Hello, friends! Today, we’re going to hear a wonderful story called “The Coal Thief.” It’s written by Alane Adams and has beautiful pictures by Lauren Gallegos. Let’s dive into the adventure!
One chilly morning, Georgie was in the kitchen, feeling very cold. He looked around the stove, hoping to find some coal to warm up. But his mom said, “There’s been no coal for three days.” Georgie shivered and put on his coat. He asked, “When’s Papa coming home?” His mom replied, “He’s fixing a broken rail line and should be home for supper.”
Suddenly, Georgie’s friend Harley burst through the door. “Grab your boots, Georgie! We’re going on an adventure,” he said excitedly. Georgie quickly put on his boots and asked, “Where are we going?” Harley replied, “The train’s coming, and it’s carrying something special!” Georgie was curious and followed Harley, who had a wheelbarrow with him.
They walked to the train station at the edge of town. Harley whispered, “Quiet, we don’t want anyone to see us.” Georgie was puzzled but excited. Soon, a big steam engine arrived, and Harley led Georgie to the end of the train. Harley lifted Georgie up to peek inside a rail car. It was filled with coal!
Harley asked Georgie to toss some coal down. Georgie hesitated, “Isn’t that stealing?” Harley frowned and said, “Aren’t you tired of being cold every morning?” Georgie was unsure but started throwing coal down to Harley. Suddenly, the train moved, and Georgie fell into the coal pile!
As the train picked up speed, Georgie called for help. Luckily, his Papa appeared and pulled him out just in time. Papa said, “If I hadn’t seen you boys, you’d be halfway to Texas by now.” Georgie felt bad for what he did, but Papa had an idea.
They couldn’t return the coal, so Papa and Georgie decided to share it with others. They took the wheelbarrow to Widow Kolbach’s house and left some coal by her door. She was so grateful! Then, they went to the Children’s Home and gave coal to the kids there. Georgie even gave his coat to a boy who needed it more.
By the time they got home, Georgie was covered in coal dust, but he felt happy inside. They saved one last piece of coal for Georgie’s mom. Papa said, “Maybe she won’t notice you gave away your good coat.” Georgie hugged his Papa and said, “I love you, Papa.” Papa smiled and replied, “I love you too, little coal thief.”
Wow, what a heartwarming story! Stories like this let us step into someone else’s shoes and feel their adventures. It’s amazing how books can take us on such wonderful journeys. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did!
Coal Hunt at Home: With the help of an adult, explore your home to find things that help keep you warm, just like coal did for Georgie. Look for blankets, sweaters, or heaters. Make a list or draw pictures of these items. Discuss with your family how each item helps keep you warm and why it’s important to have them during cold days.
Sharing is Caring: Think about a time when you shared something with someone else. What did you share, and how did it make you feel? Draw a picture of that moment or write a short story about it. Share your drawing or story with the class and talk about why sharing is important, just like Georgie and his Papa shared the coal with others.
Storytime Role Play: With a friend or family member, act out a scene from “The Coal Thief.” You can pretend to be Georgie, Harley, or Papa. Use props like a small box for a train or a wheelbarrow. After acting, discuss how Georgie felt during the story and what he learned about doing the right thing. How would you feel if you were in Georgie’s shoes?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Christian Slater, and today I’m going to read “The Coal Thief,” written by Alane Adams and illustrated by Lauren Gallegos.
One morning, Georgie went into the kitchen. He poked around the potbellied stove, hoping to find a stray lump of coal. “Don’t bother, Georgie,” Mamma said, “there’s been no coal for three days.” “But I’m cold.” He shivered in the icy kitchen. “Put your coat on.” Georgie took his coat down from the hook. “When’s Papa coming home?” “He’s fixing a broken rail line. He should be home for supper.”
Just then, the door burst open, and his friend Harley rushed in. “Grab your boots, Georgie! We’re going on an adventure.” Georgie hurried to put on his boots. “Where are we going?” “Train’s coming.” “Aw, Harley, trains come every day.” “Not this train. Come on, we don’t want to miss it.” Harley had a wheelbarrow out front. They started walking down the road. Georgie had a lot of questions. “What’s the wheelbarrow for?” he asked. “It’s a surprise. The train’s carrying something special.” Georgie’s heart beat faster. “Where’s it coming from?” “Virginia.” Georgie frowned. “What’s in Virginia?” “Black gold. Hurry up. We don’t have much time.” Georgie trotted to keep up with Harley.
They walked to the train depot at the edge of town. “Is this where the black gold is?” Georgie asked. “Quiet, we don’t want anyone to see us.” “Why not?” he whispered. “It’ll spoil the surprise.” Harley crouched down behind a locomotive, so Georgie did the same. It was cold. Georgie’s toes stuck out of the holes in his boots. The blast of a whistle made him jump. “Here she comes!” Harley cried. A steam engine pulled into the station. Harley jumped up. “This way, Georgie.” They ran along the tracks to the end of the train. Harley lifted him up the side of a rail car. Georgie looked inside. It was filled with chunks of coal. An entire mountain of it.
Georgie looked down at Harley. “What should I do?” “Climb inside and toss some over.” Georgie blinked. “Isn’t that stealing?” Harley scowled at him. “Aren’t you tired of being cold every morning?” “Yes, but—” “Don’t be scared, Georgie, or I’ll tell on you and say it was your idea.” Georgie slowly climbed over the top and landed on hard lumps. He picked one up and tossed it over. Harley caught it and put it on the ground. “Another,” he said. Georgie grabbed two lumps and dropped them down. Harley grinned up at him. “It’s gonna be a long winter, Georgie. Keep it coming.” Georgie began throwing the pieces faster and faster. Suddenly, the train gave a jerk. Georgie fell backward. “Georgie, get off there!” Harley called, but the mountain of coal had swallowed him up. The train began to pick up speed. “Help me, Harley!” Georgie shouted. He tried to push off the coal, but he just sank deeper into the pile. Then Papa’s head appeared over the top of the railcar. “Time to go, Georgie.” Papa reached out his hand and pulled Georgie free.
They sat on the edge of the railcar. When Papa said jump, Georgie jumped. Papa helped Georgie to his feet. “If I hadn’t seen you boys head this way, you’d be halfway to Texas by now.” Georgie craned his neck, looking for Harley, but his friend had turned tail and run. “Sorry, Papa.” “You know stealing’s wrong?” Papa said sternly. Georgie nodded, feeling the shame curl his toes. They walked back to the little mountain of coal. Papa scratched his head. “Train’s gone now. We can’t give back the coal. But I’ve got an idea what to do with it. Help me load it.” They rolled the wheelbarrow down the street to a house with a sagging front porch. “This is Widow Kolbach’s house,” Georgie said. Papa handed him two large chunks of coal. “Leave this by her door. Then knock twice and run back here.”
Georgie climbed the steps. The porch creaked under his weight. Dropping the coal, Georgie rapped his knuckles on the door and ran back to Papa. They hid behind some bushes. After a moment, Mrs. Kolbach opened the door. When she spied the coal, she lifted it up, holding it to her chest and cried, “God bless you!” Georgie’s heart felt so warm it sent tingles right down to his toes. “Who else, Papa?” “Come on, the Children’s Home is just down the road.” They trundled the cart to a large brick house. Kids ran about in the yard. One of the boys came over to the fence. Georgie piled chunks of coal in his arms. “Thank you,” the boy said. “We’ve been freezing all winter.” He shivered in the thin shirt that he wore. Georgie hesitated, then took off his coat. “Here, take this. It’s too small for me anyway.” The boy’s eyes grew wide. “You mean it?” Georgie nodded, piling the coat on top of the boy’s arms.
Papa had many more stops to make. By the time they got home, Georgie was covered in coal dust from elbow to ears, and there was only one chunk of coal left. “Who are we giving this last piece to?” “That’s for your mother,” Papa winked. “Maybe she won’t notice you gave away your good coat.” They reached the porch. Georgie climbed the steps, but Papa turned to go. “Aren’t you coming in, Papa?” “I still have a day’s work to do, son. Run along now.” Georgie hesitated. Then he ran down the steps and threw his arms around Papa’s waist. “I love you, Papa.” Papa patted Georgie on the head. “I love you too, little coal thief.”
The end.
Wow. What a great story. It really got me at the end there. I think that’s definitely one of the things that I love about reading: that you can really get absorbed and lost and put yourself in another person’s shoes. You know, whenever a book does something like that for me, I think it’s an extraordinary and wonderful experience. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to read it to you.
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