YAISHWARYAJ: {Awareness} Sister Anne’s Hands

______________________________________

Pedagogical Project

"The Joy of Reading"

______________________________________

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 send an email to

books@storiesforeveryone.com or stories4ev@gmail.com 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

________________________________________

This week's stories with PDF attachments:

- Sister Anne´s Hands

- Rabbit School

___________________________________________

Sister Anne´s Hands

The Summer I turned seven, flowers had power, peace signs were in, and we watched The Ed Sullivan Show every Sunday night. That´s the summer word went around that a new teacher had come to town.

One night, after we´d been put to bed, Mom said in a whisper, "She´ll be Anna´s teacher."

And Dad replied, "I don´t know how a woman of her color is going to survive."

Of her color? I wondered. What color could she be? Purple? Green? Orange? That night my dreams were full of teachers as colorful as birds.

Finally, the day came when I walked down the hall to my new room and saw her. She had on a black dress and veil like all the other nuns, but her skin was darker than any persons I´d ever known.

"And who are you, child?" she said with sparkles in her voice.

"Anna Zabrocky," I answered, seeing she had a space between her teeth just like me.

"Mighty fine freckles you have," she said, smiling widely. "Anyone kissed by angels as much as you, must have wings sprouting for sure."

Well, let me tell you, no one had ever connected me with angels before. I was the one they sent to the hall for talking in class or to the principal for mouthing off.

When she reached out to touch my cheek, I dodged her hand as if it were hot. It was puppy brown with white lacy moons for nails. And palm side up, it was pink with dark lines. A light pretty pink like an evening dress for Barbie. I tried not to stare.

She didn´t seem to notice. "Welcome to the second grade. I´m Sister Anne."

That day, to start class, Sister Anne had us tell some of our very best jokes, even the nun ones like "What´s black and white, and black and white, and black and white?... A nun rolling down the stairs."

And when she read to us at story time, she did all the voices, low or high or grunting.

Then she had us counting the buttons on our clothes, pencils in our desks, and teeth in our heads.

After all that adding and subtracting, we ended up toothless, pencil-rich, and with buttons on our under wear. I´d never had so much fun at school!

But after lunch, a paper airplane sailed past Sister´s head and hit the black board—WHOOSH.

There was a note written on the wings. Sister Anne read it out loud:

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

Don´t let Sister Anne

get any black on you."

A few giggles rippled across the room. Sister´s face froze like a tongue on an icy post.

"This is funny?" she asked us softly.

We didn´t say a thing. I felt as guilty as if I´d made the airplane.

"I´ll need some quiet time to think about this, if you know what I mean."

We did. You could have heard a butterfly sigh for the rest of that day. We went home with plenty on our minds.

That night in my bed, all I could see was Sister Anne´s hand as she reached out to me.

The next morning, we all slunk into the classroom, and we were shocked at what we saw.

…

(To be continued in the PDF attachment)

Marybeth Lorbiecki

Sister Anne´s Hands

Illustrated by K. Wendy Popp

New York, Puffin Books, 2000

__________________________________________

Rabbit School

"Blow your nose and use a leaf

As your cabbage-handkerchief,"

Mother Bunny says "And, look

After your own slate and book!

And be sure your sponge is wet!

Have you washed your paws just yet?

Good. And now you´re off to class."

"Mommy… Bye!" say lad and lass.

Bunny Hans and Bunny Gretchen,

Paw in paw, they look so fetching.

Happily they skip along

With the gath´ring bunny through

Which they meet along the way.

Almost seven! Don´t delay!

Each one´s backpack, dark or pale,

Bounds o´er a bunny tail.

Take a leap so you can cross

Over the dark green moss!

Further, by the pines and brook,

Nestled in a meadow nook

Lies the rabbit school, you see:

Benches spaced in rows of three.

Here now, take one find hop,

At your seats it´s time to stop!

Soon the janitor, Stillwell,

Goes to ring the morning bell.

Then, amid the children´s cheers,

The school´s teacher now appears.

He wears glasses, has a beard,

And long ears – he is revered.

"Close your eyes and fold your hands,

Till the morning prayer ends!"

Now they tackle their first hour,

Study many a plant and flower;

Answering, as you just saw,

After lifting a paw!

Then the teacher, with crossed feet,

Asks which plants are good to eat.

Bunny Hans, he can attest

"Cabbage tastes by far the best!"

Next they face the second hour

With a subject mighty dour.

Of the wicked fox they´re reading,

They discuss his ways misleading:

How he scurries – rush, rush, rush

O´er the fields and through the

Little Gretel has one thought: brush.

"I must simply not be caught!"

Easter eggs of ev´ry color

Brighten rabbit eyes once duller.

Each one takes an egg, still white,

Picks a brush – with touch so light –

And then paints with craft and skill,

Learns their calling to fulfill.

If their colors are too runny,

They won´t be an Easter Bunny!

Finally, here comes the break.

…

(to be continued in the PDF attachment)

Rabbit School

Verse by Albert Sixtus

Boston, David R. Godine, 2009

__________________________________________

You can visit us on Facebook where you can find more interesting stories about several different topics.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stories-for-Everyone/125862557478585

______________________________________

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

sg@storiesforeveryone.com

stories4ev@gmail.com