Hello, friends! How are you today? I hope you’re having a great time with your family. Are you playing outside, or is it a rainy day and you’re cozy with a book? Either way, I’m glad you’re here to read with us!
Today, we’re reading “Mr. Grot and His Barrel of Snot” by Nadia Louise, with pictures by Peter Ryan. Let’s dive into the story!
Mr. Grot lived in a cave and had a big barrel of snot. Nobody knew why he had it! He didn’t have a shower or a sink, and he thought he was very clever. He also had a cage full of birds, but they had no feathers and couldn’t fly. Poor birds!
Every morning, Mr. Grot would have breakfast and then feed the birds with crumbs. He would take feathers from the birds and go out looking for more snot. He would tickle kids’ noses with a feather, wait for them to sneeze, and then catch the snot in a tissue. Yuck!
One day, Mr. Grot tickled a boy named Alfred, who sneezed a lot! Alfred was not happy and went to find Mr. Grot. He knocked on Mr. Grot’s door, but nobody answered. So, Alfred climbed through a window and fell into a jar! It was a trap!
Mr. Grot was happy to see Alfred, but Alfred was curious. He asked Mr. Grot why he collected snot and kept birds in a cage. Mr. Grot realized he was lonely and felt bad for the birds.
Alfred opened the cage, and the birds flew out. They tickled Mr. Grot’s nose, and he sneezed so hard that he flew across the room and landed in the barrel of snot! What a mess!
The barrel rolled into town, causing chaos everywhere. Finally, it got stuck in the mud, and Mr. Grot sneezed again, breaking the barrel into pieces!
Mr. Grot realized he needed to change and left town. Alfred and the birds became best friends. The birds’ feathers grew back, and they sang happily. Alfred was glad to have met his feathered friends, all thanks to Mr. Grot’s silly barrel of snot.
And that’s how our story ends. Did you enjoy it? If you want to read more stories, make sure to come back and join us again. Take care and have fun!
Feathered Friends Observation: Go outside or look out your window and observe the birds you see. What colors are their feathers? Can they fly? Draw a picture of the birds you see and write a sentence about what they are doing. Share your drawing with your family and talk about why feathers are important for birds.
Sneeze Science Experiment: With the help of an adult, conduct a simple experiment to understand sneezing. Sprinkle a little pepper on a tissue and gently wave it under your nose. What happens? Discuss why we sneeze and how it helps our bodies. Remember to cover your mouth with your elbow when you sneeze!
Creative Storytelling: Imagine you are Alfred and write a short story about your adventure with the birds after Mr. Grot left. What fun things do you do together? Do the birds help you with anything special? Share your story with your classmates or family and see what adventures they come up with!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music] Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Storytime Family. How’s it going? I hope you’ve been well and taking good care of yourself and your family. [Music]
Have you gone to play outside yet, or is it a rainy day and you’re sitting down reading a book with us? Well, whatever it is, I’m glad you’re taking the time out to read. Today we have “Mr. Grot and His Barrel of Snot” by Nadia Louise, illustrated by Peter Ryan. Let’s get started!
Mr. Grot had a barrel of snot. No one knew why he had a barrel of snot. He lived in a cave suited only for the brave. He had no shower and he had no sink, which explains why he would always think he liked to use words like “because” and “whomever.” Mr. Grot thought he was terribly clever.
He kept a small cage overflowing with birds—some short ones, you mark my words. But there was one thing wrong: the birds had few feathers and could not fly. The poor birds shook and shivered in their cage, too scared to tweet or misbehave.
Every morning, Mr. Grot would sit at his table with a coffee pot. He ate cake, muffins, and strawberry pie, and then he would comb his hair and straighten his tie. He would feed the birds with the leftover crumbs, then pluck the feathers right out of their backs.
Out for a walk down the street he would go in search of more snot. With a feather in hand, he would spy a young child. He would tickle their nose, then run and hide. The child would scratch and shake. Mr. Grot would patiently wait. Ah, one! Aha! The child would sneeze, and as the snot flew, Mr. Grot knew just what to do.
With a roll and a tumble, he pulled out the tissue. The townsfolk turned around to see what the issue was. Such perfect technique, not losing a drop! People watched in awe from the coffee shop. Stuffing the tissue in a jar, he ran down the road yelling, “Avoib!”
But then one day, he messed with the wrong kid. Mr. Grot tickled but wished he never did. This boy in particular was the sneeziest. His name was Alfred Marcus Desius. Alfred was small but packed a bit of a punch. Look out anyone who gave him a gripe!
Alfred marched to Mr. Grot’s place with a grimace and anger all over his face. He knocked and tapped, pounded like thunder, but silence lay still, and Alfred began to wonder, “Where is that snotty, grotty man?”
The man who scratched kids’ noses and ran? Spotting a window sitting ajar, Alfred climbed and fell into a jar. Yes, he fell into a jar for it was a trap! Mr. Grot appeared and started to clap. “A friend! A friend! It’s too good to be true! Welcome, my friend, and how do you do?”
It all became clear; it all became true. Mr. Grot was lonely, this Alfred knew. Scratching his head, Alfred had to ask, “Why, oh why do you perform this task? Why collect snot and keep it in a barrel? And why still wearing such fine apparel?”
Mr. Grot looked down at his fancy dress. “You know I’ve always liked to dress to impress.”
“But what of the birds trapped in the cage?” asked little Alfred, beginning to rage. “Those poor birds, those featherless fellows!” demanded Alfred, beginning to bellow.
Mr. Grot looked confused and became rather sad. “Have I been terribly, terribly bad?” A tear trickled down Mr. Grot’s cheek. He touched one bird and stroked its beak. “I’m sorry, my friend, my loyal breed. I fear my selfishness has been bad indeed. It started with one feather, then two, three, and four. My fascination with snot kept me coming back for more.”
“Please excuse me now, for I must flee.” Mr. Grot’s grim face transformed into glee. He turned to exit out the front door. “I’m afraid this is becoming a terrible bore.”
Alfred thought quickly and opened the cage. The birds flew, and Mr. Grot, in a fit of rage, was met with a few remaining feathers. They tickled his nose all together. One big tickle had to make one big sneeze!
Mr. Grot scratched and began to wheeze. “Achoo!” And across the room, Mr. Grot flew, heading straight for the barrel—the very barrel of snot overflowing. Yuck!
Mr. Grot was lost for words. “Well, this is quite a mess now!” The birds looked to Alfred and gave him the nod. Alfred picked up the barrel and tossed it down. The barrel rolled all the way into town.
The townsfolk looked on in awe at the scene. Mr. Grot became dizzy and his face turned green. The barrel raced through the cobbled lanes, fear and terror rushed through Mr. Grot’s veins. The barrel ricocheted off a skating ramp and caused much trouble at the local scout camp.
It went up a hill and around many bends. Mr. Grot shouted, “Oh, when will it end?” Then suddenly, the barrel got stuck in some mud. Mr. Grot heard tweeting and felt a big thud.
Through the opening of the barrel, something appeared—something long and fluffy. It touched his beard. With a rapid movement, it tickled his nose. Mr. Grot shuddered and then he froze. “Ah, ah! One! Ah, two!”
Mr. Grot’s knees and the barrel blew! It blew into pieces thanks to a feather. Alfred and the birds stood strong together. Mr. Grot stood and wiped down his clothes. He straightened his tie and blew his nose.
“You have made your point,” Mr. Grot said. Then he turned on his heels and away he fled. No one saw Mr. Grot after that day. That day, Alfred and the birds cried, “Hip hip hooray!”
Alfred and the birds became best friends. Even their bottoms were well on the mend. Their feathers grew back and they started to sing. Alfred was grateful for one very important thing: if it wasn’t for that horrible Mr. Grot and his equally horrible barrel of snot, Alfred would not have met his feathered friends.
And this, my dear reader, is how the story ends.
[Music] That was “Mr. Grot and His Barrel of Snot.” That was a pretty long story, right? But did you enjoy it? If you would like to own a copy of this book, the links are in the description below. If you enjoyed our stories and would like to hear more, do subscribe, give us a like, and leave us a comment. We always love to hear from you.
We’ll see you again soon! You take care of yourself and your family. Bye!
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