Category Archives: Read Aloud

GOODWILL GAMES

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GOODWILL GAMES

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
ON A CLOUDLESS DAY IN THE ANIMAL FOREST, IT WAS TO HAPPEN AGAIN. Once every few years, the animals made an appointment to come together to play for a fortnight. The dolphin tumbled in the most beautiful ways, the polar bear walked as far as he could through the snow, the swallow flew his most spectacular flights and the willow grouse skated as fast as he could.
“Come”, said the dolphin to the stingray, “why don’t you join us!”
“Hmm”, hummed the stingray, “I’m Continue reading →

TRUST

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TRUST

“NOW HOW DOES IT REALLY WORK?” the dragonfly asked the butterfly on a balmy summer evening when they were sitting on a reed stalk, pensively looking out over the water.
“What?” asked the butterfly, “and why would it not have been real until now?”
“Oh, sorry”, said the dragonfly and gasped for a bit more air, “I mean, do you really not mind that the cockatoo is away so often?”
“But why”, asked the butterfly, “is everybody thinking that I would mind?”
“Well”, said the dragonfly, “you know. They say that when you’re a couple, you do everything together. Or at least go to sleep each night together in your own house”.
“That’s indeed what a lot of couples do”, said the butterfly, “but that does not mean that Continue reading →

AT YOUR SERVICE

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AT YOUR SERVICE

AT YOUR SERVICE

ON A HOT SUMMER’S DAY AT THE LAKE IN THE FOREST, THE DRAGONFLY WAS FLYING.
“It’s so hot”, said the dragonfly to the sheep who was looking for some coolness near the waterside.
“Yes”, said the sheep with a lazy yawn.
The dragonfly skimmed another round closely over the water for as much cooling off as she could get.
“My, my”, said the dragonfly when she landed near the sheep again, huffing and puffing.
“Can’t breathe, so uptight”, she also said.
“I am happy”, said the sheep, “that in the spring, I always Continue reading →

MAKE UP

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MAKE UP

MAKE UP

ONCE A YEAR, THE EEL CAME UNANNOUNCED TO THE FOREST, TO RECONNECT WITH OLD CONTACTS. He came disguised, like every year, and this time he was dressed up as the cockatoo. The eel did not know that the cockatoo had been here on a holiday a while ago and had frequently come back after that.
“Hi cockatoo”, said the sheep.
“Hi sheep”, cockatooed the eel and immediately moved on. To delay for as long as possible that he would be unmasked, he made sure his chats were as short as possible.
“How are you doing?” said the frog, who was always interested in everybody and everything.
“So, so”, said the eel and then kept his mouth shut.
The frog jumped away again, why stick around where there’s no fun.
“Hello there, cockatoo!” called Continue reading →

GETTING TO KNOW

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GETTING TO KNOW

GETTING TO KNOW

“LOOK WHOM I RAN INTO”, SAID THE COCKATOO TO THE BUTTERLFY. The butterfly fluttered joyfully towards him and gave the cockatoo a big hug, glad that the cockatoo was home again.
“Well, well, who do we have here! I am the butterfly”, greeted the butterfly the newcomer.
“Porcupine”, said the porcupine, who did not have many words yet because everything was still very new to him.
“Please, do come in”, said the butterfly, “then we’ll drink some of our best nicely-long-lying juice”.

A little farther away, the grumpy bear Continue reading →

CHOOSING

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IN THE RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH THE FOREST, THE GUPPY WAS SWIMMING. The stingray swam by and greeted him.
“Hello”, said the stingray, “I am the stingray. Who are you?”
“I am the guppy”, said the guppy.
“Nice to meet you”, said the stingray, who was finally learning how to keep a conversation going.
“OK, then I’ll reveal this”, said the guppy, inspired to do the same, “I am plugged in. In fact, I do not live here”.
“O”, said the stingray, “I do not live here either. I live in the depth of the ocean”.
“Then”, said the guppy, “you must have asked yourself the question”.
“Which question?” asked the stingray.
“Well”, said the guppy, “what the Continue reading →

TOGETHER LOOKING FORWARD

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable THE ANIMAL FOREST WAS ALL STIRRED UP, SINCE IT WAS COLD. Not just a bit cold. Very cold. The dragonfly gasped for breath because she was stiff from the cold. The sheep was always sensitive to her lack of breath and he was happy that this time, it was not caused by emotions, so he could help by offering the dragonfly a little space between the lush woollen curls of his fur. Also winter was no big deal to him. Just leave your curls a little longer and the cold will not bother you. Sometimes it seemed to him that life would be complicated if you were not a sheep, but then again, he did not quite know what complicated was, so he did not really bother.
“Hello”, heard the sheep with the dragonfly in his fur. They looked up.
“Hello”, squeaked the dragonfly a little uptight but certainly not unfriendly. You ought to Continue reading →

FUN-FEAST WITHOUT FOOLING

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
THE PACK DONKEY PLODDED THROUGH THE FOREST. He never was one of the swiftest but right now, he seemed slower than ever. Each year, when the dark days of winter were coming, the pack donkey disguised himself. He wore a red suit, trimmed with white fur, a buckled black belt and he even put a matching hat on his head. To be really unrecognizable, he also attached a long white beard. The young animals were always eagerly awaiting his arrival, because always he was heavily loaded with packages for all tastes. But the story also told, that he took naughty animals away with him to a far and barren place. So they were at the same time happy, but also a bit scared. *
“What do you want from Continue reading →

KNOWING

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

THE GARDEN WARBLER WAS VERY BUSY. Brooming, cleaning, sorting and packing, and so on.
“Oh dear”, said the dragonfly, who flew by, “just the sight of you being so busy makes me feel uptight. I do a little bit in my house every day, never all at once”.
“But I’ll be on my way”, said the garden warbler, “it’s time to go South”
“Oh, yeah”, said the dragonfly, “you are always gone during winter. What have you got against the winter?”
“Well, it’s just that we always leave”, said the garden warbler, “that’s how we live. And I must say, that one time in the fall when I couldn’t get away, well, I experienced a winter here, and then I knew right away why we always leave!”
“What’s so bad about it then?” asked the dragonfly. Continue reading →

THE MOMENT

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Nederlands: hier

the moment

the moment

She had lost her grip. She lifted up her eyes and thought: where does my help come from. But she turned them down again, dizzy. Lost my grip, how often didn’t people say that? And how often was it so true as it was now.

Where does my help come from? Such an old, long forgotten sentence came to mind. Now, now that she had lost her grip. Psalm verses popping up in critical moments: was religion in the end proving to be something essential? They say it’s never too late to convert, but to be actually doing that now, would be Continue reading →

UNKNOTTING

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
THE CENTIPEDE WAS ALL IN A KNOT. His gait wasn’t smooth at all.
“Hey, centipede”, said the dragonfly watching him stumble along, “also a bit stiff today?”
“Yes”, sighed the centipede, “I seem to put every foot wrong, these days”.
“I met the ladybug the other day”, said the dragonfly, “you know, he who knows how to move so beautifully to music! Maybe he can help you with suppleness”.
And that’s how it came to be that the dragonfly and the centipede whispered in the horn:
“Dear ladybug,
Do you know how Continue reading →

PUZZLING

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

THE OTTER WAS POTTERING IN THE REED. He had the sensation that he was being watched, but that did not prevent him from blazing his own trail. This time, it was a preset course that he needed to find, because he participated in the yearly quiz walk in the animal forest. That was difficult enough because not for nothing had the bear won last year. He had been the best in answering the difficult questions, and now he had had come up with the difficult questions himself. The otter had to count reed stems, had to know through which water he was wading and what the red signs meant at the waterside. That, he knew. Then there were no inflatables permitted (whatever that would be) or sometimes it said: Continue reading →

POLLS

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IMPRESSION of 'my' ANIMAL FORESTwithmy own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybugcopyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dovephotos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IMPRESSION of ‘my’ ANIMAL FOREST
with
my own photos: Magnolia, Sheep, Ladybug
copyright free photos: Giraffe, Stingray, Dove
photos by Nynke van Gurp-Smilde: Dragonfly, Butterfly

IT WAS ON A DAY IN SPRINGTIME that the animals had a convivial gathering in the big open space in the forest. Afterwards, they could not recall how it started, but they came to talk about the organization of the animal forest and if there was room for improvement.
“It seems best to me”, said the goose, “that we all fly in formation”.
“Are you nuts”, said the whimbrel, “nicely crisscrossing, that’s a lot more fun”.
“One is the boss”, said the wolf, “that’s evident”.
“Don’t be silly”, said the herring, “when we swim in schools, everybody is equal. You take care not to bump into each other and otherwise you let each other be”.
“But hey”, said the horse, “you keep each other clean, don’t you?”
“Exactly”, said the parrot and the chimpanzee, “otherwise all gets very dirty”.
“But”, said the ant, “I would like to smell Continue reading →

RELIEF

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RELIEF

THE LADYBUG WAS HOME AGAIN. His house was just a small one because mostly he was on the road, he travelled a lot. The ladybug, you know, was often asked to show his skills. He was very good at making movements to music. When music was heard, and the ladybug moved to it, it generated emotions in the spectators, even more than when they were just listening.
“Hi ladybug”, said the dragonfly.
“Hey you”, said the ladybug and warmly gave the dragonfly two kisses. The dragonfly blushed all over.
“You know”, said the dragonfly, “I never dared to say this, but often I have to Continue reading →

BALLAST

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BALLAST

BALLAST

“HI SHRIMP”, SAID THE FROG.
“Ssh”, said the shrimp, “I’m eating”.
“O”, said the frog, “am I disturbing you?”
“Yes”, said the shrimp, “I’m drinking”.
“Nicely long lying?” asked the frog.
“No’, said the shrimp, “just water”.
“Yuk”, said the frog, “tasteless”.
“But”, said the shrimp, “for sure necessary”.
“Necessary”, said the frog, “what now is really necessary” and he jumped off. The shrimp was no fun.
“You know”, said the shrimp, “just return in a day or five”. But the frog did not react anymore.
“Don’t let it get to you”, said the dragonfly who came flying after the frog, “he’s just his jumpy self”.
“I get it Continue reading →

DEEP END

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DEEP END

DEEP END

ON A DRIZZLY AUTUMN DAY, when on high everything was so misty to the extent that drops were formed, the giraffe took a dip in the ocean. He firmly placed his knees on the beach and put his head under water.
“Hey”, said the giraffe when he reached the bottom, “hello stingray!”
The stingray startled and did not know how to react. Quickly he sought for possibilities, alternatives and streamlining, but all remained frightfully entangled in his head. No pennies were dropping and also the search for dimes resulted only in stingy thoughts.
“Whataya want”, said the stingray, when he thought he could no longer remain silent.
“I’m not here to disturb you”, apologized the giraffe, “I’m just looking for some depth”.
“O”, said the stingray relieved, “do you search the deep end? I can Continue reading →

KEEPING

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KEEPING

KEEPING

ON A NICELY WARM SUMMER’S DAY, THE BUTTERFLY WAS FLUTTERING from flower to flower and was letting herself be caressed by the afternoon sun. The butterfly was busy not being too busy, when suddenly a shadow slid over her. The butterfly looked up and saw the most beautiful flying creature she had ever seen.
‘Look’, thought the butterfly, ‘the blackbird is black, the swan is white, the sparrow grey, but this bird is … exuberant!’
‘Yes’, thought the butterfly, who did not exactly know what exuberant was but still thought, ‘yeah, that’s for sure’.
The exuberant bird settled on the middle branch of the beech and looked around inquisitively.
“Hi”, said the butterfly, fluttering closer.
“Hi”, said the Continue reading →

WONDERING

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WONDERING

WONDERING

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
THE HARE HAD BEEN AWAY AND WAS NOW COMING HOME. He whizzed into the forest and almost bumped into the dromedary who was taking a long hike while singing a cheerful tune.
“Hi dromedary”, said the hare, “will you be coming to my party?”
“Ah”, said the dromedary, “you’re back again”.
The hare also invited some other animals by whispering in the horn: I’m back again, will you come to my homecoming party?
“O, my goodness”, sighed the dragonfly who was hearing this in her horn, “he comes home so often, what on earth am I to bring to the party this time?”
“Yourself”, said the dove, “that’s enough”.
“Ah, yeah”, said the dragonfly, “but Continue reading →

ENLIGHTENING

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ENLIGHTENING

ENLIGHTENING

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
IT WAS DARK IN THE FOREST. Not ordinary dark, but pitch dark. The monkey was bored because there was no moonlight in which he could dance. The vole could not stop tossing because she could not see if she was lying properly. The otter was fiddling in the reed but did not enjoy himself because he constantly bumped his nose. It was winter dark in the forest and the animals had had enough of it.
“In difficult times”, said the owl, “you have to think of nice things to do”.
“Okay”, said the bat, who wasn’t bothered at all, “I’ll gather everybody”.
Stumbling in the dark, the animals came from their houses to the big open spot for the comeback festival.
The eyes of the sheep darted nervously around.
“You know”, said the sheep to the magpie, “with a 5th leg*, I would Continue reading →

EXPLORING

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EXPLORING

EXPLORING

THE GIRAFFE COULDN’T SLEEP, THAT NIGHT IN THE WINTER FOREST, WHEN THE MOON WAS SHINING THROUGH THE TREES.
“A beautiful night”, said the giraffe to no one special, “to do some exploring”.
He strolled off and saw the river hog rooting in the moss, the vole tossing in her den and over the water he heard the dragonfly groan in her sleep, or perhaps because she could not sleep. Then the bat flew right past his head.
“Sorry”, mumbled the bat, “I did not hear you were that big”.
In the vicinity of the house of the monkey, the giraffe heard strange noises. He walked over but suddenly held back. In front of the tree where his house was, the monkey was dancing. Or wasn’t it the monkey? It hopped around and played with Continue reading →

FULFILLED

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FULFILLED

FULFILLED

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
THE DRAGONFLY WHISPERED IN THE HORN:
Sheep, would you come and visit me?
The dragonfly
The wind blew the whispers through the forest and the sheep heard in her horn what the dragonfly had whispered.
“Ah’, said the sheep and set off, “the dragonfly is feeling uptight again”.
“So nice”, said the dragonfly, “that you could come so quickly. Would you like a sip of water? River water, brook water, spring water, …”
“Dish water”, said the sheep who knew that the dragonfly always wanted to be fully detailed, although she already knew that the sheep always drank dish water.
“Yes, yes”, said the dragonfly, “but Continue reading →

THOUGHTFUL

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THOUGHTFUL

THOUGHTFUL

An * after a word means you can find an explanation under the fable
ON THE GREAT SILENT MOORS* THE SHEEP AND THE GIRAFFE WERE STROLLING. The heather was in bloom and so it came to be that they walked through a purple glowing landscape with little groups of green trees or a yellow sand spot every here and there.
“Sheep”, said the giraffe, “how is it that through the colours I see with my eyes, I get a warm and peaceful feeling inside?”
The sheep looked sheepishly at the giraffe. The giraffe thought that to be appropriate. Suddenly, the giraffe stood still and with some difficulty, he lowered down to sit on his knees, bowed his long neck and studied a heather plant.
“How is it”, said the giraffe, “that it looks like Continue reading →

SIMPLY

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SIMPLY

SIMPLY

There is a lot of dutch culture in this fable.
An * after a word means that you can find an explanation underneath the fable

“HI VOLE”, SHOUTED THE MARMOT. They jumped into each others arms and spinned around as only the vole and the marmot could, each spring in the end of April at the feast of the magnolia.
“Hey, hey”, cried the weasel* whom they narrowly whirled by, “watch out!”
“Don’t be afraid”, said the dove,“everything’s gonna be alright”.
“O”, said the weasel, who tried to believe it. He did not come out of his burrow that often and mostly only when it was quiet, but during the annual feast of the magnolia, he did want to be Continue reading →