The Pinkish Purplish Bluish Egg, by Bill Peet, is a wonderful imaginative kid's book read aloud for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school ages (and adults still young at heart), about self-control and not fighting.
Parents and teachers, join me here at The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for daily read alouds in the classroom, at bedtime, or anytime!
Follow The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for a classic children's library.
#kidsbooksreadaloud #readaloud #readaloudbooksforchildren
Parents and teachers, join me here at The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for daily read alouds in the classroom, at bedtime, or anytime!
Follow The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for a classic children's library.
#kidsbooksreadaloud #readaloud #readaloudbooksforchildren
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LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:27Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg written by one of my favorite authors, Bill Pete.
00:37Myrtle was sad and completely depressed. As she sat staring down at her empty dove nest,
00:44her children had flown off and left her that day. It was hard on a mother to send them away,
00:51but her instincts had told her that they were full grown and ready to start a life on their own.
00:57She held back her tears for as long as she could,
01:01till they'd flown out of sight on their way through the wood.
01:08Then she fluttered far back in a dark cave to brood and try to get over her miserable mood.
01:15As she swooped through the gloom with a woe-be-gone sigh, an odd-colored oval-shaped
01:21rock caught her eye. But Myrtle, on closer inspection, could tell that the rock was an egg,
01:28for it had an eggshell. I must hatch it, she cried, or at least try my best,
01:35if there's some way to get it back up to my nest.
01:41This problem of Myrtle's was solved right away by some frisky young squirrels who'd come there
01:47to play. They took off with the egg in a wild free-for-all, sent it bouncing along like a big
01:54bowling ball. Out of the cave door, across the rough ground, and straight for the tree it went
02:01whirling around. And to Myrtle's surprise, in less than a minute, they were up to her nest
02:07and plunked the egg in it. Soon, all sorts of birds began flocking around to see the big egg
02:17that Myrtle had found. Blue jays, and redbirds, and noisy magpies, and a big stuffy owl who was
02:25worldly and wise. It won't hatch, said the owl. That egg is stone cold. Why, for all that we know,
02:34it's a thousand years old. If it does hatch, a jay said, I bet it's a turtle, for after all,
02:43you are a turtle dove, Myrtle. But the dove didn't listen to what the birds said.
02:48She was bound and determined to go right ahead.
02:56Early one day, when no birds were around, Myrtle awoke to a faint scratching sound.
03:03It came from inside of the egg. She could tell something was trying to break through the shell.
03:09I knew it, I knew it, she gleefully cried. The egg's going to hatch. There is someone inside.
03:22And once more, the birds crowded Myrtle's treetop to watch as the egg cracked apart with a pop.
03:29Then a feathery thing poked his little head out. Bewildered and frightened, he looked all about.
03:36Happy birthday, the dove whispered softly to him, and he felt more at home and hopped out on the limb.
03:48At first, all the birds were just too stunned to speak, but finally a jay blurted out,
03:54it's a freak. Just look, the thing is half lion, half eagle. I'm sure it must be unsafe or illegal.
04:04No, no, said the owl with a long, thoughtful look. It's a creature straight out of a fairy tale book.
04:12The thing's called a griffin. It doesn't exist. But as a precaution, I firmly insist that we
04:20ought to get rid of this brute right away, or it might grow up and cause trouble someday.
04:29This was too much for Myrtle. Fire flashed in her eyes, and she ruffled her feathers to look twice
04:36her size. You old fool, she exploded. You mixed up old bird. That's the silliest thing anyone's ever
04:45heard. If a griffin's not real, then how under the sun can a thing not at all ever harm anyone?
04:53With a furious charge like a mad bumblebee, she chased the owl back to his old hollow tree.
05:03The commotion and noise made him so terrified that the griffin crawled back in his eggshell to hide.
05:11Myrtle called softly, come out. It's all clear. The birds have all gone. I'm the only one here.
05:23So the griffin crept out on the tree limb once more with slightly more courage than he'd had
05:28before. That's better, said Myrtle. Now the first thing we'll do is pick out a name that sounds just
05:36right for you. There's an old bible name that I think rhymes with meek. I know, it's Ezekiel.
05:43For short, that is Zeke. And now Zeke, if you'd like, I will teach you to fly. You've a fine pair
05:54of wings. Let's give it a try. But first, she announced, you better watch me. And she sailed a
06:02short distance away from the tree. It seemed very simple and easy to him. So Zeke spread his wings
06:08and sailed straight off the limb. For a minute, it looked like a pretty good start. Until all of a
06:15sudden, down went his hind part. He fought his way frantically back through the air and just reached
06:25the limb, but with not much despair. Your last half, sighed Myrtle, doesn't seem to be trying.
06:33It has no natural instincts, no interest in flying. But don't worry, Zeke, leave that end up to me.
06:40I have an idea that will work, wait and see.
06:48Then, by holding his long lion tail in her beak, Myrtle supported the last half of Zeke, and the
06:54griffon went gliding along on the breeze, while the dove gently steered him around through the
07:00trees. As they went sailing past, the owl hooted and sneered, while the mockingbirds mocked and the
07:07blue jays all jeered. But the dove didn't care. She expected them to. That's always the way when you
07:14try something new. This first flight of Zeke's was a very short hop. Before long, they made a refueling
07:24stop. Then Myrtle went bustling around on the ground to show him just where the best bird food was found.
07:36In crumpling old stumps, they found grub worms and slugs, and under flat rocks, they found swarms of
07:43fat bugs. So bugs, said Myrtle, have vitamin A, and so you should eat quite a few every day.
07:51But don't overeat. That's a wise old bird rule. A flyer who gains too much weight is a fool.
07:58So while Myrtle was teaching her Zeke how to fly, she gave him a set of good rules to live by.
08:08At the end of each day, Zeke would stretch out to rest high on the tree limb beside Myrtle's nest,
08:15and softly she'd coo an old dove lullaby while he dreamily stared at the moon drifting by.
08:22For Myrtle had said, if you look for a while, you can see the moon's face and its bright happy
08:28smile. And in this way, he fell off to sleep very soon, trying to make out the face on the moon.
08:36When spring came again, Zeke had reached his full size. He turned out to be huge, which was no big
08:42surprise. What amazed everyone was his skill as a flyer, for that is the thing all the birds most
08:50admire. He's a marvel, said Myrtle with a satisfied smile, and he flies as you see in the classic
09:00dove style. He flies too well, the owl said, to suit me, as he quivered and quaked in his old
09:10hollow tree. And if we're ever attacked by that powerful brute, our chance of escape wouldn't be
09:17worth a hoot. Myrtle tried to ignore what the old owl had said, but she couldn't quite put it into
09:27But she couldn't quite put it all out of her head. So wherever Zeke went, the dove followed along,
09:34just to make sure that he did nothing wrong. Late one afternoon, as they wandered around,
09:40they passed by the cave where the egg had been found. Now that's strange, said Zeke as he peeked
09:46in the door. I have a feeling I've been here before. It's just the right place for a big
09:53brute like me. Besides, I'm too big now to sleep in a tree. If you sleep here, said Myrtle with a
10:00shiver of fright, foxes and wolves might surprise you some night. They're bloodthirsty creatures,
10:08the dove pointed out, and there's no telling when they'll come prowling about.
10:16One night, as the griffon stretched out on the limb, Zeke felt as if someone were staring at him,
10:22and there, sure enough, down below on the ground, the foxes and wolves had come prowling around.
10:29Somehow they'd heard of the fabulous beast, so they were all set for a fabulous feast,
10:35and Zeke was so worried for fear he might fall for the rest of the night that he slept hardly at all.
10:42He awoke the next day with a fierce eagle scowl, and from deep in his throat came a low lion growl.
10:50I could tear all those scoundrels to ribbons, snarled Zeke, with these great eagle claws and
10:57this powerful beak. This came as a shock to the delicate dove, the symbol of peace and of motherly
11:04love, and she tearfully pleaded with Zeke not to do it. I'd die, Myrtle moaned. I couldn't live through it.
11:12Violence is wrong, and it's sinful, I say. If you'll only be patient, they might go away.
11:28But they weren't going to leave for all Zeke could see, and he just couldn't stand one more night in
11:34the tree. So Zeke left the woods and sailed off through the sky while Myrtle was chasing a big
11:40dragonfly. When he finally decided he'd gone far enough, he went gliding down to roost on a bluff,
11:48overlooking a region so bleak and so bare that only the vultures could stand living there.
11:55This place, said Zeke, is as strange as can be, so maybe it's meant for a creature like me. But I couldn't
12:03stand living out here on these rocks. It's a much better place for a wolf or a fox. Then all of a
12:10sudden he sat up with a jerk. Why, there's an idea, he said, that might work. And he hurried along
12:19And he hurried along toward the woods at top speed, anxious to see if his plan might succeed.
12:30When he came to the forest, Zeke dropped from the sky with a loud lion roar that was part
12:36eagle cry. All the birds were astounded and so terrified that they went streaking off in the
12:43bushes to hide. But the foxes and wolves all came running out to see what the unearthly noise was
12:54about and were swept off their feet, jerked up by the tail. Then over the treetops the scoundrels
13:01set sail, helplessly howling and wailing with fright, for this, you see, was their very first flight.
13:13Zeke made the long trip without dropping one fox and set them down gently on one of the rocks.
13:20Then as he departed, the griffon called out, that'll teach you scoundrels to go prowling about.
13:26If you ever come back to the woods, don't forget, I'll take all of you on a much longer trip yet.
13:33When Zeke told the dove about what he had done, she was so very proud of her gigantic son that
13:39she scurried about as fast as she could to tell every bird in that part of the wood.
13:45And now at last there wasn't one doubt, but what the fierce griffon they'd worried about
13:50was a peace-loving creature and tame as could be. Why, even the owl finally had to agree.
13:58But I'm right, the owl said, on one thing at least. He doesn't exist. He's a mythical beast.
14:06Does he mean, worried Zeke, that I'm not really here? That most any minute I might disappear?
14:13It's nonsense, scoffed Myrtle. He's a silly old bird. But if it makes him feel better,
14:19let him be. He's a mythical creature. He's a mythical creature.
14:25But if it makes him feel better, let him have the last word.