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Pedagogical Project
"The Joy of Reading"
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Dear Readers,
We would like to invite you to take part in a new project called "From Stories to Books".
The Stories for Everyone Team have been, for some time, gathering and selecting books that provide some sort of reflection on the fundamental ethical principles of our society, such as solidarity, courage, honesty, respect for differences and a sense of justice, matters that have deserved the attention of writers from various nationalities.
Therefore, the Stories for Everyone Team proposes to send, together with the usual weekly stories, and also free of charge, full texts of selected books.
In case you are interested in receiving each week, by email, a chapter of an extensive reading book, all you have to do is answer this message by writing the following sentence in the subject field:
"Yes, I am interested in participating in the project From Stories to Books."
Hoping that this new proposal will meet your utmost interest, we look forward to your reply.
The Stories for Everyone Team
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Dear Reader,
In order to reach a wider audience, the Stories for Everyone Team is now sending, along with the weekly story, another one, shorter and more suitable for early ages, so that younger children can also benefit from beautiful stories that will help them dream.
So you will receive not one but two stories every week.
We hope that our initiative will be useful for all that are in touch with children.
Best regards
Stories for Everyone Team
This week's stories with PDF attachments:
- A cloth full of memories
- The littlest Christmas star
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A cloth full of memories
Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don´t unravel.
Author Unknown
Author Unknown
It was an old white sheet discarded and thrown in the back of the linen closet. I was a young mother with two small children and a very small budget. We didn´t have a lot of money for Christmas and we definitely didn´t have money for any elaborate decorations. But I wanted to make something for my family. Something that could be used year after year as a family tradition. I had already handcrafted matching Christmas stockings from red felt appliquéd with Christmas trees, teddy bears, baby dolls and tin soldiers, but I wanted something else for my family. Then I remembered the sheet. Could I possibly use that white sheet to craft a Christmas tablecloth? My sewing abilities were amateurish, but my love for family and tradition was strong. I got out my sewing machine and started hemming the material in red and green thread. I wrote the words "Merry Christmas" in the middle of the tablecloth and spread it across the dining room table. I was so proud!
My daughter was two and a half and my son was only seven months, but I wanted to include them in this tradition. I traced their little hands and feet on the cloth, wrote down their names, ages and the date and then I penned a message for my family. I told them how much I loved them, wished them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I signed my name and wrote down the date.
Now, over thirty years later that tablecloth is full of messages, greetings, small handprints from my children and grandson Layton, large handprints and food stains. Each message is precious and contains sentiments of love, cute poems, and comical sayings. Four years ago I had to add a white border to allow more room and it´s already filled with words from family and friends.
As I sit down to look at each handwritten message, my eyes tear as I come across signatures from my precious mother Bonnie, my stepfather Joseph, my friend´s daughter Lindsay, my aunt Olyne, my sweet cousin Karen, all gone but never forgotten. I see the small handprints of my two children and grandson and I remember the day that I traced around their little hands for the first time. I see the messages they wrote as small children, silly teenagers and young adults. I read about snowstorms, cold weather, pecan season, new bikes, new love, old friends and departed loved ones and I remember. I see how my writing has changed as I´ve gotten older, the scribbles of young children and the squiggly drawings they made when I wasn´t looking. All the messages are impo rtant and treasured as each one signifies a part of their lives and a journey into mine.
I realized after I made the tablecloth, in fact many years later, that this tablecloth can´t be divided into squares. Some of the signatures are written so close to one another that if cut apart, a word or two would be lost forever. I know this tablecloth is old, stained and ugly, but it´s full of love and laughter and is a priceless heirloom to me. I look forward to digging it out each year, spreading it out on the table and sitting down to read and remember. I enjoy writing my message each year—it really never deviates. I ask for God´s blessing, good health, happiness and a wonderful new year. I savor each written word from my family and friends knowing that one day most of the messages written will be from loved ones gone but never forgotten. This old white sheet has been transformed into a beautiful gift from that young mother, me, who only wanted a tradition for her family, a simple tablecloth full of memories.
Glenda Carol Lee
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen Amy Newmark
Chicken Soup for the Soul – Christmas Magic
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, 2010
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The littlest Christmas star
One snowy afternoon, Max´s teacher announced his class would put on a Christmas play.
Everyone was excited ¾ especially Max.
Max couldn´t wait to have a part.
Even though he was the littlest student in his class, Max hoped he could be the star of the show!
"I will announce your roles tomorrow morning," the teacher said.
The next morning, Max´s teacher called out the role each student would play. Max waited and squirmed... and waited and squirmed...
"And finally, Max," the teacher said, "you will be the star."
Max´s eyes grew wide. He smiles a big, big smile.
He really was the star of the show!
"You will be the star of Bethlehem. Your line will be ´Follow me´!"
Max sank down in his chair. "I only have one line?" he asked.
"Yes, Max, but it´s a very important line," said his teacher.
Everyone in the class was jumping around and buzzing with excitement.
"I have ten lines!" said Sophie.
"I get to paint the set!" said Max´s friend Henry.
But Max did not jump around. He was sad. He wanted to have a big part in the play, but instead he had the littlest one.
The next week at school, the class prepared for the show.
There were costumes to make and lines to learn and songs to practice.
Max didn´t know what to do.
He had his one line memorized already.
Maybe, Max decided, he could help out with the other parts, too.
Max began to practice the part of Mary.
He worked on making his voice as big and loud as he could.
"Hey, that´s my part!" said Sophie.
Max wandered to where the set was being painted.
He dabbed a brush in purple paint and began to paint a tree.
He wanted the trees to stand out on stage.
"I´m the set painter," Henry told him. "And trees aren´t purple anyway."
Max walked into the hall where the chorus was practicing their songs.
He sang at the top of his lungs, even though he didn´t know the words.
Ava pointed at Max. "You´re not in the chorus!"
"Max, you´re supposed to be practicing your part," his teacher interrupted.
"But I know it already," Max replied.
"I bet a little more practice wouldn´t hurt," she said. "We need you to be the best Christmas star you can be!"
Finally, the night of the Christmas play arrived.
Max´s family sat smiling in the audience, ready to see his performance.
Max was not smiling.
"No one will even notice me," he told his teacher.
"Of course they will, Max," his teacher said. "You´ll see."
Max waited for his turn.
Then everything was quiet. It was time!
Max stepped forward. Music started in the background. He walked onto the stage.
A bright light shone down right on him and no one else.
Max saw that everyone was watching him.
He stood extra tall on his tiptoes.
He took a deep breath.
"Follow me!" he said in his biggest voice.
The audience clapped and cheered!
Max´s teacher was right.
He may have had a small part, but Max was a BIG star!
Brandi Dougherty
The littlest Christmas star
New York, Scholastic, 2010
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You can visit us on Facebook where you can find more interesting stories about several different topics.
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Sir/Madam,
We are a group of people with some experience in the area of storytelling and we would like to share our project – The Joy of Reading – with everyone who is in touch with children and young people in general but above all with everyone that enjoys reading.
This project consists of sending stories for free on a weekly basis. So this particular e-mail and the ones that will follow it in the next weeks are intended to share some small stories with you. All the stories we send have some values within: respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility, solidarity and many more. They all aim at developing the reading skills among young people, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values, which seem to have been somewhat forgotten in these times of materialism and hedonism.
We thank you for your attention and hope you will welcome this project (which, it is important to say, does not have any profitable aims).
If you know anyone interested in receiving the weekly stories by email, let us know by sending their emails to us.
Please let us know your opinion about the project.
Yours faithfully
The Pedagogical Team
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