Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sunny Day and the Ozone Quilt
After reading a few tall tales with my class, my students wrote their own tall tales. I try to provide them with a non-published sample, so I wrote the one you see below. I don't really have much to write about at this time and since I have not updated my blog for a looooong time, hopefully this post will keep the BlogSpot from denying my membership in the blogging community. This was actually a lot of fun to write which really surprised me: I don't actually like to read the tall tale genre, but after writing about Sunny Day, I have a new found appreciation for it.
On Earth Day, Sunny woke up early surrounded by a sea of blankets. “It is so hot!” exclaimed Sunny, as the rays of light creeping through the blinds burned holes into the wall. It was in fact so hot that upon closer inspection, tiny ants scurried along the window sill holding parasols in hopes of escaping the dreadful heat. Even the ladybugs she had seen dining on the aphids that had made a home of the potted geraniums were suffering from the terribly high temperatures. They were so sun burnt that even their spots had vanished. Sunny Day knew that without the sun, life itself would not be possible, but something had to be done about this deadly heat!
Sunny would have to investigate. She covered herself in SPF 200 sunscreen, knowing that was no longer enough protection by itself. So, just as she had done in the last few weeks, she prepared to leave the house. She began by placing gauze strips into the sink and proceeded to the freezer. Soaking the cloth in cold water wouldn’t do the trick as it had done in the past, so ice cubes were her best alternative. As she opened the freezer door, water and the stench of rotting food poured out. Even this new freezer couldn’t overpower the heat that was quickly destroying the world as she knew it.
She quickly grabbed the gauze and soaked it with the water on the kitchen floor that was starting to sizzle like bacon in a hot pan. Then she mummified herself, wrapping the cloth around her body. On top of that, she layered clothes until she was certain that not even a hair was exposed to the sun’s deadly rays. She grabbed the last of the foil and wrapped that around as well, hoping that it would still work to bounce the sun and heat back toward space. In the very near future, Sunny would be Jiffy Pop. There was no time to waste now! She placed several pairs of sun glasses onto the bridge of her nose and was just about to leave the house when she realized she had forgotten her constant companion, the oven mitt. (How else would she be able to turn the scorching doorknob, silly?)
She had to have a look around and figure out the solution to the world’s biggest problem. She was the earth’s last hope since so many others had failed before her. No sooner than she had stepped out the door, she noticed the polar bears floating down the street below. If she didn’t act soon, her neighborhood would be bear stew. She looked up toward the sky and noticed the holey ozone layer like a thin slice of Swiss cheese. And in an instant, she knew what had to be done. Opening the door, with her oven mitt of course, she got to work right away.
She grabbed all the blankets, sheets, towels, t-shirts and even her stinky socks and began to sew them together. Before long, she had finished the massive blanket and with needle and thread in hand, Sunny Day was determined to stop global warming once and for all. She left the house, and climbed onto the roof as the tar that held the shingles together bubbled and boiled like a witch’s cauldron. With nimble fingers, she began to sew the ozone blanket to the sky. Before long, shade covered her face and a gentle chill kissed the air. Sunny Day had temporarily solved the problem that had stumped so many others before her. However, despite this very warm ending (Get it, warm?), Sunny knew that she would have to continue her work and recruit other seamstresses and tailors to sew and repair the great ozone quilt.
On Earth Day, Sunny woke up early surrounded by a sea of blankets. “It is so hot!” exclaimed Sunny, as the rays of light creeping through the blinds burned holes into the wall. It was in fact so hot that upon closer inspection, tiny ants scurried along the window sill holding parasols in hopes of escaping the dreadful heat. Even the ladybugs she had seen dining on the aphids that had made a home of the potted geraniums were suffering from the terribly high temperatures. They were so sun burnt that even their spots had vanished. Sunny Day knew that without the sun, life itself would not be possible, but something had to be done about this deadly heat!
Sunny would have to investigate. She covered herself in SPF 200 sunscreen, knowing that was no longer enough protection by itself. So, just as she had done in the last few weeks, she prepared to leave the house. She began by placing gauze strips into the sink and proceeded to the freezer. Soaking the cloth in cold water wouldn’t do the trick as it had done in the past, so ice cubes were her best alternative. As she opened the freezer door, water and the stench of rotting food poured out. Even this new freezer couldn’t overpower the heat that was quickly destroying the world as she knew it.
She quickly grabbed the gauze and soaked it with the water on the kitchen floor that was starting to sizzle like bacon in a hot pan. Then she mummified herself, wrapping the cloth around her body. On top of that, she layered clothes until she was certain that not even a hair was exposed to the sun’s deadly rays. She grabbed the last of the foil and wrapped that around as well, hoping that it would still work to bounce the sun and heat back toward space. In the very near future, Sunny would be Jiffy Pop. There was no time to waste now! She placed several pairs of sun glasses onto the bridge of her nose and was just about to leave the house when she realized she had forgotten her constant companion, the oven mitt. (How else would she be able to turn the scorching doorknob, silly?)
She had to have a look around and figure out the solution to the world’s biggest problem. She was the earth’s last hope since so many others had failed before her. No sooner than she had stepped out the door, she noticed the polar bears floating down the street below. If she didn’t act soon, her neighborhood would be bear stew. She looked up toward the sky and noticed the holey ozone layer like a thin slice of Swiss cheese. And in an instant, she knew what had to be done. Opening the door, with her oven mitt of course, she got to work right away.
She grabbed all the blankets, sheets, towels, t-shirts and even her stinky socks and began to sew them together. Before long, she had finished the massive blanket and with needle and thread in hand, Sunny Day was determined to stop global warming once and for all. She left the house, and climbed onto the roof as the tar that held the shingles together bubbled and boiled like a witch’s cauldron. With nimble fingers, she began to sew the ozone blanket to the sky. Before long, shade covered her face and a gentle chill kissed the air. Sunny Day had temporarily solved the problem that had stumped so many others before her. However, despite this very warm ending (Get it, warm?), Sunny knew that she would have to continue her work and recruit other seamstresses and tailors to sew and repair the great ozone quilt.
