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3.6.26 - Part 2 · Children's Hour

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  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Radio Eyes Children's Story Hour. As
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  a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended for
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  people who are blind or have other disabilities that make
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  it difficult to read printed material. Now today, we're going
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  to read some books about one of the seasons, and
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  that season is spring. The first book I'm going to
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  read is called I Love Spring. The authors of the
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  book are Lizzie Scott and Stephanie Pfizer Coleman. It's published
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  by Crabtree Publishing Company in the year twenty twenty one.
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  When I think of spring, I think of bright sunshine
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  and fresh air. The cold of winter has gone. I
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  can play outside without a heavy coat. What makes you
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  think of spring? Spring is one of the seasons. The
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  four seasons are spring, summer, fall, and winter. In spring,
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  the sun gets stronger and there are more hours of sunlight.
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  What kinds of flowers make you think of spring? Spring
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  is warmer than winter, but colder than summer. In spring,
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  the sun may feel warm, but the wind can be cold.
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  I like to fly my kite on windy days. Have
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  you ever flown a kite? Springtime makes me think of
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  sunshine and rain Showers, Strong winds blow rain clouds quickly
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  across the sky. What are the best clothes to wear
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  in windy weather? Sometimes in spring it is rainy and
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  sunny at the same time. Then you may see a
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  rainbow in the sky. Do you know the seven colors
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  of a rainbow? When the air is cold in spring,
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  I wear clothes that will keep me warm. I wear
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  long pants and a sweater or jacket. The weather can
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  change quickly in spring. It is a good idea to
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  wear many layers of clothing. On sunny spring days, I
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  can play outside in a T shirt after the cold
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  of winter. It is nice to feel the warm sunshine
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  on my skin. What clothes do you wear in spring.
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  I like to go for walks in the spring. When
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  I go outside in rainy weather, I wear a raincoat
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  and rubber boots in case it rains. I like to
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  splash in the puddles when I'm wearing my rubber boots.
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  Do you like the splash in puddles? Have you seen
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  trees covered in bright green leaves in the spring. Some
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  trees lose their leaves in the fall. In spring, the
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  weather gets warmer and buds open and new leaves appear.
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  Where do you see flowers blooming or blossoms on trees
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  in the spring. I look forward to hearing the sounds
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  of spring. The sun rises early, and so do the birds.
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  Sometimes I can hear them singing at dawn as soon
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  as it gets light. What other sounds have you noticed
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  in spring? In spring, playgrounds are full of the sound
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  of children having fun. I like to spend more time
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  outside after the cold winter months have passed. I like
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  to go to walk to the woods in spring. The
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  leaves on the trees are young and small. Sunlight shines
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  through the leaves to the ground. In the woods, the
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  air feels fresh. You can smell the sweet scent of
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  spring in the air. What is your favorite thing about
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  walking in the woods in the springtime? In spring, I
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  like to plant lettuce in the garden. Spring is a
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  good time of year for planting. The soil becomes warmer
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  and plants grow quickly. I make sure the young plants
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  do not become too dry as they grow. Plants need
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  water to live and grow. What else do young plants need?
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  When I go to the country in spring, I often
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  see tractors in fields. Spring is a busy time for farmers.
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  They plow the soil and plants, seeds. Farmers sometimes use
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  scarecrows in their fields. They protect the crops from hungry birds.
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  The are dressed in old clothes. Sometimes they're even filled
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  with straw. Have you ever visited a farm in the spring?
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  Springtime makes me think of new life. Lots of animals
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  are born at this time of year on farms. Sheep
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  give birth to lambs, and cows have calves in spring.
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  Sometimes you can see ducklings learning to swim. What kind
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  of food do you think ducks eat? Sometimes I see
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  birds collecting twigs and straw for nests. Spring is also
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  when birds lay their eggs. If you see a bird's nest,
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  why should you not touch the eggs? Springtime makes me
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  think of spring celebrations All around the world. People celebrate
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  spring in different ways. People paint eggs, gather at flower festivals,
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  and watch parades. They even have picnics under the trees.
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  Do you have a favorite spring or blossom festival. As
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  spring goes by, the days get longer and warmer. After
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  the short days of winter, it's light enough again to
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  walk home through the park after school. In late spring,
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  hot days are not far away. I get out my
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  shorts and get ready for the fun days of summer.
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  What do you like to do after school in spring? Now,
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  in the back of this book there is a glossary,
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  And a glossary is a little dictionary, just a mini
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  dictionary with some of the words that are in the
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  book that we've just read. So here's the glossary from
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  this book. The first word is buds. Buds small flowers
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  that are not yet fully grown. Blossoms b l o
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  s s o m s small fully grown flowers. Celebrations
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  c e l E b r A t i o
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  n s gatherings of people to mark a special event.
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  Crops c r o p s Plants grown to be
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  used for food or for other uses. Dawn d a
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  w n time of day when it starts to become light.
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  And the last word in this glossary is plow p
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  l o w to break up the soil before planting seeds.
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  So that's our first book. I Love Spring. Now we've
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  had we had a book that told about springtime. Now
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  I want to read you a story, and this one
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  is called Mud Flat Spring. It is written by James Stephenson,
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  published by Green Willow Books in nineteen ninety nine. From
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  the inside cover Spring, the sky is blue, the air
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  is sweet, and the lovable citizens of Mudflat welcome you
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  for a return visit. In this fifth book of the
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  popular series, everyone is celebrating the new season, unless you
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  count Morgan, who yawn isn't quite ready to come out
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  of hibernation, or Carol and rich who from the fishy
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  depths of the pond don't see what all the fuss
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  is about. But is winter really over? Or does Mother
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  Nature have other eyes ideas? So let's find out. Chapter one,
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  Morgan be very quiet, said Archie. That's Morgan's cave. He's
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  hibernating and we don't want to wake him up. But
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  spring is here, said Lois. That's when bears are supposed
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  to wake up. I know, said Archie. But when Morgan
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  wakes up he is always really grumpy. He makes everybody miserable.
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  Just then they heard a growl from inside the cave. Huh,
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  said Morgan, squinting, Do I hear birds? Is the winter over?
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  He growled again. Morgan's waking up, said Archie. What should
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  we do? Lois and Archie thought for a minute. Then
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  Lois said, I have an idea. She went to the
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  door of the cave. Pardon me, she said. Morgan growled.
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  What do you want? He said? I'm afraid I'm lost,
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  said Lois. Could you tell me which way is south?
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  What do you want to know? Why do you want
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  to know? Ugh, said Morgan. Ducks go south in the winter,
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  said Lois. And winter is coming. And I am a duck.
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  Winter is coming, said Morgan. I thought it was almost over. No, no,
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  said Lois, just starting. Uh south is that way, said Morgan, pointing.
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  He lay down and closed his eyes. I'll just grab
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  a few more months of shut eye, he said, and
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  he went to sleep. How'd it go, said Archie? Quite well,
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  said Lois. Now, from the illustration on this page, I
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  see that Lois is a duck. She's a yellow duck,
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  and it looks like Archie. To me, it looks like
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  he might be a groundhog. And of course Morgan, sleeping
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  in his cave, is a big brown bear. Chapter two.
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  The first crocus, look children, said missus Huff. The first crocus,
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  nice flower, said myrtle. It means spring is here at last,
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  said missus Huff. Every day it will grow a little
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  bit more. It's growing a little bit right now, said Martin.
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  It's growing a lot, said Myron. The crocus was coming
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  up out of the ground. There was a shower of dirt,
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  and the crocus suddenly fell over. The illustration on this
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  page shows Missus Huff, who is a chicken, and her
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  three baby chicks, Myron, Martin, and Myrtle, and a crocus
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  is the little purple flower that has poked itself up
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  out of the ground. It has green leaves in a
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  purple blossom, and the chicks and Missus Huff their mother
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  are standing around gazing at it. Continuing oops, said Bentley
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  from under the crocus. Guess I wasn't looking where I
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  was going. You have wrecked the first crocus, Bentley, said
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  Missus Huff. I'll pull it back, said Bentley. You can try,
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  said missus Huff. Bentley planted the crocus again. Good is new,
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  he said. Let's hope, so said Missus Huff, and she
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  led her children away. Now Bentley, from the illustration, looks
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  to be a mole, of very small gray mole who
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  has dug his tunnel under the ground and popped up
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  right where that crocus was blooming. He's tried to plant
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  it back in the ground. He's patting the ground around
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  the crocus flower. Continuing, Bentley sat down by the crocus
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  to rest. Parker and Zudy came along. Hey, said Parker,
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  the first crocus. I planted it myself, said Bentley. You did,
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  said Parker. Good work, said Zudy. They walked down the path.
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  Bentley has been down in the dark much too long,
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  said Parker. He thinks he plants crocuses. Spring will do
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  Bentley a world of good, said Parker. So the next
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  two animals that we've just read about are illustrated here.
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  Parker is a sheet and Zoudi is an owl. Chapter three,
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  The Dance of Spring. Fergus was zigzagging around, wobbling his
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  head and waving his feelers. What are you doing, Fergus,
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  said Benjamin. Now I'll tell you that the illustration on
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  this page shows two little snails. These little tiny creatures
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  have antenna they called sometimes called feelers, and they have
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  a shell on their back. So that's Fergus and Benjamin continuing.
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  I am doing a dance of spring, said Fergus. Spring
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  makes me happy, so I'm celebrating. I want to do
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  a dance of spring myself, said Benjamin. Go ahead, said Fergus,
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  and Benjamin began to dance. Just then Cheryl stuck her
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  head up out of the ground. What's going on, said Cheryl.
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  Now the illustration here shows an earth worm who must
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  be named Cheryl, popping her head up out of the ground. Continuant.
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  We are celebrating how warm and nice it is, said Benjamin.
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  We are doing a dance of spring, said Fergus. Is
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  it hard to do, said Cheryl. No, said Benjamin. Just
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  make up a dance and do it. Oh, said Cheryl.
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  I'm not sure I can do that. She stood up
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  and waved and twisted. This isn't as hard as I thought,
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  she said. Cheryl and Benjamin and Fergus were dancing when
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  Norton showed up. What's going on, said Norton. The dance
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  of spring, said Cheryl. Can I do it too? Said Norton.
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  Of course you can, said Benjamin. Norton took off his
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  cap and he began dancing too. Then a bunch of
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  others arrived and joined in. Douglas danced, and Serena danced,
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  and March and Ursula and Jose and Peterson. Then Albert
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  came by. What's happening, said Albert. We're celebrating spring, said Norton.
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  Would you like to celebrate too, Oh, yes, said Albert.
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  I love spring, the warm sun, the gentle breezes. Albert
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  sat down under a tree. He closed his eyes and
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  gave a happy sigh. Aren't you going to celebrate spring?
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  Said Cheryl. You celebrate your way, said Albert, and I'll
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  celebrate mine. Albert began to snore. Now the illustration on
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  this page shows Albert, who is a pig, talking to
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  some of the other animals who have been dancing. So
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  we know Cheryl was an earthworm, and all these other
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  creatures Douglas, Serena, March, Peterson, Jose and Ursula are bugs
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  and butterflies. And then we have let's see who the
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  other one was, Norton. Norton, to me, looks like a beaver.
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  So all the animals that live in the mud flat
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  are celebrating by dancing. Chapter four Swamp Follow me, children,
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  said missus Sendley. She led the way into the swamp.
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  There is something you should all know. What could it be, Mama,
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  said Frank. Where are we going? Said Carol. There it is,
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  she said, the first important sign of spring. It's a
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  pretty green and red, said Carol. It smells good, said Frank.
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  What's it called, said Carol. Skunk cabbage, said Missus Sindley.
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  Skunk cabbage, said Frank. It's named after us, said Missus Sindley.
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  And don't you forget it? Wow, said Carroll. Cool, said Frank.
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  Missus Sindley led them back out of the swamp. So
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  in this picture on this page, there is Missus Sindley,
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  and she is the mother skunk. She's there with her
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  two skunk babies, Carol and Frank, and they have come
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  upon a large green plant, which Missus Sindley says is
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  skunk cabbage. Chapter five, mister Crocker goes exploring. Here comes
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  that grouchy Mister Crocker said, Sid. It's hard to be
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  nice to him. Said to Lula, let's try, said Ellen.
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  Spring is here, mister Crocker said, Ellen humph, said mister Crocker,
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  what makes you think? So? The violets are blooming in
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  the woods, said to Lula. There's for scythia too. I'll
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  believe it when I see it, said mister Crocker. The
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  lilies of the valley are coming up near the big rocks,
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  said Ellen. So you say, said mister Crocker, I'd need proof.
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  He walked into the woods. Goodbye, mister Crocker, said Sid. Goodbye,
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  mister Crocker said, Ellen, I told you so, said to Lula. Well,
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  the illustration here shows mister Crocker and he looks like
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  a crocodile. And we see ta Lula, who is a stork,
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  and Ellen, who is a fox, and Sid who is
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  a frog, and they've all been talking to mister Crocker.
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  Mister Crocker hadn't gone very far before he saw for
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  scythia in bloom, hm, said mister Crocker. He peered around
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  a tree and saw violets. What do you know about that?
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  He said, By the big rocks, he saw lots and
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  lots of lilies of the valley. Well, well, well, he said.
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  He picked a lily of the valley and smelled it,
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  the loveliest smell in the world. Oh my, oh my,
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  mister Crocker moved through the words primroses, he said, and
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  hyacinths and bluebells too. When mister Crocker came out of
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  the woods, Sid and Ellen and Tallulah were still there.
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  You were correct, said mister Crocker about spring, said Falula.
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  Mister Crocker nodded it's here, he said, and he went
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  on home. Number six, Chapter six, The News. Guess what,
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  said Berkley. What said Gracy? Tell Us said Rich, spring
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  is here, said Berkley. Here, said Gracy. Where said Rich?
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  Looking around now? The illustrations on this page show that
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  Barkley is a turtle, and he's up on the land.
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  But down in the pond are two fish named Gracie
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  and Rich continuing. Well, mostly up here, said Berkeley, pointing up.
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  But where it's dry, Yes, said Berkeley, that general area.
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  We don't get up that way very much, said Rich.
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  Well it's worth a look, said Berkeley. It it comes
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  once a year. He swam away. Want to go up,
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  said Rich, Not especially, said Gracie. What is spring anyway?
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  Said Rich. I have no idea, said Gracie. I guess
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  it's a turtle thing. Chapter seven, The Surprise. The evening
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  was so nice Watson could hardly go to bed. He
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  leaned out his window and watched the sunset. The spring
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  is better than any I remember, he said. I hate
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  to miss a minute of it. The illustration on this
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  page shows a little brown mouth leaning out of his
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  little brown house. The windows are open and he's looking
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  out at the beautiful spring evening with grass green grass,
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  and leaves on the tree and flowers of gloom continual.
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  The next morning, Watson got a surprise. Mud flat was
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  buried in snow. What in the world, said Watson. A
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  few flakes drifted past his window. This certainly ruined spring
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  for everyone, said Frampton. Not necessarily, said Moyer. The afternoon,
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  Roscoe and Willie slid down mud flat hill. Moira and
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  Daphne made a snow rabbit. So Moira appears to be
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  a squirrel, Roscoe and Willie's owl and a frog, and
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  there's a bunny named Daphne, and they're all playing out
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  in the snow on a sled or making a snow
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  rabbit out of snow. Continue. Everybody made tunnels in the snow.
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  Fred Now, Norman, Boris and Sue played rock hockey on
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  salt pond. You know, said Norman. I think this spring
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  is more fun than the last one, So do I
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  said Sue. Chapter eight, Just checking Morgan, the bear woke
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  up again. It's got to be spring now, he said.
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  I bet those kids were just trying to trick me.
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  He got up and lumbered to the door of his cave.
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  There was snow everywhere. Still winter, said Morgan, and went
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  back to sleep. Chapter nine two for one. Some weird weather,
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  said Malcolm, just when we were having a lovely spring.
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  On the other hand, said Burford. When this snow melts,
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  we'll have a spring all over again. I hadn't thought
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  of that, said Malcolm. We're very lucky this year, said Burford.
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  Two springs. I can't wait for the next one, said Malcolm.
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  And this last illustration shows a turtle and an otter
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  swimming beside each other in the very cold and snow
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  covered stream. And that was the story of mud Flat Spring.
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  And now we have time for one more book called
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  Abra cadabra It's Spring. This is written by Anne Sibley
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  O'Brien and illustrated by Susan Goal. It was published by
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  Abram's Appleseed in twenty sixteen, and it uses the many
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  of the same words that you might hear from a magician.
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  So let's read abracadabra It's spring. Sunshine, worms, a patch
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  of snow, hocus pocus, where did it go? A little
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  green shoot comes into focus? Alika'zam, Now it's a crocus.
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  On this page, there's an illustration of a tiny black
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  ant on a green leaf, looking at the purple crocus flowers.
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  How could twigs turn into pillows? Presto chainjo pussy willows.
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  Buds on branches tightly curl aliziboom, leaves unfurl. Here we
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  see a little deer, a fawn that's looking up at
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  the tight buds on the branches, getting ready to bloom
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  into leaves. A silent sky. Then birds come winging Mumbo jumbo,
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  noisy singing. Here the illustration shows lots and lots of
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  birds singing high up in the trees. Sticks and string
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  look like a mess. Simsalabim, they've become a nest. Three
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  blue eggs sit there, matching open sesame. They start hatching. Hear.
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  The illustration shows robins with their three blue eggs and
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  baby robins hatching. Gray cocoons hide a surprise Abba zaba butterflies,
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  lacy blossoms. Here comes a breeze, whish and swoosh, confetti.
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  Trees and lots of blossoms are flying through the air.
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  Boots are good for winter days. Bibity boo, they're tossed away.
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  Look at every bright new thing. Abracadabra. Now it's Spring.
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  This concludes our story our today Pleana. Please join us
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  next time when we'll read more stories, and thank you
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  for listening to Radio I