Here are the fables and illustrations:
The Cougar and the Bear (by Keaton Neufeld) - - his illustration awarded 3rd place in his class
One morning on the first day of
spring, there was a cougar and a bear. The cougar was foolish and
untrustworthy. The bear was confident and well… hungry. On that first day of
spring, the cougar met the bear. “You’re stupid and fat! There’s no doubt about
that! You’re hungrier than my Grandma’s cat!” But the bear kept on eating. He
didn’t say anything. He just kept eating.
On the first day of summer, the cougar met the
bear. “You’re dumb and thick! You eat too quick! I know a guy named Rick!” But
the bear didn’t answer. So he kept on eating.
In the fall, the cougar met the bear.
“It’s almost winter and you’re getting thicker! You’ll get spoiled in the
spring. Who would do such a thing? I know I wouldn’t.” The bear took one last bite
and went to bed.
In the spring the cougar woke up in
surprise. The bear was all grown up and he was tough and stuff. Which was a lot
stronger than the cougar!
The moral of the story is: Don’t be
like the cougar, be like the confident bear and keep on trying (except don’t
get fat.)
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| The Cougar and the Bear |
The Porcupine and the Owl (by Cole Neufeld) - - his fable was awarded 2nd place in his class
Once there was a
porcupine. He was dense, as in he wasn’t
the sharpest quill in the woods. High
above the forest floor lived a wise great-horned owl. Each day the porcupine sharpened its quills
along the tree he usually goes to. One
night he was home playing video games and he stayed up so late that his eyes
turned red. The owl flew down to
porcupine’s tree trunk to see what was going on. He came inside and saw the porcupine, his
controller in hand.
The owl said,
“What are you doing? You’re trashing your brain. Don’t you know all that gaming will make you insane?”
The porcupine
said, “Video games are only my hobby.
But you’re right; my eyes do feel like wasabi. Games teach me to strategize, think and
compute. I even figure out how to find
loot. Sometimes there’s traps, and I
have to escape. Sun’s coming up, please
close the drapes!”
“Exactly why you
should get some sleep,” the owl quipped, “Close your eyes and try to count
sheep.”
“You think you’re
so smart. I can I play all I want. I never get tired. I never get droopy. Well, maybe I do get a little bit loopy.”
“Red eyes are
proof. Too much of anything can make you
a goof. Sure games are fun, but it
should not be your life. Some day you
will want to grow up and find a wife!
She will want you to hunt and find water. ”
A few years later,
as an adult, the porcupine was still playing video games, when he found a
female porcupine that he really liked.
They got married but he paid the price.
They still needed food and water.
The moral of the
story is: Too much of anything is bad thing.
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| The Porcupine and the Owel |
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| Mrs. Peterson - their teacher |
Obviously, I think these boys are super creative anyway and we don't necessarily need public recognition of this fact. But it was a sweet moment for all of us. I recall when Aldan was in 2nd grade and won the "Most Improved Reader" award out of his entire school. That also gave me great pleasure. He and I worked hard to move him from non-reader to reader that year (when he first moved in with Eric and I.) Julia got similar accolades for her artwork among peers and teachers. I am so very proud of all the kids! So with this school transition, I will be honest in expressing that I have felt some trepidation. But I continue to find confirmation that it was a good decision. They are thriving. They still hate getting up before 7am on Thursdays. We gave up a little freedom. But I think for this time in our life, the decision to attend classes outside the house one day a week has mostly been a positive one. Only 5 weeks to go!
