is blossoming and yummy. The illustration here shows the four
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  children walking to school and they're holding some of the
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  branches in their hands. When the four friends arrived at school,
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  they saw a truck delivering trees. Missus Pritchett waved to
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  her students, look at all the trees being unloaded from
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  the truck. Jamal said, where did they come from? Josh asked,
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  and where are they going? Wondered Carlita. Come inside, boys
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  and girls, said Missus Pritchett. I will tell you all
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  about it. To day is Earth Day, began Missus Pritchett.
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  It's a special day to celebrate spring and the beauty
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  of our earth. Planting trees and flowers helps our earth,
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  as I like to say, she continued, People and plants
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  make Perfect partners. Jada raised her hand. But what about
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  all the new trees, she asked. Our city donated the
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  trees in celebration of Earth Day, explained Missus Pritchett. The
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  workers are planting them now. When they're done, we'll take
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  a walk to see them and find signs of spring.
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  The illustration here shows the classroom with all the children
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  seated at their desks, and Missus Pritchett, the teacher, is
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  standing in front of them, and on the board behind her,
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  she has written people and plants make Perfect Partners. She's
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  also written Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Chapter three Plans Blossom. Missus
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  Pritchett's class walked all around the school. There were new
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  trees planted in front of the school and at the
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  back of the playground. Look at our new trees, Missus
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  Pritchett said. Spring makes everything look beautiful and new. When
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  they were back inside, Missus Pritchett asked, what signs of
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  spring did you see? The trees were nice, said Jamal.
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  The grass is getting a little greener, said Josh. But
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  there are no flowers blooming, said Jada. Besides the new trees,
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  spring is not blossoming at our school decided Carlita, perhaps
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  spring needs a little help, suggested Missus Pritchett. Remember people
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  and plants make perfect heart. Maybe we could plant an
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  Earth Day flower garden, said Jada. We could put flowers
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  between the new trees near the wall, added Josh. It
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  would be so pretty, said Carlita. Hmm, maybe our parents
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  would help, said Jamal. That's a wonderful idea. Missus Pritchett said,
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  I'll check to see if we can plant a garden.
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  On Saturday. The children clapped and cheered. During the week,
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  there was a lot of excitement in Missus Pritchett's class.
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  The children planned the garden. Parents brought in flowers and
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  planting supplies. Missus Perkins brought daffodil bulbs, Missus Garcia brought daisies.
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  Once Missus Pritchett talked with some of the parents, she
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  had more exciting news. After we plant the garden, we
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  will have a picnic, she said. Now Missus Pritchett's class
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  was blooming all over. So on this illustration, Missus Pritchett
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  and all the children in the class are making plants.
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  They're standing at a table and they're drawing plans of
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  how they might plant on the flowers. And on the
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  blackboard there's a list and that says planting our garden flowers,
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  shovel gloves, the things that they will need. Chapter four,
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  Picture Perfect. On Saturday, the playground was busy. Mister Perkins
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  and mister Cornell used shovels to turn over the soil.
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  Other parents use hose to make groves. Some children painted
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  rocks to border the garden. Other children helped Missus Pritchett
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  pull weeds. Missus Garcia and Missus Perkins organize the picnic.
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  Everyone helped to plant the flowers. The children dug holes
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  and pushed the roots of the plants into the soil,
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  then they covered them over. In no time, Missus Pritchett's
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  class had planted their Earthday garden. The trees were new,
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  the flowers were beautiful. Spring makes everything look new again,
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  sighed Missus Pritchett. But that gray wall behind the garden
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  does not look so beautiful and new. Carlya said it
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  looks ugly, said Jada, we should do something about it.
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  Josh said, like what, said Jamal. The kids formed a hudder.
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  What would make the wall look better, asked Carlita. My
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  Dad always says a little paint can make anything look
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  new again, said Josh. That's a great idea, Jamal said.
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  We could plant flowers. We could paint flowers on the wall,
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  exclaimed Carlita. We could paint our school on it too,
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  said Josh. The picture would remind us of all the
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  fun we have had planting our garden. I know where
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  we can get a ladder and more paint, said Josh.
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  I'll get the brushes we used to paint the rocks.
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  I'll see if there are more brushes in our classroom,
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  added Jada. I have an idea for a special message
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  on the wall, said Jamal. And together Missus Pritchett's class
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  plants and painted a very colorful garden. So this last
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  illustration shows all the children in the class standing beside
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  their beautiful garden where they planted flowers, and the trees
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  are nearby, and on the background is this gray wall.
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  But they have now painted a picture of their school,
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  which is a red brick building, and they have painted
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  large flowers. They look like daisies because they have white
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  petals and yellow centers, and at the top they have
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  written the words people and plants make perfect partners. So
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  this is the end of this story about Earthday. This
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  concludes the Children's Story Hour for today. Your reader has
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  been Patty. Please join us next time as we will
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  read more stories, fables and fairy tales. Thank you for listening,
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  and please stay tuned for continued programming on Radio I