Category Archives: ALPHABET STORIES

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D for Dog Dot Dalmatian

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Alphabet Stories
D
For      
DOG DOT DALMATIAN      
about accepting differences      

 By          
  Shipra Shukla

You are happier when you accept differences and enjoy living with them.
Rover learns to appreciate and accept differences. We may be cut from the same cloth but it is the various colours, patterns, shapes that make life interesting !

Rover loved to go on long walks

Rover was a dog who loved to go on long walks with his owner. They always found new places to walk. Sometimes it was climbing up a hill, sometimes it was a meadow strewn with flowers, sometimes it was a winding road near a stream. When the last happened Rover would happily splash in the stream and lap some water because walking always made him thirsty.

Sometimes his owner, Derek would throw a ball and Rover loved to dash after it and then he would pick up the ball and instead of bringing it back he would run away with it while his master chased him to get back the ball. That was exercise for Derek, Rover would chuckle to himself. He too was getting chunky in the middle.

One day when Derek threw the ball and Rover ran after it to fetch it another dog came running from nowhere and grabbed it. Rover was taken aback to see the dog. It was a big dog who was white with a lot of black spots.

I can see spots before my eyes

Rover had never seen such a dog in his life. He had seen black dogs, white dogs, brown dogs but this was a white dog with a lot of back dots on him. Or was it a black dog with a lot of white spots on him ? Rover was very confused. He felt his eyes were swimming with dots.

Rover barked at the dog and said, “What kind of dog are you ?”

The dog said, “What do you mean ? I am a dog like you . Can’t you see my four legs, my nose and my tail and I can bark like you, Woof woof !”

“Yes, that is right,” said Rover, “but what are those spots on you ? Why can’t you be one colour like the rest of us ? It’s like you can’t make up your mind whether you want to be black or white or even grey or brown. It’s confusing.”

Why can’t you be one colour ?

The dog said, have you seen a zebra or a giraffe or a leopard. Nobody has a problem with them then why do you have a problem with my dots ? Besides, dots are very fashionable. Haven’t you seen people ? They also wear dots and call them polka dots.”

Born to be wild

Rover said, people and zebras, giraffes and leopards are not dogs. Dogs are simple creatures. We are not into fashion. A zebra has stripes because he wants to look different from horses and mules who live with people. A giraffe has patterns because he is also a part of the wild category of animals. And a leopard has spots because he can hide in the grass so that other animals can’t see him. But you are a dog. Why do you need dots ? Or spots ?

The Dalmatian was now confused too. Yes, why do I have spots? I am not a leopard. I should be plain like other dogs. The Dalmatian dropped the ball and ran back to his owner. He decided that he was going to be like other dogs, plain.


Born to be wild

 

I am going to be one colour

Next day the Dalmatian tried to become one colour. He rolled in the mud and became brown. He went into his home tracking mud on the floors and carpet. His owner was very upset. She put a leash on the Dalmatian, took him out and hosed him down. The Dalmatian was back to his spotty self.

I am one colour – Brown !

Next day the Dalmatian crept into the pantry and knocked down a flour tin and covered himself with flour. Now he was white. His owner saw the Dalmatian tracking flour all over her nice clean floor and was very, very upset. She again put a collar and leash and took him out and sprayed water on him with a hose. The Dalmatian was again dotty or spotty, whatever you want to say.

I am one Colour – WHITE !

Next day, what do you think the Dalmatian did to cover his spots ? Yes, you guessed right. The Dalmatian jumped into the shed and knocked over the paint boxes lying there and rolled into the paint flowing on the floor. Now he was a bright green colour and looked like an alien dog.

Oops !

The Dalmatian’s owner saw this green dog and was very, very, very upset because this was the third time she had to put a collar and leash and try to wash off the colour from the dog. She really could not understand what had happened to her dog. Why was he acting like this ?

After washing the dog the owner decided to take her dog to Derek’s clinic . Derek was her friend and was also a dog doctor or vet as they are called by grown ups. A vet usually knows what is wrong with a dog’s body and his mind and can give a solution.

Oops, I didn’t want to be GREEN !

So the Dalmatian and his owner came to Derek’s clinic. Rover was sitting there as Derek often brought him to the clinic so he would not get lonely at home. The Dalmatian’s owner, let’s call her Linda, because that was her name, told Derek about the Dalmatian’s behaviour.

The dog is confused

Derek took a look at the Dalmatian, took his temperature, poked his stomach, patted his head, looked inside his ears and said, “There is nothing wrong with your dog’s body but someone has put some silly thoughts inside his head and that’s why he is behaving in this funny way. And I know who has made mischief. He looked at Rover and said, “Come here Rover. What have you been telling this dog ?”

Rover looked down in the ground and scratched it and whined.Derek said, “ I think he is saying he is sorry for being so silly for telling your dog that he is not a proper dog because he is not one colour. But he does not realise that everyone does not have to be like the other. Dogs are different too.

There is a dachshund who looks like a sausage and is close to the floor, there is a Great Dane who looks like a horse and is far away from the ground, there is an Afghan Hound who is so hairy he can model for a shampoo advertisement, there is a chihuahua who has no hair and can fit in a purse, and then there is this mutt who I call Rover who has no breed and is just a mix of many dogs, a bit of this and a bit of that but we still love him, don’t we ? So, everyone doesn’t have to be like the other.

Dachshund & Great Dane
Afghan hound & Chihuahua

EVERYONE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE SAME

The vet, Derek, called out to Rover who was very ashamed of himself for making the Dalmatian feel that he was not a proper dog.

Derek said, “Come here Rover and shake hands with…. ?” He looked at Linda as he did not know the Dalmatian’s name.

Linda said, “Spotty. His name is Spotty.”

The two dogs shook hands and ran out on the lawn to play. Rover and Spotty were now friends and jumped and barked and chased a ball while Derek and Linda looked and nodded happily and decided they were going to meet more often so that Rover and Spotty could learn to live happily with each other.

ROVER and SPOTTY are BFF’S – best friends forever!

THE END

 

MOVIE 

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C for cat civet cocoa movie

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  1. A cat wants adventure but returns to her family’s loving embrace for she now understands the value of family and a simpler life.

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C for for Cat Civet Cocoa – two stories

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A cat wants adventure but returns to her family’s loving embrace for she now understands the value of family and a simpler life.

Story One

C for Cat

Cats are funny creatures. One minute they are sitting next to you, purring and rubbing against your body and next minute they are meowing loudly, waving their tail and digging their claws into your hand. They just can’t decide whether they are happy or angry.

One day a cat decided that she wanted to travel the world. She no longer wanted to be like other cats who wanted to only sit on a cushion or a lap, drink milk from a bowl or eat fish or chicken whenever it was a special treat day.

She decided, no, this is no life. I want adventure, meet other cats, travel the world and discover new exciting things.

She packed her bag, pulled out the handle and off she went, dragging the suitcase behind her. Luckily it had wheels so she didn’t have to lift it or strap it on her back.

The cat reached the bus station and, when no one was looking, quietly walked in and sat under a seat. The bus moved. It was full of people but the cat could only see their shoes. It was a long and not very interesting journey, looking at a lot of shoes.

When the bus stopped, all the shoes moved out. The bus was silent. The cat came out from under the seat, took her suitcase and came out of the bus. It was very quiet, all she could hear was an owl hooting in the distance. Lots and lots of buses were parked, looking like giants. The cat was very scared. She was also very hungry but no one was around to give her her milk.

The cat strayed under the wheels of the buses, mewing sadly. Then she went to sleep under the bus. When she woke up it was morning. She could see many shoes walking here and there climbing into buses. She quickly took her suitcase and quietly went and sat in the same bus. The bus started its journey. The cat again saw a lot of shoes as she hid under the seat. When the bus stopped, she quickly got off and dragging her suitcase ran back to her home.

When she reached home her owner picked her up and said, “Oh ! Where have you been kitty cat? I was looking for you everywhere !” The cat blinked happily and mewed. She was saying, “ I went on a long journey but it’s not very interesting ! There were too many shoes and legs and nothing much to see. I happy to be home.”

STORY TWO

C for Cat Civet Cocoa

Once upon a time there was a cat who really really wanted to travel the world but no one was taking her anywhere. They usually left her with the neighbours when the family wanted to go to far off countries.

Once the family was planning to go on a trip to Malaysia. They packed their suitcase and got ready to go. So the cat quietly climbed inside the handbag and lay quietly.

When the family arrived at the airport the cat was discovered because you really can’t sneak into a plane. There is a lot of checking. Now the family didn’t know what to do. So they paid a lot of money and cat was placed in the luggage hold of the plane in a basket and taken to Malaysia.

When the family arrived in the country they had to stay in a hotel in which pets were allowed. They also had to carry the cat everywhere with them. One day they were sitting in the hotel garden and the cat was strolling in the lawns. She heard a rustle in the bushes and went to explore. As you know cats are curious creatures.

The cat went through the bushes to the other side and saw a creature which looked like her but was longer and thinner. The cat thought to herself, “ Oh ! This is what foreign cats look like. They are different from us.” But she did not know that this creature was not a cat but a civet who looks like a cat but is not one . Even though it is called a civet cat ! Let me know when you figure out why ?

The civet looked at the cat and said, “Who are you?” The cat said, “ I am a cat just like you.” The civet said, “ I am a not a cat, I am a civet!” The cat said, “Oh ! You are a cat, you only call yourself a civet because you speak a different language. In English you would be a cat.” The civet said, “No my dear friend, I am not a cat, I am a civet. I am from the mongoose family. The cat said, “What’s a mongoose?” The civet said, “A mongoose looks like us but it is different from us. It can kill a snake!”

The cat who had not seen much of the world asked, “What is a snake ?” The civet said, “You don’t know what is a snake ?” Where are you from?” The cat said, “I am from a big city in a far away land. We only have dogs, cats and birds there.” The civet said, “ I see, so you have only seen dogs, cats and birds and nothing else?” The cat shook her head.

The civet said, “ All right, come with me, I will show you many creatures.” The cat was scared but she thought to herself, “I have come to see the world, let me follow this civet.”

She followed the civet who took her deep in the jungle. The cat was very scared. She could hear the bats flying above, the monkeys leaping in the branches, the owl hooting in the tree and something, probably a snake, rustling in the grass. The civet was moving very fast and suddenly disappeared. Now the cat was all by herself, very very frightened. She wanted to go home to her family as soon as she could.

Suddenly the civet appeared next to her. It said, “ Hello, slowpoke, you are not made for adventures, you are a homebody. I think I better take you home. “Yes please,” the cat said in a small voice. The civet escorted her back to the hotel where the family was frantically looking for her.

When she appeared out of the bushes they grabbed her and cuddled her. The cat was so happy to see them she purred with delight. Then they took her to the room and gave her some milk in a saucer. The cat lapped the milk gratefully but when they asked her if she wanted to mix a little cocoa in it just to change the taste, the cat backed away. She was no longer feeling adventurous. The family laughed good-naturedly, “Just kidding !” they said.

MOVIE TOO !

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B for ball balloon baby

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Once upon a time there was a ball who wanted to be a balloon. He wanted to fly high up in the sky so that he could look down on the world and watch everyone from above.

BALL

He did not like to be kicked around or thrown or lie in a corner when no one was playing with him. All he wanted was to be outside, flying, floating gently in the breeze, just like a balloon does.

BALLOON

One day there was a new guest in the house. It was a baby. A chubby, cooing, cute little baby. When the baby became a little bigger, it started to crawl around. It would bump it’s body against the ball and move it. Sometimes it would sit on the floor and somebody would hand it the ball. Then the baby would hug the ball and hold it tight against its heart. The ball could hear the little heart beating, thump thump, and it’s own heart also went thump thump. It loved the baby.

BABY

Then the baby grew up a little more and started to toddle. It would toddle slowly and when the ball got in its way it would fall on it and clutch it with its tiny hands. The ball just loved being held by the baby.

THE BALL LOVED THE BABY

Some more time went by and the baby was one. There was a big birthday party to celebrate the baby’s turning one year old. Lots and lots of balloons were hung in the living room, The people who came also brought many colorful balloons. The ball was left in the corner. He felt no one was paying attention to him. All the children were grabbing the colorful balloons. Even the baby wanted to touch the balloons. They were so colorful and pretty.

BIRTHDAY PARTY !

Everyone sang, ‘Happy birthday to you,’ to the baby. Then they cut the cake. Lots and lots of photos were taken with the baby and the colorful balloons. Suddenly one naughty boy took the fork he was eating the cake with and pricked the balloon. The balloon burst with a bang so loudly that everyone jumped. The baby started crying.

THE BALLOON BURST

The mother took the baby in her arms and took it out to make it stop crying.Soon the other children followed, each carrying a balloon their hand. They all wanted a balloon. Nobody even thought of the ball lying in the corner. But as one of the children was passing by his foot kicked the ball and it rolled out and lay in the lawn looking at the children holding the colorful balloons.

Suddenly there was a gust of wind and it tugged the string of the balloon. One little child who was holding the string of a red balloon let it go. The balloon floated up in the sky looking so pretty against the blue sky. So the other children let their balloons go. They all floated up and up and up till they vanished from sight. Now the children had nothing.

THE BALLOONS LOOKED SO PRETTY

Then one of the boys saw the ball and ran and picked it up. He threw the ball to his friend who threw it to his friend. All the children threw the ball to each other. Then they took the ball and gave it back to the mother because it was time for them to go. They had had a lot of fun because of the ball.

THE CHILDREN HAD A LOT OF FUN

The mother waved goodbye to the children. Then she took the ball and gave it to the baby who hugged it to its heart and cooed with happiness. The ball was happy too. He no longer wanted to be a balloon. Balloons only look pretty, make a loud noise when they burst and frighten babies and do not stay with you if you let go of their string. But a ball is very useful. You can play with it.

IT’S BETTER TO BE USEFUL

THE END

AND HERE IS THE MOVIE !

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A for Apple, Acorn, Aardvark Story and Movie! Lucky you !

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A for Apple

Once upon a time there was a tree which was laden with fruits, all hanging low that they were easily eaten by all the animals who sauntered and grazed in the orchard in which it was planted.

Many birds too sat in its branches and pecked at its fruits and enjoyed its delicious fruits.

And the bees and the butterflies enjoyed the juice of the broken fruit when they alighted on it.

But the more the birds and the bees and the butterflies hovered around the tree the more fruits it bore. It never ran out of fruits.

Every season it became more and more plentiful. Soon other trees like him also became laden with fruits and the whole orchard smelt heavenly.

One day two people came walking into the orchard. They were a man and a woman. They saw the fruit trees and were delighted.

They eat the fruits and decided they were going to pluck them all and sell them and go into the business of fruit selling . So that is what they did . They plucked each and every fruit from each and every tree, packed them in boxes and sent them to the city to be enjoyed by them.

Apple picking

Now there were no fruits left for the animals, the birds, the butterflies and the bees.

Since they had nothing to eat they decided to leave and find another place where they did not have to be hungry. So they left the orchard.

As soon as they left the apple trees stopped bearing fruits. They were so lonely without their friends who enjoyed their fruits but did not finish all of them at one go.

When the trees stopped bearing fruit the man and woman wondered what to do .

They went to a village to consult a horticulturist who is a person who knows all about planting trees. They told him what had happened and asked him what to do.

The horticulturalist told them, “Ah, you have been very greedy.”

Then he took out a seed from his shed and told them, “Go and plant this acorn and wait for it to grow. Only when it is fully grown will your problems be over. Till then do not go near the apples trees”

The man and woman did what the horticulturist had told them to do. They planted the acorn and waited for it to grow into a tree.

Now the acorn takes a long time to grow and to be fully grown it takes many years. Many years passed while the tree from the acorn was growing slowly.

ACORN

OAK TREE

The apple trees, meanwhile had got some rest. Slowly they started flowering and then fruits began to appear. The animals, birds, bees, butterflies came back to enjoy the fruits and the flowers. When they came back the fruits also started multiplying. Soon the apple orchard was as before, plentiful.

The apple tree flowered again

But the acorn was taking so long to become an oak tree that the man and woman were too old to work, plucking fruits, packaging them and sending them to the city to be sold. They had become like aardvarks, slow, ungainly and sleepy.

AARDVARK

So they decided that they were no longer going to be in the fruit business but will manage with whatever they could get to eat and spend the rest of their days meditating about the nature of trees.

Soon they were going to find out that you cannot mess with nature or a horticulturist will come and fix the problem and,maybe, turn them into aardvarks.

MOVIE