Read Aloud Kids Book + Arts & Crafts Activity: Luis and Tabitha!

Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:

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[Music] Hello campers, and welcome to week six of Camp Books! Camp counselor Jenae here once again. Can you believe we’ve almost completed all six weeks of Camp Books? I know I speak for myself and everyone when I say we are going to miss you all so much!

This week was all about friendship, and after today’s read-along and activity, you’ll be able to receive your friendship badge. Week six books included “We Are Not Friends,” “But First We Nap,” “Little Grey Donkey,” and “Smelly Faint.” We learned that two furry creatures were actually friends, and “Little Grey Donkey” overcomes its fears to find its best friend, while “Smelly Faint” proves that it’s what’s inside that matters most.

Of all the characters you read about this week, which character would you like to have as your best friend? Ask your grown-up to help you and share your answers in the comments. This is the last week of Camp Books, and friendship is such a great topic to end on!

We have one more book about friendship to share with you called “Luis and Tabitha.” What do you think it’s going to be about? Let’s start the book and find out! Oh wait, but before we get started, let’s gather our supplies and talk about the activity we’ll be doing together. We’ll be creating a tissue paper flower bouquet. The materials you’ll need for this are pipe cleaners (one per flower), three sheets of colored tissue paper (12 by 6 inches per flower), a ruler, and scissors. Enjoy the book!

[Applause]

“Luis and Tabitha” – Luis was a cat about town, dashing, charming, perfectly suave. He lived unofficially at the fire station and had since a daring rescue involving a very small Louise, a very shrill smoke alarm, and a very tall house. His tail still had the scorch marks. Luis liked to go visiting as society cats do. Sometimes he’d travel in the fire truck. Everywhere he went, Luis was welcomed with open arms and leftovers.

One night, after too much catnip and too many sardines, Luis was making his rounds when he took a wrong turn. He climbed a wall and saw Tabitha, elegant, silky, perfectly sophisticated. Luis stopped, and Tabitha stared. It was love from afar, love under the spotlight of the moon, love thwarted by a thick glass door and by Tabitha’s owner. “Shoo!” she cried. But he wasn’t done.

The next morning, Tabitha stared out at a vast bouquet of sardine tins, twine, and feathers. Luis smiled, Tabitha smiled, but Tabitha’s owner did not smile. “Shoo!” she cried. “Shoo, Luis!” But he wasn’t done. The next day he brought mice, the day after that he brought pigeons, and after that balloons, which is not easy when you’re a cat. Each day, Luis and Tabitha stared into each other’s eyes until Tabitha’s owner chased Luis away.

Luis needed advice. He asked his friends over a bowl of cream. “You’re an outside cat,” said Mr. Pickles. “And you need to be an inside cat,” said Socks. “Or at least look like one,” said One-Eyed Winky. Luis had an idea.

The next day, Luis showed up at Tabitha’s door once more. Luis smiled, Tabitha smiled, and Tabitha’s owner clutched her hands to her heart and opened the door. Luis was inside, where everything was soft and warm and scratchable. Luis and Tabitha were inseparable until the doorbell rang. “Is this him?” “That’s him!” And Luis and Tabitha were thwarted by the thick glass door once more.

Luis had a new home, a new name, and a new owner, and all the sardines and cheese he could eat. But all he wanted was Tabitha, and all Tabitha wanted was Luis. It was love from afar, too far. Then the doorbell rang again. “Is this him?” “That’s him!” And Luis was a cat about town once more.

Luis needed advice again. He asked his friends over a bowl of cream. “You’re an outside cat,” said Mr. Pickles. “And she’s an inside cat,” said Socks. “And that’s just the way it is,” said One-Eyed Winky. So Luis went visiting as society cats do, all across town. Everywhere he went, he was welcomed with open arms and leftovers, but everywhere he went, Tabitha wasn’t.

Until one night, Luis was riding in the fire truck when his tail began to tingle. Luis saw Tabitha, elegant, silky, perfectly sophisticated, and in terrible danger. The sirens began to wail, and everyone outside cried, “The firefighters!” The crowd was a cloud of arms and shrieks as it gathered on the corner, but there was no Tabitha. Suddenly, there was no Luis. The crowd waited and worried and fretted.

Finally, the gray parted, and from it emerged Luis and Tabitha, leading Tabitha’s owner. The crowd cheered. Tabitha’s owner plopped down on the curb and clutched her hands to her heart. She looked at Luis and Tabitha and smiled. The cat show judge placed a blue ribbon on Tabitha, and the firefighters placed a gold medal on Luis and declared them both perfectly heroic.

Luis was back inside, where everything was soft and warm and scratchable, and Luis and Tabitha were inseparable.

What did you learn about Luis and Tabitha? My favorite part was when Luis gave Tabitha a bouquet of things that he knew she would love. Now it’s your turn to create a bouquet for someone special, and you can give it to them! So let’s get started. First, you’re going to cut three sheets of tissue paper (12 by 6 inches or larger) and stack them on top of each other.

So I’ve got my three sheets of tissue paper already stacked together, and we’ve already measured them. They’re already six inches this way, so now I’m going to measure 12 inches and cut right next to that. Remember, you can ask a grown-up for help with this, and it does not have to be perfect. Great job!

Now, starting with the shorter six-inch side, we will need to make a one-inch fold. So we’ve stacked all the sheets together like that, and you’re going to start. It doesn’t have to be exactly one inch, but something like that. Just about that big right there, and you’re going to fold it like that. Then you’ll flip the paper over and do the same thing, folding it accordion style. You’ll continue to make one-inch folds or just about one-inch folds all the way across the paper. You all are doing such a great job, and this is going to be such a fun bouquet! Who do you think you’ll give yours to? I think my mom would love a bouquet like this.

Okay, now once you’ve finished the accordion style of your paper, you’re going to take your scissors or ask a grown-up to help you, and you will round off the edges on both ends. Remember, it does not have to be perfect, and just like every flower is unique and different, yours can be unique and different too. So we’re going to do it kind of rounded, just like that.

Next, you’ll fold your tissue paper in half and then open it back up like this. Fold it, give it a little crease right there, and open it back up. You can see the crease is right there in the middle. Then you’ll take a pipe cleaner and wrap it on the folded line to make the stem of your flower. So I set it right there in the crease and bend it over, and then I’m going to wrap it one more time around just like that.

Next, you’ll gently start to open up both sides of your flower like this. Then you’ll separate the tissue paper sheets to unfold the petals of your flower. You want to be gentle with this, but you have to kind of get in there. Tissue paper is a little bit fragile, so be careful not to rip it. But if you do rip it a little bit, it’s okay too. So we’re going to pull each piece apart, creating our petals, and we’ll repeat the same thing on this side. This is going to be such a pretty flower! I know my mom is going to love it.

Okay, now once you have done that, we’re looking pretty good here. You want to repeat this to make several flowers to make it into a bouquet, and you can add them as you go. Way to go, campers! You finished the last activity for the sixth and final week of Camp Books! You have now earned your friendship badge.

It’s time for you to decorate your friendship badge. To do that, you’re going to need some coloring utensils and some scissors. I’ve already cut out and decorated my friendship badge right here. I cannot wait to see yours!

Thank you so much for joining us for the past six weeks of Camp Books. We have absolutely loved having you join us! If you loved these activities, we have many more at books.com/resources, so be sure to check it out. Once again, I want to say thank you so much for joining us for Camp Books. I have had a blast, and I hope you have too! Camp counselor Jenae signing out. Have an amazing summer!

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