ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Awnie's House ???? Kids Book Read Aloud: ONCE UPON A POODLE by Chrysa Smith and Pat Achilles
Hi there, friends! I’m Ani, and I’m so happy you’re here to read with me. Today, we’re going to read a fun story about a little dog named Woody. Are you ready? Let’s dive into “Once Upon a Poodle” by Chrysa Smith, with pictures by Pat Achilles.
Woody is a cute little poodle who loves to watch the world from his window. He sees birds flying, squirrels climbing, and rabbits hopping. Woody’s mom, Mrs. Flaut, plays games with him, but Woody really wants a brother to play with.
One day, Woody decides to go outside and find a brother. He meets a big bird with feathers. Woody thinks the bird wants to play, but the bird flies into the house and lands in the bathtub with Mrs. Flaut! Mrs. Flaut says the bird needs to go back to where it belongs.
Next, Woody meets a furry squirrel. They play with a nut and run into the house. But the squirrel jumps on the table and makes a mess! Mrs. Flaut says the squirrel needs to go back to the trees.
Woody then meets a bunny with floppy ears. They play with a blueberry, but the bunny loves eating carrots in the garden. Mrs. Flaut says the bunny needs to go back to the garden.
Finally, Woody meets a curly-haired dog named Archie. Archie loves to play and is very good at finding hidden bones. Mrs. Flaut finds out Archie came from a shelter and decides he can stay with Woody. Woody is so happy to have a new brother!
Woody and Archie play together and have lots of fun. Mrs. Flaut smiles and locks the dog door so they can stay safe inside. Woody is thrilled to have Archie as his brother, and they enjoy many adventures together.
If you liked this story, you can read more about Woody and Archie in the Poodle Posse adventures. I hope you had fun reading with me today. See you next time!
Animal Observation Walk: Take a walk in your neighborhood or a nearby park with an adult. Look for animals like birds, squirrels, or rabbits, just like Woody did. Can you spot any animals that Woody met in the story? What are they doing? Try to quietly observe them and think about where they might live and what they might eat. Share your observations with your friends or family.
Create Your Own Animal Story: Using paper and crayons, draw a picture of an animal you would like to meet, just like Woody met different animals. Imagine what kind of adventure you would have with this animal. Would you play a game or explore a new place? Write a short story or tell your story to a friend or family member about your adventure with your new animal friend.
Animal Matching Game: With the help of an adult, find pictures of different animals from magazines or print them from the internet. Cut them out and mix them up. Try to match each animal with its home or favorite food, just like Woody learned where each animal belonged. For example, match a squirrel with a tree or a bunny with a carrot. Discuss why each animal belongs in its specific place.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, my reading friends! It’s Ani. I am so glad you’re here! If you enjoy reading stories with me, be sure to subscribe.
Okay, today we’ve got some more shoutouts: Eloisa in Canada, Luca in Marin, California, Sophia and Charlotte in Manassas, Virginia, Lucas in Ireland, and Mason Mejia in Los Angeles. Hello to you all! I am so grateful that you’re all a part of my reading family.
Are you ready for a story? In today’s book, we’ll meet a cute little dog who wants a brother more than anything. Let’s see if he gets one as we read “Once Upon a Poodle.”
If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me!
[Music]
“Once Upon a Poodle” by Chrissa Smith, illustrated by Pat Achilles.
One afternoon, a little poodle named Woody sat upon the sofa and watched the world from the window. He saw birds soaring through the sky, squirrels climbing up trees, rabbits hopping, and groups of dogs running and playing together. His mom, Mrs. Flaut, played games with him, like hide the bone, but she wasn’t terribly good at it.
Woody loved his mom as much as a poodle could, but what he really longed for was a brother—someone who played hide the bone just a bit better, someone to keep him company when Mrs. Flaut was busy, and someone who could be part of the family.
So one day, Woody thought that if he wanted to solve his problem, he needed to be on the other side of the window, where everyone else seemed to be. While Mrs. Flaut was busy taking a bubble bath, Woody popped out through the tiny dog door, where he met a fellow with a long neck and feathers. They sniffed each other, and the mysterious creature shook his tail feathers. Woody was sure that meant he wanted to play, so Woody chased him all the way up the path, through the dog door, and into the house.
Could this be the one? Woody wondered. Could this be my new brother? He threw over one of his bouncy balls, but the creature just stood there and flapped his wings. So Woody threw a stuffed bird to him, and he let out a screeching squawk. The winged creature took off flying through the Flaut house, down the hall, and straight into the bathroom. Plop! He landed right in the bathtub, face to face with Mrs. Flaut.
“Oh my!” said Mrs. Flaut. “Where in the world did you come from? We must return you to where you belong. You need to be near water, but not in my tub!”
Woody was sad that the big bird couldn’t stay, so the next day he went back to his sofa and watched the world through the window once again. This time, Mrs. Flaut was busy making peanut butter bones, so Woody popped out through the dog door and ran into a furry gray fellow with a bushy tail. He was chewing on a big nut and threw one toward Woody. Woody thought this guy liked to play fetch, so Woody and his friend threw the nut back and forth as they went up the path, through the dog door, and into the house.
Could this be the one? Woody wondered. Could this be my new brother? Woody threw over a stuffed squirrel toy that looked amazingly like this furry fellow. He let out a few squeaks that sounded like fighting birds, then he jumped up on the kitchen table, ran across the counter, and leaped straight into Mrs. Flaut’s pile of nuts.
“Oh my!” squealed Mrs. Flaut. “Where in the world did you come from? We must return you to where you belong. You need to gather nuts from trees, not my kitchen!”
Woody was sad that the furry fellow couldn’t stay, so the next day he went back to his sofa and watched the world through his window again. While Mrs. Flaut was in the garden, Woody popped out of the dog door and ran into a floppy-eared guy with a small white tail. Woody threw him a little blueberry buried beneath some leaves. The floppy-eared guy sent it back with his nose, so Woody thought he wanted to play.
Could this be the one? Woody wondered. Could this be my new brother? Woody led the little fellow up the path to the dog door, but when Woody got inside, there was no sign of the floppy-eared guy. So he went back outside and found his new friend chomping through a pile of carrots as Mrs. Flaut picked them.
“Oh my!” yelled Mrs. Flaut. “Where in the world did you come from? We must return you to where you can hop and find your favorite food, but not my garden!”
Woody was sad that the floppy-eared creature couldn’t stay, so he went back to his sofa and watched the world through his window again. While Mrs. Flaut was busy bringing in packages from the car, Woody popped out through the dog door and down the path. But this time, something was different. A curly-haired black creature with four legs and a tail came running toward him. He chased Woody right through the dog door and into the house.
When Woody threw his furry dog toy, the creature brought it back. When Woody hid his bone, the creature sniffed it out. Could this be the one? Woody thought. Could this be my new brother?
Mrs. Flaut came in and said to the little pup, “Oh, I see you have a name tag: Archie from the local animal shelter. You might need a good home. Would you like to stay and play a while?”
Mrs. Flaut called the shelter and was told that Archie had escaped through a hole in the fence. They were glad he was safe and asked if she could bring him back. Seeing how well he and Woody got along, Mrs. Flaut cried, “Oh my! Must we return him? He seems like he is where he belongs, as part of our family.”
Woody barked with joy and thought, “This is the one! My new brother!” Archie was lively, jumpy, and cute, so he followed Woody to the sofa. But instead of watching the world through the window, Woody watched his brother Archie grab a bone and hide it somewhere in the sofa.
Woody and Archie spent the next two hours playing hide the bone. Archie was much better at it than Mrs. Flaut. Mrs. Flaut smiled at the two boys, then she went and locked the dog door.
If you enjoyed this book, you’re going to want to check out the adventures of the Poodle Posse, which feature our friends Woody and Archie. I’ll put a link in the description section below to the website so you can take a look. I hope you enjoyed our story today! See you next time!
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