Welcome to a wonderful story adventure! Today, we’re going to explore a special tale called “How I Learned Geography,” written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz. Let’s dive into this amazing story together!
Once upon a time, there was a boy whose life changed because of a war. The war destroyed everything around him, and he and his family had to leave their home with nothing. They traveled to a faraway place where the summers were hot and the winters were cold. They lived in a small room with another couple they didn’t know, and they had very little food.
One day, the boy’s father went to the market, called a bazaar, to buy bread. But when he came back, he didn’t have any bread. Instead, he had a big roll of paper. “I bought a map,” he said proudly. The boy and his mother were surprised and a bit upset because they were hungry. The father explained that he could only afford a tiny piece of bread, so he decided to buy the map instead.
The next day, the father hung the map on the wall. It was huge and colorful, and it brightened up their little room. The boy became fascinated by the map. He spent hours looking at it and learning the names of faraway places. He made up a fun rhyme with the names: Fukuoka, Takaoka, Omsk, and more!
As the boy studied the map, he imagined himself traveling to all these wonderful places. He dreamed of running on sandy beaches, climbing snowy mountains, and exploring beautiful temples. He imagined eating delicious fruits and resting under palm trees. The map took him on amazing adventures without ever leaving his room!
The boy realized that even though he was hungry and far from home, the map gave him a way to escape and explore new worlds. He forgave his father for not bringing bread because the map brought him joy and adventure. This story shows us how powerful our imagination can be. Just like reading a book, looking at a map can take us on incredible journeys to places we’ve never been.
Thank you for joining this story adventure! Remember, you can explore new worlds and have exciting adventures through stories and maps. Keep reading and discovering new places, and let your imagination take you anywhere you want to go!
Create Your Own Map: Use a large sheet of paper and some colored pencils or markers to draw your own map. Think about the places you would like to visit and imagine what they might look like. Add mountains, rivers, cities, and even imaginary creatures! Once your map is complete, share it with your family or friends and tell them a story about the adventures you would have in your imaginary world.
Map Scavenger Hunt: With the help of an adult, find a map of your local area or a world map. Choose a few places on the map and write down their names on a piece of paper. Then, go on a scavenger hunt to find items in your home that remind you of those places. For example, if you choose a place with a beach, you might find a seashell or a picture of the ocean. Share your findings and explain why each item reminds you of the place on the map.
Imagination Journey: Close your eyes and imagine you are traveling to a place on the map you have never been. What do you see, hear, and smell? Write a short story or draw a picture about your journey. Think about the people you might meet, the food you might eat, and the adventures you might have. Share your story or drawing with your class and discuss how imagination can take you to amazing places.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Ed O’Neill, and today I’ll be reading “How I Learned Geography,” written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz.
When war devastated the land, buildings crumbled to dust. Everything we had was lost, and we fled empty-handed. We traveled far east to another country, where summers were hot and winters were cold, to a city of houses made of clay, straw, and camel dung, surrounded by dusty steppes, burned by the sun. We lived in a small room with a couple we did not know. We slept on a dirt floor. I had no toys and no books. Worst of all, food was scarce.
One day, Father went to the bazaar to buy bread. As evening approached, he hadn’t returned. Mother and I were worried and hungry. It was nearly dark when he came home, carrying a long roll of paper under his arm. “I bought a map,” he announced triumphantly. “Where is the bread?” Mother asked. “I had enough money to buy only a tiny piece of bread, and we would still be hungry,” he explained apologetically. “No supper tonight,” Mother said. “We’ll have the map instead.” I was upset. I didn’t think I would ever forgive him, and I went to bed hungry while the couple we lived with ate their meager supper.
The husband was a writer. He wrote in silence, but oh, how loudly he chewed. He chewed a small crust of bread as if it were the most delicious morsel in the world. I envied him his bread and wished I were the one chewing it. I covered my head with my blanket so I would not hear him enjoying his meal.
The next day, Father hung the map. It took up an entire wall. Our cheerless room was flooded with color. I became fascinated by the map and spent long hours looking at it, studying its every detail, and many days drawing it on any scrap of paper that came my way. I found strange-sounding names on the map and savored their exotic sounds, making a little rhyme out of them: Fukuoka, Takaoka, Omsk, Fukuyama, Nagayama, Tomsk, Okazaki, Miyazaki, Pinks, Pennsylvania, Transylvania, Minsk! I repeated this rhyme like a magic incantation and was transported far away without ever leaving our room.
I landed in burning deserts. I ran on beaches and felt their sand between my toes. I climbed snowy mountains where icy winds kissed my face. I saw wondrous temples where stone carvings danced on the walls, and birds of all colors sang on the rooftops. I passed through fruit groves, eating as many papayas and mangos as I pleased. I drank fresh water and rested in the shade of palm trees. I came to a city of tall buildings and counted countless windows, falling asleep before I could finish.
And so I spent enchanted hours far from our hunger and misery. I forgave my father. He was right, after all. You know, I like this story because it took the boy out of his desperate situation to other worlds that he enjoyed so much more. It reminds me of when I was a boy of twelve. I discovered an author by the name of Mark Twain, and the book was “Huckleberry Finn,” which took me down the Mississippi River and on many adventures that I wouldn’t normally have had in Youngstown, Ohio. Reading can do that for you. It can take you to other worlds, other places, and experiences that you would never normally have.
Thank you for watching Storyline Online, and don’t forget to check out all of our stories. Keep watching and keep reading.
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