Whootie Owl's Newsletter June 2005 Scroll to Whootie's "New Story of the Month"!

WHAT'S NEW WITH WHOOTIE   • Whootie Owl's Story of the Month: "The Hunter and the Blind Man," a folk tale       from Botswana.      • Coming! Whootie Owl's innovative Reading Programs on Disc for Home or School!   • Kid-Produced! Hear 3rd & 4th graders from Maine perform Whootie Owl's play script: "From the Elephant Pit"   • Kids Whisper to Whootie - Last Month   • Adults Whisper to Whootie - Last Month

June 2005 - New Story of the Month
"The Hunter and the Blind Man" (Botswana)

                    Once upon a time there was a hunter whose sister married a blind man. Before long, the hunter and his new brother-in-law were fast friends.

                    At the end of each day there was nothing the blind man liked better than to listen to the hunter tell all the details about the day's hunt. One day the blind man asked, "How about if I came with you on the hunt?" At first the hunter thought: "How could that be? That'd be impossible!" but then he shrugged and said, "Why not? You can stay close to me by hearing my voice."

                    So the next day the two of them together set off for the hunt. At first the blind man stayed close to the hunter by hearing his voice. As the woods thickened, he laid his hand on his brother-in-law's arm.

                    When the two of them moved along, the hunter was impressed with all the blind man described.

                    "There are warthogs to our right," he said, long before the hunter caught a glimpse of one of them running away. Another time he said, "There are birds to the left getting ready to fly. I can hear their wings unfurling." A few moments later three birds whizzed through the sky.

                    When they reached one of the hunter's favorite places, he set two traps, one for each of them. "This is a good place for bird traps," said he. "Tomorrow we'll come back and see what we caught."

                    The next day the two of them ventured back into the woods to the traps. On the way, again the hunter was impressed by how much the blind man could describe by sounds that only he could hear. As they approached the area where their traps had been set, the blind man said excitedly, "There are birds in our traps!"

                    At once the hunter noticed in his own trap a small brown bird. He placed it in his bag. Then they went to the trap he had set for his brother-in-law. And in that trap he saw a beautiful, large bird with multicolored feathers.

                    "If he gave these feathers to his wife, my sister, she would be pleased with such a fine gift," he thought. "but then again, my own wife would be glad if I gave her such a fine gift." Without a word, the hunter removed the beautiful bird, placed it in his own bag, and with the same motion took out the small brown bird that had been in his own bag and placed it in his brother-in-law's.

                    "All set," he said. "Now we can go home."

                    On the way back, the two of them stopped to rest by a brook. As they talked, the hunter was again impressed with all his brother-in-law's insights and wisdom. He wondered what his brother-in-law would say in answer to a question that had long been on his mind.

                    "Why is it that men fight?" he blurted out.

                    "They fight," said the blind man, "because they do to each other what you just did to me."

                    The hunter could not speak. After awhile, he reached for the lovely bird in his bag, silently set it in his brother-in-law's bag and with the same hand, picked up the small brown bird in his brother-in-law's bag and returned it to his own.

                    They were silent. After awhile the hunter said aloud another question that had long puzzled him.

                    "How can men become friends again, after they fight?" he said.

                    "By doing what you just did," said the blind man. "That's how men will become friends again."


*Source of Story:  This tale is retold by Elaine L. Lindy from an African folk tale known in Botswana.



COMING!  Whootie Owl's New Reading Programs on Disc!
Requesting feedback from you, Whootie Owl's subscribers

Soon we plan to launch on disc Whootie Owl's folk tales and play scripts, along with a variety of worksheets designed around each story. The approach is a "story-skills-story" sandwhich designed to capture interest and boost reading & writing skills. All materials are leveled for the age of your reader.

May we ask you - our valued Whootie Owl subscribers - to critique a sample page that's been developed for one of the discs?
Click here for demo page, free peeks
Would you be so kind to let us know:
o Do you find the page easy to understand?
o Are there questions you have that aren't answered?
o Is it appealing? What else would you want to see?
Just click here to send your thoughts.
     THANK YOU!!


STUDENTS PERFORM A PLAY SCRIPT FROM THE WHOOTIE OWL COLLECTION
Story: "From the Elephant Pit" (Tibet)

Enterprising 3rd & 4th grade students from Room 208 Podcast read aloud from a play script in the Whootie Owl collection, "From the Elephant Pit." Click here to hear it!
           Note: We'll feature recorded performances of other stories and play scripts on Whootie Owl's site. Simply attach your sound file to an e-mail addressed to: whootieowl@storiestogrowby.com.


KIDS WHISPER TO WHOOTIE
*from MAY 2005*

Hannie, child under 13:
"I lüv your site, x x"

Natasha, child under 13:
"I loved the stories in your site. It made me learn a lot more. Thank you and keep up the good work! :)"

Devon, child over 13:
"I thoroughly enjoyed your site. I am currently at school, and was sent to this website to read and explore play scripts. Thank you for a wonderful site. I highly recommend students studying drama will visit this site. Thank you."

Dorie, child under 13:
"This is a good web site!!!"

Dreamy, child under 13:
"Thank u so much!  I wish that your dreams can come true!:)"

Harry, child under 13:
"It was cool but it could be scary."



ADULTS WHISPER TO WHOOTIE
*from MAY 2005*

Ainon Omar, Teacher:
"I think teachers could do wonders with the materials in Whootie Owl. They're very helpful to teach moral values and helps in character building."

Moncef, Teacher:
"Your site is wonderful. Keep on doing this work. THANK YOU."

Willow, Parent:
"I love these stories. We homeschool and this site is a wonderful addition."

Lisa Melby, Teacher:
"This is a wonderful website. I am going to share this with my colleagues that teach gifted classes in my district. Thank you for a wonderful website."

Bob Sprankle, Teacher:
"Awesome site!"

NISHAT RIZVI, Parent:
"Your site is very attractive and interesting. Informative for both parent and child. I would like my child to join the world of Whootie Owl."

Spencer Cagan, Teacher:
"I'm glad that I stumbled across this webite. There's very valuable information here."

Rosie, parent:
"I really enjoyed your stories and so did my children. I have a 9 year old son and a 3 year old daughter and there wasn't anything really for my littile one and I would love to see something for the younger ones added. Other than that your website is great! Thanx for the wonderful stories."

Chris, teacher:
"Great website! I will show it to my 6 & 7 year olds. I am a Headteacher and would welcome any helpful assemblies."


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Hoots from Whootie Owl!
Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By
"Where Education & Inspiration Intersect"
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Recommended to our nation's teachers by DISNEY
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If you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE to Whootie Owl's monthly newsletter, simply respond by return e-mail. Whootie Owl's Free Monthly Newsletter was brought to you by Whootie Owl International, LLC, "Where Education & Inspiration Intersect." You can write to Whootie Owl International, LLC, at PO Box 600344 / Newton, MA 02460-0004. Or call Elaine L. Lindy at (617) 244-0106.



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E-mail: whootieowl@storiestogrowby.com
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