READ-ALOUD STORY

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

READ-ALOUD STORY

NIBBLY-WEE

A very tiny white lamb came to a farm where Emma Jane lived with her grandmother and grandfather. The lamb was so tiny that he drank milk from a bottle. He slept in a basket under grandmother’s porch. When he was a few weeks old he walked with Emma Jane into the garden, where he began to nibble the grass. “Walk fast with me!” commanded Emma Jane. But the lamb nibbled the grass. “Run with me!” demanded Emma Jane.

But the lamb nibbled the grass. "Oh! You are a nibbly-wee thing! I shall call you ‘Nibbly-Wee’! Play with me, Nibbly-Wee! Let’s play ‘hide-and-seek’!’’

Emma Jane hid behind a bush where she called, “Nibbly-Wee! Nibbly-Wee!” But the lamb nibbled the grass. “Give Nibbly-Wee some salt!” called grandmother. “He likes salt as you like candy.” Every time that Emma Jane had salt in her hand, the little lamb would run to And the little girl where she was hiding. “Baa-aa!” was all he said.

Nibbly-Wee liked to walk everywhere and nibble the grass. Even in the rain hq liked to nibble the grass.

“Do not stay out in the rain!” scolded Emma Jane. “Look at your coat! It is black. You must have a bath!” So grandmother and Emma Jane scrubbed Nibbly-Wee’s coat. When it was white grandmother put a blue ribbon on Nibbly-Wee’s neck and Emma Jane put a blue ribbon on his tail.

“Baa-aa!” said Nibbly-Wee. That day Emma Jane and grandmother and grandfather went to town. Nibbly-Wee stayed at home. He nibbled grass everywhere. His blue ribbons waved in the wind. Soon he came to the barnyard. He walked through the open gate. "Baa-aa!” he called. A baby calf greeted him. A mother cow came to him. « “Baa-aa!” he called so loudly that he frightened the little chicks. “Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!” screamed the mother hen, flying to peck Nibbly-Wee. “Baa-aa!" screamed the frightened lamb. The hens and chickens scattered everywhere. The rooster

began to crow, “Cock-a-doodle-do!” Poor frightened Nibbly-Wee hid under some bushes and stayed there until grandfather, grandmother, and Emma Jane came home. At first they could not find Nibbly-Wee. Then they heard a faint, “Baa-aa!” in the barnyard. There they saw the little lamb crawling out of the bushes. He looked very funny with leaves, sticks and seeds dangling all over his mussed-up coat and blue ribbons. “Nibbly-Wee!” called Emma Jane. “Were you playing ‘hide-and-seek’?” “Baa-aa!” was all Nibbly-Wee said. “Do you want another bath?” exclaimed grandmother. “Baa-aa!” was all Nibbly-Wee said.

“Nibbly-Wee doesn’t want to be dressed up!” said grandfather, laughing. “He wants to be a .sheep!”

“Baa-aa!” was all Nibbly-Wee said.