Hello, friends! Today, we’re going to have a fun story time together. We’re going to read a book called “Last Day Blues” by Julie Dannenberg, with pictures by Judy Love. Let’s dive into the story and see what happens!
It’s Monday morning, and Mrs. Hartwell is taking attendance in her classroom. She feels a little sad because it’s the last week of school. “I’m going to miss all of you,” she says. The kids agree and start thinking about what they’ll miss too.
Shannon will miss her friends, Dan will miss Daisy the class pet, and Joe will miss chocolate milk and his lunch. Everyone feels a bit blue thinking about the last day of school.
During recess, the kids play on the jungle gym and talk about how Mrs. Hartwell will miss them. Alexandra suggests they should get her a present to cheer her up. But what should they get?
Josh thinks about giving her his sandwich, and others suggest a coffee mug or a fancy pen. They can’t decide on one idea, so they agree to think about it more the next day.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Hartwell reads the last page of their storybook. Everyone talks about what they’ll miss, like circle time and science. Mrs. Hartwell even puts on her funny safety goggles one last time to make everyone smile.
During recess, the kids still can’t decide on a gift, but they know they have time until Friday.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Hartwell brings in delicious sugar cookies with extra frosting. The kids talk about their summer plans, like going fishing or visiting Egypt. They enjoy the cookies and milk, which helps them forget their last day blues for a little while.
As they play, Olivia notices that Mrs. Hartwell seems sad. Eddie suddenly has a great idea for a gift that will cheer her up!
On Thursday, Eddie asks Mrs. Hartwell for some privacy in class. The kids work on their special surprise for her.
Finally, it’s Friday, the last day of school! The students are excited to show Mrs. Hartwell their gift. They open the shades, do their chores, and feed Daisy one last time.
When Mrs. Hartwell sees the gift, it’s a special message from the kids. It says they’ll miss recess, pizza, reading, and most of all, they’ll miss her. Mrs. Hartwell is touched by their sweet words.
Later, during recess, Eddie hopes the gift makes Mrs. Hartwell happy. The bell rings, and it’s time to say goodbye. The students wave and shout, “Goodbye!” as they leave the classroom.
Mrs. Hartwell waves back and says, “Goodbye!” She looks around her empty classroom and talks to Daisy. “I’ll miss them, but I can’t wait for vacation. Teachers love vacations too!”
And that’s the end of our story! Remember, even when school ends, there are always new adventures waiting for you. Have a great summer!
Create Your Own Story: Think about a time when you had to say goodbye to someone or something you love, just like the kids in the story. Draw a picture and write a short story about it. Share your story with a friend or family member and talk about how it made you feel. Did you feel sad, happy, or excited about what was coming next?
Gift for Someone Special: Just like the students thought of a gift for Mrs. Hartwell, think of someone special in your life. It could be a teacher, a friend, or a family member. Create a small gift or card for them. Use paper, crayons, or any craft materials you have at home. Think about what makes them happy and include that in your gift.
Summer Adventure Plan: The kids in the story talked about their summer plans. What are your plans for the summer? Draw a picture of one thing you are excited to do. It could be going to the park, visiting a friend, or reading a new book. Share your drawing with your class and talk about why you are excited about this adventure.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Hey, I’m Rony. I’m Greg Dovey. Welcome to Story Time with Ryan Lagaan!
Hey, Greg Dovey! Remember, if you like what you see, follow us on Instagram or visit our website. You can watch all our live events there or send us a message.
I have something to say.
Go ahead!
Yes, I want to give a big shout-out to Miss Gordon’s 2nd grade class in Lexington, Massachusetts. You know, I used to say it “Massachusetts.”
That’s correct!
Oh, great! Thanks, guys, for sending us today’s book. We can’t wait to read it because today’s book is “Last Day Blues” by Julie Dannenberg, illustrated by Judy Love. Let’s get started!
“Last Day Blues” by Julie Dannenberg, illustrated by Judy Love.
On the Monday morning before the Friday that was the last day of school, Mrs. Hartwell took attendance. She sighed as she called out the last name. “I’m going to miss all of you,” she said. The kids nodded in agreement.
“I’m gonna miss my friends,” said Shannon.
“I’m gonna miss Daisy,” said Dan.
“I’m gonna miss chocolate milk and bits of my lunch,” said Joe.
Everyone felt a little blue thinking about the last day of school, even Daisy.
“Oh man, last days are so hard.”
Yeah, they’re tough. Saying goodbye makes everyone sad.
That afternoon during recess, the students talked as they hung out on the jungle gym.
“Mrs. Hartwell says she’s going to miss us,” said Alexandra, swinging from the bar.
“We should get a present to cheer her up,” said Eddie, hanging upside down by his knees.
“But what could we get her?”
“I could give her the rest of my sandwich. It’s my mom’s bologna special,” said Josh.
“Or a coffee mug, or a new pen—the kind with feathers and beads.”
The students thought and thought but couldn’t come up with one single idea that they all agreed on.
“We’ll think of something tomorrow,” Annie assured everyone as they lined up at the drinking fountain.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s Monday. You don’t have to worry until Friday. You’ve got tons of time. Enjoy the last week of school!”
On the Tuesday before the Friday that was the last day of school, Mrs. Hartwell read the final page of their last read-aloud book.
“I’m going to miss circle time,” said Mrs. Hartwell.
“I’m gonna miss science,” said Emily.
“I’m gonna miss seeing Mrs. Hartwell wear her safety goggles during science,” said Jack, giggling.
Before they got too sad, Mrs. Hartwell put on her safety goggles one last time just for fun.
“We definitely need to cheer Mrs. Hartwell up,” said Annie during recess as she jumped out of a swing.
“Any ideas about a present?” Eddie asked.
“No,” they all answered back.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s only Tuesday. We’ve got plenty of time.”
On the Wednesday before the Friday that was the last day of school, Mrs. Hartwell brought in her super-duper sugar cookies with extra frosting.
“I’m gonna miss snack time, but I can’t wait for barbecues by the pool,” said Jack.
“I’m gonna miss recess, but I can’t wait to play hide and seek outside after dinner,” said Alexandra.
“I’ll miss school, but I can’t wait for summer vacation,” said Josh.
The class discussed their summer plans and drowned their last day blues with another round of milk and sugar cookies.
“I’m going fishing!”
“I’m going to Egypt!”
“I don’t know whether to be happy or sad today,” Annie said.
The minute they all arrived at the jungle gym, Olivia said, “Mrs. Hartwell is sad. She probably doesn’t want the year to end.”
“Whoa, we’re swimming!”
“She’ll be reading her old lesson plans,” said Walker.
“She’ll be trying to remember the fun times we had this year,” said Dan.
And that’s when an idea zipped through Eddie’s brain.
“I know exactly what will cheer her up!” Eddie said, jumping down from the jungle gym.
The class agreed it was perfect.
“Maybe it’s like a cool necklace or something.”
“Maybe it’s like a homemade cake.”
“Maybe it’s like a fun pair of shoes.”
“I bet it’s a second pet snake!”
“No, we should go with the cake!”
On the Thursday before the Friday that was the last day of school, Eddie raised his hand right after Mrs. Hartwell started language arts.
“We need some privacy, please,” he said.
So Mrs. Hartwell turned her back to the class.
On the morning of the Friday that was the last day of school, the students dashed into the classroom. They snapped open the shades for the very last time. They did their chores for the very last time. They fed Daisy for the very last time.
And as soon as the bell rang, they couldn’t wait for Mrs. Hartwell to see her present for the very first time.
“The last day of school makes us so blue. We’ll miss recess and pizza and reading. We’ll miss Daisy and cookies and friendship too. We’ll miss spelling bees for our test review and all the great times we had this year. There are so many things to miss, it’s true, but mostly what we’ll miss is you.”
That was so nice!
Yeah, there’s nothing better than a personal message to someone you know.
And I love that Daisy got a little mention too!
Later on during recess, Eddie said, “I think Mrs. Hartwell likes her present.”
“I just hope it helps,” Margaret said.
“Poor Mrs. Hartwell,” they all said sadly as they pictured their final goodbye.
Then it was time. The bell rang.
“Goodbye!” the students called as they rushed out the door.
“Goodbye!” Mrs. Hartwell called after them.
And then she returned to her empty classroom.
“It’s just you and me, Daisy,” she said. “I’m sure going to miss them, but I can’t wait for vacation. Teachers love vacations too!”
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This version removes any informal language, filler words, and unnecessary repetitions while maintaining the essence of the original transcript.
