Hello, friends! How are you today? Welcome to our Story Time Family! We have a fun story to read together. It’s called “Gaston,” written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Are you ready to start?
Once upon a time, there was a lovely dog named Mrs. Poodle. She had four adorable puppies named Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston. Can you say their names with me? Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston! Aren’t they cute?
The puppies were so tiny, just like little teacups. But Gaston was different. He kept growing and growing until he was as big as a teapot!
Mrs. Poodle loved teaching her puppies how to be proper little dogs. They learned to sip their drinks without making a mess. “Good job!” Mrs. Poodle would say. They learned to make little yips instead of loud barks. And they practiced walking slowly and gracefully. “Tip toe, tip toe, whoa!”
The puppies also learned to look pretty in pink, eat their food politely, and ride in style. Gaston always tried his best and had the biggest smile. Mrs. Poodle was so proud of her puppies!
One sunny day, Mrs. Poodle took her puppies to the park. They saw flowers, ducklings, and other dogs. Oh, who are these new friends? Meet Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette!
But something seemed a little funny. The puppies looked at each other, and the moms looked too. “Oh no, there’s been a mix-up!” said Mrs. Bulldog. “What should we do?”
Gaston and Antoinette realized they were in the wrong families. They switched places, but it didn’t feel right. Antoinette didn’t like being proper and pink, and Gaston didn’t like being rough and brown.
The next day, Mrs. Poodle and Mrs. Bulldog met at the park again. “We made a mistake!” they said happily. Gaston and Antoinette switched back, and this time it felt just right!
From then on, the families met at the park every day to play. Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette taught the Poodle puppies how to be tough. Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston taught the Bulldog puppies how to be gentle.
Many years later, Gaston and Antoinette fell in love and had puppies of their own. They taught their puppies to be whatever they wanted to be. Aren’t they precious?
Did you enjoy the story of “Gaston”? It’s such a sweet tale, isn’t it? Thank you for joining us for Story Time. We hope to see you again soon. Bye-bye!
Puppy Role Play: Let’s pretend to be the puppies from the story! Choose to be either a Poodle puppy or a Bulldog puppy. Practice walking like them: Poodles walk gracefully and slowly, while Bulldogs might walk with a little bounce. Can you switch roles and try walking like the other puppy? Talk about how it feels to walk differently and which way you like best.
Mix and Match Puppets: Create simple paper puppets of the puppies: Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, Gaston, Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette. Mix them up and then match them back to their families. Discuss why each puppy belongs to their family and what makes them unique. Can you think of a time when you felt like you belonged somewhere special?
Family and Friends Drawing: Draw a picture of your family or friends. Think about what makes each person special and unique, just like the puppies in the story. Share your drawing with the class and talk about why you love your family or friends. How do you help each other learn new things, just like the puppies did?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Hello there! How are you?
Welcome to the Story Time Family!
Today we’re going to be reading “Gaston,” written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Christian Robinson.
Shall we get started?
Mrs. Poodle admired her new puppies: Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston.
Would you like to see them again?
Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston—perfectly precious, aren’t they?
Mrs. Poodle thought so too. The puppies grew as puppies do; they were no bigger than teacups—teeny, tiny teacups.
The fourth, however, continued to grow and grow until he was the size of a teapot.
Mrs. Poodle took pride in teaching her puppies how to be proper pooches.
They were taught to sip, never slobber.
“Good! Well done! Very nice! Nice try!”
They were taught to yip, never yelp, and then they were taught to walk with grace—never race.
“Tip toe, tip toe, whoa!”
The puppies were also taught how to look pretty in pink, nibble their kibble, and ride in style.
Whatever the lesson, Gaston always worked the hardest, practiced the longest, and smiled the biggest.
Ah, look at that smile!
Mrs. Poodle was very pleased with all her puppies.
Spring arrived, and a proud mother was eager to show off her darlings.
She took them to the park for their very first stroll in public.
There was much to see: daffodils, ducklings, dogs…
Oh dear, who do we have here?
Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette.
Would you like to see them again?
[Applause]
Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette.
This was more than just a little awkward.
The mothers sized up the pups, and the pups sized up one another.
It seems there’s been a terrible mistake, Mrs. Bulldog said, breaking the silence.
“Oui, oui,” Mrs. Poodle agreed sadly.
“Whatever shall we do?”
Mrs. Bulldog could not come up with an answer.
“I guess we’ll let them decide,” she replied at last.
“Which one’s different? Can you spot the difference?”
Gaston and Antoinette were young, but even they could see that they had been mixed up.
The two puppies began to circle around the group.
They saw how to walk with grace.
Antoinette raised Gaston.
Antoinette!
[Applause]
And when they finally came to a stop, the puppies had traded places.
“There! That looked right!”
But it just didn’t feel right.
That evening, Antoinette tried to fit in with her new sisters, but she did not like anything proper or precious or pink.
On the other side of town, Gaston tried to fit in with his new brothers, but he did not like anything rough or brown.
Antoinette and Gaston were the only ones having a hard time adjusting.
The next morning, Mrs. Poodle forgot all about being proper and raced back to the park.
Mrs. Bulldog was already there waiting with her burly brood.
“It seems we’ve made a terrible mistake!” she nearly shouted.
“Oui, oui,” Mrs. Poodle agreed happily.
[Applause]
This time, Gaston and Antoinette wasted no time trading places.
“There! That looked right!”
And it felt right too.
Ah, back in Mommy’s arms!
From that day forward, the families met in the park every afternoon to play.
Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette taught the Poodle puppies a thing or two about being tough.
Likewise, Fifi, Fufu, Ooh La La, and Gaston taught the Bulldog puppies a thing or two about being tender.
Many years later, when Gaston and Antoinette fell in love and had puppies of their own, they taught them to be whatever they wanted to be.
Aren’t they precious?
The end.
[Music]
Did you like “Gaston”?
It’s such a cute book, isn’t it?
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Take care, and we’ll see you soon!
Bye!
[Music]
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