???? Kids Book Read Aloud: DOMINIC THE DOG by Robert P. Barbieri

Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:

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Hello, my reading friends! It’s Ani. I’m so glad you came to read with me today. If you enjoy reading stories with me, be sure to subscribe and watch all the way through because I’ll be doing some shout-outs at the end. Are you ready for a story?

Today, we’ll meet a furry friend who doesn’t know what his talents are. Let’s see if he can figure it out as we read “Dominique the Dog,” written by Robert P. Barbieri. If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me!

[Music]

“Dominique the Dog”

Dominique entered the world on a farm as the youngest of four puppies. Dominique wasn’t like his brothers and sister. The oldest brother herded the sheep, the second brother was best at fetch, and his sister was the greatest guard dog, keeping the farmhouse safe.

Dominique was different. He couldn’t herd sheep, couldn’t fetch like his brother, or guard the farm like his sister. They teased Dominique, saying he was not a real dog and that he might as well be a cat. Dominique had no idea what his talent might be, but he was sure he had one—if only he knew where to look.

So he went on a journey around the farm to see if his talents might be the same as one of his farm friends. First, he went to Mrs. Hen’s house to see if he could lay eggs, but that didn’t turn out well. Then he went to Mr. Sheep to see if he could grow wool to keep the family warm during the winter, but Mr. Sheep told him, “You can’t grow wool; you’re just a dog.”

Next, he went to Mrs. Cow to see if he could make milk, but because he was a boy and a dog, Mrs. Cow told him he couldn’t possibly make milk. Then Dominique saw Mr. Owl and asked if he could teach him how to fly, but Mr. Owl said, “Dominique, dogs don’t have wings; they can’t fly.”

Dominique did not listen and tried to fly just the same, but Mr. Owl was right. Dominique could only think of one more talented friend. He went to Mrs. Fish, wanting to see if he could swim fast under the water, but he discovered that dogs can only paddle and they certainly make a lot of splashes.

After all his failed attempts to find his talent, Dominique decided he would sit on his favorite patch of grass by the pond and just think… and think… and think until it was almost dinnertime. All this thinking was making Dominique’s head spin. Just as he was about to give up and go inside for dinner, Father Frog floated by on a lily pad.

“Why are you so blue, Dominique?” he asked. Dominique said, “I don’t have a talent. I’ve tried everything, but I’m no good at anything.” Father Frog thought for a minute and explained, “Dominique, talents are what make everyone unique. Just because you can’t fly like an owl or swim like a fish doesn’t mean you don’t have any talent. Everyone is different, and there is only one you. Just give it time, and it’ll come to you.”

Dominique understood. At that moment, he began to feel something coming deep from his chest. He thought he might just burst, so he opened his mouth, and out came a bark so loud it made the birds fly away and created waves in the pond, shaking the lily pad Father Frog was relaxing on. The bark was so loud that it even startled Dominique himself.

Dominique sat back and thought to himself, “Did that come out of me?” Dominique thought he had heard it all on the farm—he had heard growls, clucks, barks, moos, even hoots and ribbits—but nothing as loud as this. Dominique was so happy with his discovery that he barked all the way through the farm. He made sure to stop and show Mrs. Fish, Mr. Owl, Mrs. Cow, Mr. Sheep, Mrs. Hen, and especially his brothers and sister.

But his brothers and sisters said, “What use is a loud bark anyway?” Dominique didn’t know. He went back to wise old Father Frog, who said, “Why don’t you go and see Mr. Scarecrow? I think he might have an idea.”

Dominique had often seen Mr. Scarecrow standing in his field, but nothing exciting ever seemed to happen over there, so he didn’t visit much. Mr. Scarecrow was in his field as usual, with birds perching on his shoulders and pecking at the ground around him. Dominique rushed up, barking as loudly as he could. The birds flew away in fright.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Mr. Scarecrow. “Those birds aren’t scared of me, and they’re always at my feet pulling out my straw and pecking at the crops. But your bark made them all go away! Can you come back every day and bark so that the crops can grow and my straw is left alone?”

Dominique was delighted. He had found his talent—he had the loudest bark on the farm!

What else can a dog do?

The end.

We all have talents, and it’s so much fun to discover what they are!

All right, let’s do some shout-outs today! They’re going out to:

– Amy, Abby, and Eva in Ireland
– McKenna in Michigan
– Zamar in Boston, Massachusetts
– Declawn in Odessa, Florida
– Emma and Olivia in Harvest, Alabama
– Daniel and Darius in Houston, Texas
– Valentina in Walnut Creek, California
– Anora, Dexter, and Ethan in Seattle, Washington
– Dawson and Lorelai in Apple Valley, Minnesota
– Willow and Rocco Gordon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Hello, my good friends! I’m so happy that you’re all a part of my reading family. I hope you enjoyed our story today. See you next time!

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