Hello, friends! I’m Ryan Lagaan, and today we’re going to have a fun story time together. If you enjoy our stories, you can find more on our website or follow us on Instagram. We love hearing from you!
Before we start, I want to say a big thank you to Christina Collins and her class in Brooklyn, New York, for sending us today’s book. We are so excited to read it with you!
Our story today is called “XO, Ox” by Adam Rex and Scott Campbell. Let’s dive into the adventure!
Once upon a time, there was an Ox who wanted to tell a Gazelle how much he admired her. He thought she was graceful, like a ballerina, even when she ran away from tigers. So, he wrote her a letter to say, “I love you.”
Gazelle replied, thanking Ox for his letter. She said she had many fans and couldn’t write back to everyone. She sent him a picture of herself.
Ox was happy to get a reply and wrote back, thinking it was special that Gazelle wrote to him. But Gazelle sent the same reply again!
Ox wrote another letter, saying he loved Gazelle not just for her looks but also because she was smart. Gazelle replied, saying she didn’t want to repeat herself and asked Ox not to write again.
Ox was a little sad but thanked Gazelle for being honest. He wanted to be the best Ox he could be. He wrote back, saying he loved her sense of humor, beauty, and mind.
Gazelle finally told Ox she couldn’t love him because he was clumsy and too big. But Ox didn’t mind. He loved her even more for being honest.
Gazelle started to wonder if she could love Ox after all. She thought about how his letters made her feel. Maybe, just maybe, she could be in love with him!
And that’s the story of “XO, Ox.” It’s a tale of letters, feelings, and maybe even love. Thank you for joining us for story time. We hope you enjoyed it!
Letter Writing Activity: Just like Ox wrote letters to Gazelle, let’s write a letter to someone special! Think about someone you admire or love, like a family member or a friend. Write them a short letter telling them why they are special to you. You can draw a picture to go with your letter, just like Gazelle sent a picture to Ox. Ask an adult to help you mail it or give it to them in person!
Role Play: Let’s pretend to be Ox and Gazelle! With a friend or family member, take turns being Ox and Gazelle. Practice reading the letters from the story out loud. How does it feel to be Ox? How does it feel to be Gazelle? Talk about how each character might feel when they receive a letter. This will help you understand their feelings better.
Observation Walk: Go on a walk with an adult and look for animals or things in nature that remind you of Ox and Gazelle. Can you find something that is big and strong like Ox? Or something graceful like Gazelle? Draw or take pictures of what you find and share them with your class. This will help you see the beauty and uniqueness in the world around you, just like Ox saw in Gazelle.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Hey, I’m Ryan Lagaan, and welcome to Story Time with Ryan and Craig! Remember, if you like what you see, follow us on Instagram or visit our website. You can watch all of our read-alouds or send us a message. You can say anything!
I want to give a shout-out to Christina Collins and our first-grade class at BFS in Brooklyn, New York. Thank you for sending us today’s book; we can’t wait to read it! Today’s book is “XO, Ox” by Adam Rex and Scott Campbell. Let’s get started!
[Music]
Dear Gazelle, for some time now, I have wanted to write a letter to say how much I admire you. You are so graceful and fine, even when you are running from tigers. You are like a ballerina running from tigers. What I’m truly trying to say is that I love you.
XO, Ox
Dear Ox, thank you for your letter. I hope you understand that I have many admirers and cannot reply to each one personally. Please enjoy a signed photo of me that I have enclosed for your collection. Au revoir, Gazelle.
Oh, this is awkward. I mean, Ox is legitimately in love with her, and Gazelle is super famous, just writing back to fans. She should really just tell him she’s not interested.
Yeah, just be straightforward.
Dear Gazelle, I do understand that you must have many admirers and cannot reply to each letter personally, so it means so much that you replied personally to mine.
XO, Ox
Dear Ox, thank you for your letter. I hope you understand that I have many admirers and cannot reply to each one personally. Please enjoy the signed photo of me that I have enclosed for your collection.
Oh wow, that’s awkward. Yeah, that’s the same exact letter.
He didn’t get it at all. She really just needs to tell him.
Dear Gazelle, this is an amazing coincidence! I’ve written you two letters, and both times you’ve replied using the exact same words. I think this shows that you are very smart and have a tidy mind. I hope that what I wrote before did not cause you to think that I only love you because you are pretty. I also love you because you are smart.
XO, Ox
Dear Ox, thank you again for your letter and your compliments. Though I have many faults, I would not want anyone to think that I’m repetitive, so here is a third and final letter different from the first. There is no need to write me again.
Oh wow, Gazelle.
Dear Gazelle, I will tell you I almost fell out of my chair laughing when you said you have many faults. That is ridiculous! If you ask me, you have only one or two faults.
XO, Ox
Dear Ox, you have made a mistake. I suppose you cannot help it since you are an ox and probably have a clumsy brain. But when I say that I have many faults, people usually like to tell me that I do not have any faults at all, unlike some animals who may have many faults, such as being too large and having strong smells.
Oh wow, Gazelle.
I mean, Ox is kind of insulting her. That is not cool. Gazelle is a little upset. I feel bad for him, but also I can’t wait. I’m really excited; this is drama!
Dear Gazelle, I think I understand what you meant by your last letter, and I thank you for your honesty. I do have many faults. I think it’s important that I know what they are. You made me want to be the best ox I can be, so I thank you again. You are the unflattering light of my life. I eagerly await your next letter.
XO, Ox
There will be no next letter. I’m not writing you anymore.
Dear Gazelle, your sense of humor is a delight! Did I tell you already that I love your sense of humor, plus your beauty and your mind?
XO, Ox
Okay, this is awkward. But like, it’s because Gazelle didn’t want to write back. She should have just not written back, but Ox is being a little bit forward here. I do like that he’s gone back to confidence; that is a plus, but I’m still very team Gazelle.
Wow, drama, drama, drama!
Dear Gazelle, please do not write me again. You’re wasting your time. I could never love a clumsy thing. I can never love a smelly thing. I can never love an animal that is too large and too stout and who is so thick and ungraceful and often unlovable. I can never ever love an ox.
Dear Gazelle, I know you couldn’t, but I think it is good that you’ve admitted one of your faults. It makes me love you even more.
XO, Ox
He writes me letters all night and day. I pull him in close; I push him away. I cannot deny all the feelings they bring. Could I be in love with a clumsy thing?
Drama, drama! Love is on the rocks!
Drama, drama in “XO, Ox.” I love you, dear Ox.
They’re going to be together! Oh, so big! A wedding! Oh gosh, what? I’m team Ox now!
Well, I’m saying at the same time what “XO, Ox” is all about.
[Music]
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
