The little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside
*This story is meant to be told out loud with a red apple that you have sliced across the middle opposite of the way you would normally cut one. We like to use felt pieces and little toys, etc, as props, too!
There was once upon a time a little boy who was tired of playing with his toys and tired of his books and puzzles.
"What shall I do?" he asked his mother.
And his mother, who always knew fun things for little boys to do, said, "Why not go and find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?"
This really made the little boy wonder.
Usually his mother had good ideas, but he thought that this one was very strange.
"Which way shall I go?" he asked his mother. "I don't know where to find a little red house with no doors and no windows."
"Go down the lane past the farmer's house and over the hill," said his mother, "and then hurry back as soon as you can and tell me all about your journey."
So, the little boy put on his hat and his jacket and started out.
He had not gone very far down the lane when he came to a merry little girl dancing along in the sunshine.
Her cheeks were like pink blossom petals and she was singing like a robin.
"Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?" asked the little boy.
The little girl laughed. "Ask my father the farmer," she said. "Perhaps he knows."
So the little boy went on until he came to the great brown barn where the farmer kept barrels of fat potatoes and baskets of yellow squashed and golden pumpkins.
The farmer himself stood in the doorway looking out over the green pastures and yellow grain fields.
"Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?" asked the little boy to the farmer.
The farmer laughed too. "I've lived a great many years and I never saw one," he chuckled, "but ask Granny who lives at the foot of the hill . . . She knows how to make homemade cookies, taffy, and popcorn balls . . . and red mittens! Perhaps she can tell you."
So the little boy went on farther still, until he came to the Granny sitting in her rocker on her front porch. She had lots of wrinkles and a big smile on her sweet face.
"Please, dear Granny, said the little boy," where shall I find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?"
The granny was knitting a red mitten and when she heard the little boy's question, she laughed so cheerily that the wool ball rolled out of her lap and down to the little stone path.
"I should like to find that little house myself," she chuckled. "It would be warm when the frosty night comes and the starlight would be much prettier than a candle. But ask the wind who blows about so much and listens at all the chimneys. Perhaps the wind can tell you."
So the little boy took off his cap politely to the granny and went on up the hill rather sadly.
He wondered if his mother, who usually knew almost everything, had perhaps made a mistake.
The wind was coming down the hill as the little boy climbed up.
As they met, the wind turned about and went along, singing beside the little boy.
It whistled in his ear, and pushed him along and dropped a pretty leaf into his hands.
"I wonder," thought the little boy, after they had gone along together for awhile, "if the wind could help me find a little red house with no doors, and no windows and a star inside."
The wind cannot speak in our words, but it went singing ahead of the little boy until it came to an orchard.
There it climbed up in the apple tree and shook the branches.
When the little boy caught up, there, at his feet, lay a big red apple.
The little boy picked up the apple.
It was as much as his two hands could hold.
It was as red as the sun had been able to paint it, and it had no doors and no windows.
Was there a star inside?
The little boy called to the wind, "Thank you", and the wind whistled back, "You're welcome."
The little boy hurried back down the lane with the big, red apple in his hand.
When he reached his house the little boy gave the apple to his mother.
His mother said, "You have found a house with no doors and no windows but where is the star?"
His mother took a knife (AT THIS POINT, START CUTTING (OR OPENING IF PRE-CUT) A RED APPLE CROSSWISE) and cut the apple through the center.
Oh, how wonderful!
There inside the apple, lay a star holding five brown seeds.
"It is too wonderful to eat without looking at the star, isn't it?" the little boy said to this mother.
"Yes, indeed," answered his mother.
"What shall I do?" he asked his mother.
And his mother, who always knew fun things for little boys to do, said, "Why not go and find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?"
This really made the little boy wonder.
Usually his mother had good ideas, but he thought that this one was very strange.
"Which way shall I go?" he asked his mother. "I don't know where to find a little red house with no doors and no windows."
"Go down the lane past the farmer's house and over the hill," said his mother, "and then hurry back as soon as you can and tell me all about your journey."
So, the little boy put on his hat and his jacket and started out.
He had not gone very far down the lane when he came to a merry little girl dancing along in the sunshine.
Her cheeks were like pink blossom petals and she was singing like a robin.
"Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?" asked the little boy.
The little girl laughed. "Ask my father the farmer," she said. "Perhaps he knows."
So the little boy went on until he came to the great brown barn where the farmer kept barrels of fat potatoes and baskets of yellow squashed and golden pumpkins.
The farmer himself stood in the doorway looking out over the green pastures and yellow grain fields.
"Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?" asked the little boy to the farmer.
The farmer laughed too. "I've lived a great many years and I never saw one," he chuckled, "but ask Granny who lives at the foot of the hill . . . She knows how to make homemade cookies, taffy, and popcorn balls . . . and red mittens! Perhaps she can tell you."
So the little boy went on farther still, until he came to the Granny sitting in her rocker on her front porch. She had lots of wrinkles and a big smile on her sweet face.
"Please, dear Granny, said the little boy," where shall I find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?"
The granny was knitting a red mitten and when she heard the little boy's question, she laughed so cheerily that the wool ball rolled out of her lap and down to the little stone path.
"I should like to find that little house myself," she chuckled. "It would be warm when the frosty night comes and the starlight would be much prettier than a candle. But ask the wind who blows about so much and listens at all the chimneys. Perhaps the wind can tell you."
So the little boy took off his cap politely to the granny and went on up the hill rather sadly.
He wondered if his mother, who usually knew almost everything, had perhaps made a mistake.
The wind was coming down the hill as the little boy climbed up.
As they met, the wind turned about and went along, singing beside the little boy.
It whistled in his ear, and pushed him along and dropped a pretty leaf into his hands.
"I wonder," thought the little boy, after they had gone along together for awhile, "if the wind could help me find a little red house with no doors, and no windows and a star inside."
The wind cannot speak in our words, but it went singing ahead of the little boy until it came to an orchard.
There it climbed up in the apple tree and shook the branches.
When the little boy caught up, there, at his feet, lay a big red apple.
The little boy picked up the apple.
It was as much as his two hands could hold.
It was as red as the sun had been able to paint it, and it had no doors and no windows.
Was there a star inside?
The little boy called to the wind, "Thank you", and the wind whistled back, "You're welcome."
The little boy hurried back down the lane with the big, red apple in his hand.
When he reached his house the little boy gave the apple to his mother.
His mother said, "You have found a house with no doors and no windows but where is the star?"
His mother took a knife (AT THIS POINT, START CUTTING (OR OPENING IF PRE-CUT) A RED APPLE CROSSWISE) and cut the apple through the center.
Oh, how wonderful!
There inside the apple, lay a star holding five brown seeds.
"It is too wonderful to eat without looking at the star, isn't it?" the little boy said to this mother.
"Yes, indeed," answered his mother.
