Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Storytime Family! How are you today? I hope you’re doing great and reading lots of fun books. Today, we’re going to talk about a book called “A World Wonder” by Laura Whiffler. Let’s dive in!
Once upon a time, there was a house at the top of a hill, just outside of town. It was surrounded by beautiful woods and a little brook that made a lovely sound as it flowed. The house was off a busy road where people traveled and went about their day. Even though the house was nice, Kora thought it could be even more amazing!
Kora loved to dream big. She would tell everyone, “If I had that house, I would make it a bed and breakfast and serve muffins in the morning and popcorn at night. It would be a world wonder! Or maybe, I would turn it into an amusement park with rides and cotton candy. It would be a world wonder!”
As Kora grew up, she became a famous architect, which means she designed buildings. She created a huge stadium where lots of people could watch games. People said it was a world wonder, but Kora thought it wasn’t wonderful enough. She also designed a museum with famous treasures, but she still wanted something more special.
Kora traveled all over the world, designing schools, factories, and monuments. Even though she was proud of her work, she felt something was missing. When she got older, she decided to retire and go back home. The house on the hill was still there, waiting for her.
Kora bought the house and thought about what to do with it. Maybe a safari-themed water park or a castle? She couldn’t decide. So, she started fixing up the house. She painted, repaired the fence, planted a garden, and even got some chickens!
One day, Kora found some children in the woods building a fort with logs and branches. They were excited about their secret hideout. Kora asked if she could help, and together they made the fort amazing! The townspeople loved it and asked Kora to help with their projects too.
Kora helped build desks, birdhouses, bookshelves, bunk beds, a train set, and even a super speedy scooter. She realized she didn’t need to make the house a world wonder. She loved it just the way it was, filled with happy memories.
One day, a reporter came to interview Kora. He asked her about all the amazing buildings she had designed. At the end, he asked, “Which world wonder is the most wonderful of all?” Kora smiled and said, “It’s nothing I could have built. Come, let me show you.”
And that was the real world wonder.
Did you enjoy the story? If you want your own copy of the book, you can find it in the description below. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more stories like this. Thank you for joining us today! See you soon. Take care! Bye-bye!
Design Your Dream House: Just like Kora, imagine you have a house on a hill. Draw a picture of your dream house and think about what you would like to have inside and outside. Would you have a garden, a playground, or maybe a swimming pool? Share your drawing with your classmates and explain why you chose those features.
Build a Mini Fort: Gather some materials like sticks, leaves, and small stones from your backyard or a park. Try to build a mini fort just like Kora helped the children in the story. Think about how you can make it strong and what you can use to decorate it. Once you’re done, show it to your family and explain how you built it.
What Makes a World Wonder? Discuss with your family or friends what you think makes something a “world wonder.” Is it something big and famous, or can it be something small and special to you? Write down or draw a picture of something in your life that you think is a world wonder and explain why it is important to you.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music] Hi everyone, welcome back to the Storytime Family! How are you today? I hope you’ve been keeping well and reading lots of books. Today, we have a book called “A World Wonder” by Laura Whiffler. Let’s take a look!
There was a house at the top of the hill just outside of town. It was on a beautiful piece of land with woods in the back and a brook babbling nearby. The house was off the main road, which was busy with travelers and townspeople going about their business. The house was well-tended, but to Kora, it could be so much more.
Kora told anyone who would listen, “If I had that house, I would turn it into a bed and breakfast and serve muffins in the mornings and popcorn at night. It would be a world wonder! If I had that house, I would bulldoze the woods and open an amusement park. I would sell tickets and cotton candy. It would be a world wonder!”
As Kora grew up, she set out to design world wonders and became a world-famous architect. Kora designed a stadium where thousands of people could watch games. People said it was a world wonder, but to Kora, it was not wonderful enough to be called a world wonder. Kora designed a museum that stored some of the world’s most famous treasures. People said it was a world wonder, but to Kora, it was not wonderful enough either.
Kora traveled the world designing schools, factories, and monuments. She was proud of the work she had done, but to Kora, nothing she did was wonderful enough to be called a world wonder. As Kora grew older, she became tired and decided to quietly retire and return home. She looked at the house on top of the hill; it was untidy but well-tended, just as she remembered. The house had been empty for many years and was for sale.
“Ah, now I can finally make the house at the top of the hill a world wonder,” she thought. Kora bought the house and considered what she would do with it: a safari-themed water park, a castle, a rocket factory—but she couldn’t decide. This was her childhood dream after all. So while she thought, she fixed up the house. She painted the walls, repaired the fence, and planted seeds in the garden. She even got chickens!
One day, as Kora was walking in the woods, she came across a group of children. They were dragging dead logs and branches together, propping them against some trees. “What are you doing?” Kora asked. “We’re building a fort! I’m working the kitchen. It’s our secret hideout. It’s going to be the best ever!” Kora thought for a minute; it was quite small, not her typical project. “Can I help?”
They worked together for a few weeks, and when it was finished, the townspeople came to see it. “Oh, look! A tiny door! Look at the flag! There’s the tunnel! Hello, there are stairs back here!” When the people learned that Kora had helped the children, they asked her for help on their projects. So one by one, Kora worked with the townspeople. Together, they built elaborate desks, spacious birdhouses, and fancy bookshelves. They designed bunk beds, a train set, and even a super speedy scooter.
Somewhere along the way, Kora realized that she had stopped dreaming about making the house at the top of the hill a world wonder. She looked around the house and thought of all the wonderful memories she had in it. It was small and tidy but worn and well-used. “I like it just the way it is,” Kora whispered to herself. It surprised her, for she had never said that about anything before.
One day, a reporter found her. He called her Kora, the world-famous architect, and he wanted to interview her. The reporter asked her all about the buildings, schools, factories, and museums she had designed. At the end of the interview, he asked, “Which world wonder is the most wonderful of all?” Kora replied, “You know, it’s nothing I could have built. Come, let me show you.”
And that was a world wonder.
How did you enjoy the book? If you’d like to own a copy, the link to purchase it is in our description below. Please give us a like and subscribe if you haven’t already, and click on the bell for more stories like this. Thank you so much for joining us today! We’ll see you back here soon. Take care! Bye-bye!
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