There’s a Monster Under My Bed!

cSusanna Holstein 2003

This is a fun show to present. You can follow the program by handing out bottles of “Monster Spray” which is really just water in a bottle. Advise the children to use the spray under their beds, in closets, etc to keep monsters out.

We once mixed up all kinds of juices, pop, etc, in a big bowl to make our monster spray. Then, while the children decorated the labels, volunteers took the mix out of the room and filled bottles with clear water. The children thought the mix had magically turned color–or pretended they thought so anyway!

 Puppets: boy, woman, monster 1 and monster 2

Props: bed, window                       

Narrator: It was bedtime. Sammy hated bedtime—you know why? Because every night, as soon as his mother left the room, MONSTERS started making noises under his bed. Now you probably don’t have this problem at your house. But Sammy did, and it was a BIG problem for him.

Mother: Goodnight, Sammy.

Sammy: Aw, do I have to go to bed now? Can’t you tell me one more story? Please?

Mother: No, Sammy. We’ve already read 23 books and I’ve told you 6 stories. We read Where the Wild Things Are, Goldilocks, Make Way for Ducklings….

Sammy: Yeah, but we didn’t read Green Eggs and Ham! Read Green Eggs and Ham. Please, Mom!

Mother: No, it’s time for you to go to sleep, Sammy.

Sammy: But Mom, I have to read 50 books for the library so I can win my t-shirt! That’s only 27 more. We could get it done tonight! Then I could get my shirt at the library tomorrow when we go there for storytime!

Mother: That’s a good try, Sammy, but it’s not working. We have all summer to read those books. Let’s save some for another night. Now, you lie down and close your eyes. You’ll be asleep in no time. You’ll see. Then tomorrow we’ll go to the library and you can watch the puppet show! You know you like puppet shows.

Sammy: Oh…okay. I can’t wait to see the puppet show. And I like storytime. Do you know what the puppet show is going to be?

Mother: No, but I think the storytime is about monsters.

Sammy: Monsters! Did you say MONSTERS?!

Mother: Yes, dear. Won’t that be fun? Now, good night. Sleep tight!

(She leaves the stage)

 Sammy: Mom! Mommmmmy!!!

(no answer)

Sammy: Oh no. She’s gone. They’re going to come, I just know it. They always come after it gets dark.

(Monster 1 appears under the bed)

 

Monster: (sort of singing) Oh Sammy, I’m heeee-re. Can you hear me, Sammy? It’s me, that terrible monster that scares you so much. Grrrrr…

Sammy: Go away! Go away! MMMMMOOOOOOMMMMM!

(Mother comes back onstage, monsters disappears)

 Mother: Sammy! What on earth are you yelling about?

Sammy: The monster! He’s here, Mommy, he’s here. Save me!

Mother: Silly boy. There’s nothing here. You’re just imagining things.

Sammy: No! He’s under my bed! Look under my bed!

Mother: (bending over to look under the bed)

There’s nothing here, Sammy. Just some dirty socks, a toy….

Sammy: Nothing? You’re sure?

Mother: Absolutely sure. Now, go to sleep. Good night!

Sammy: But…but…but…..

(Mother leaves the stage)

 Sammy: Did I imagine that monster? Maybe I did…

 

(Monster 2 appears under the bed)

 

Monster 2: Oh, Sammy! Guess who’s here, It’s me, monster #2. You knew I’d come, didn’t you?

 

Sammy: Go away! Go away! No, I didn’t know you’d come, and I don’t want you under my bed! Go away!

 

(Mother comes back onstage, and Monster disappears)

 

Mother: Samuel Sebastian Sylvester Stegosaurus Smith! WHAT is all this noise about!

Sammy: Monsters!!! Monsters under my bed!!

Mother: (looks under the bed) There are NO monsters under you bed, Sammy. None—Nada—Nothing—not any, not never, not NO MONSTERS UNDER YOUR BED? Do you understand me? If I hear one more sound out of you, we won’t go to the library tomorrow. Understand? Now—GO TO SLEEP!

(She leaves, angry)

 

Sammy: (to audience) Uh…she sure is mad isn’t she? But I know they were under there. Did you see them? All right…I’m getting pretty tired of this. These monsters are getting me in trouble with my Mom! I’m not going to miss storytime because of some ol’ monster!

(He looks around) Monsters! Monsters! I know you’re in here somewhere! Come out this minute! I mean it. You’re getting me in trouble, and I’M GETTING ANGRY!!!!

(Monsters come out)

 

Monster 1: Don’t be mad, Sammy! We were just having fun with you. We like to play! And scaring you is fun!

Sammy: Oh yeah? Fun, huh? Well, you just got me in trouble with my Mom. If I don’t get to sleep, I can’t go to storytime tomorrow and see the puppet show, and it’s all YOUR fault!

Monster 2: Aw, gee, I LIKE storytime. They’re supposed to talk about monsters tomorrow. I want to go!

Sammy: Well, none of us will go if you guys keep bothering me and keeping me awake.

Monster 1: (crying) I wanna go to storytime! I wanna go to storytime!

Monster 2: SHHHH! His Mommy will come back in here! Then we’ll ALL be in trouble!

Monster 1: (sniffing) I’m sorry, I forgot. I just don’t want to miss storytime…. (starts crying again, but quietly)

 

Sammy: Listen, guys, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll be quiet if you promise to quit scaring me. Then we can all go to the library tomorrow.

Monster 2: Okay! That’s a good deal!

Sammy: Now, go back under the bed, and be quiet!

Monster 1: Do we have to? It’s scary under there. And there’s some dirty socks that smell REALLY bad!

Monster 2: Yeah, and lots of spooky dust! Don’t you ever clean under there? I don’t wanna go under the bed.  (Whining) Please don’t make me go under the bed!

Sammy: Oh, all right. I’ll tell you what. You can sleep up here with me. I’ll even share my pillow with you. Will THAT make you happy?

Monsters 1 and 2: Oh yeah! Yes! Perfect! Thank you!

Sammy: Okay, okay. Now…let’s GET SOME SLEEP!

Narrator: And that’s exactly what they did. From that night on, Sammy never worried about monsters under his bed, and the monsters never had to worry about that scary dust or stinky socks again.

The End

 

Spring Has Sprung in Clover Meadow

 by Nancy Whetstone

Puppets:  Rachel Raccoon, Wordy Bird, Lacey Lamb

WORDY BIRD:  Spring has sprung, the grass is riz.  I wonder where the flowers is?  (Leaves stage.)

RACHEL:  (enters)  Wow!  What a glorious spring day!  I can’t believe that just last month, it was still winter!  Clover meadow was nothing but snow!  Now, the sun is out, and everything is turning green!

LACEY:  (enters)  Hi, Rachel.  I’ve been looking for you!

RACHEL:  Hi, Lacey, what do you need?

LACEY:  Well, there’s this crazy bird running around, reciting bad poetry.  We must put a stop to it.

RACHEL:  Oh.  I was hoping you might want to frolic a little with me here in the meadow.

LACEY:  Frolic?  At a time like this?  I tell you, this is important!  There’s stinky verse afoot!

RACHEL:  Oh, Lacey, why worry about your stinky feet?  The sun’s shining, the birds are singing!  Nature in all its glory is abounding all around us!

LACEY:  I’m not talking about my stinky feet, Rachel.  I mean, I don’t have stinky feet, I have hooves, and they don’t stink and…oh, never mind!  I thought you were smart, Rachel.  I’m disappointed in you!

RACHEL:  I’m sorry, Lacey.  I must have spring fever or something, it’s making me silly.  What were you saying?

LACEY:  I WAS SAYING there’s this nutty bird running around reciting BAD POETRY!  It’s awful!  He must be stopped at once!

RACHEL:  Really?  How funny!

LACEY:  It is most certainly NOT funny!!  This is a poetic emergency we have here!  As president of the Lambs of Literature, I’m aghast at this travesty!

RACHEL:  You’re a what at the who?

LACEY:  Rachel!  You are being unreasonable!

RACHEL:  I can’t help it—it’s Springtime in Clover Meadow!  Look at the flowers!  The tiny bright green leaves on the trees!  Smell the sweet breezes!  Oh, I can’t stand it!  Come on, Lacey, let’s frolic!!

LACEY:  Rachel!  I absolutely, positively will NOT frolic with you!  You simply must get ahold of yourself!  We have a problem here, a serious problem that must be remedied!

RACHEL:  Aw, remedied blemedied.  C’mon!  Look at that clover patch over there, Lace ol’ girl!  I betcha it’s sweet and juicy!  This place isn’t called clover meadow for nothing, you know!

LACEY:  Mmmm.  Clover, huh?  It does smell nice and fresh…but NO!  I will not stop to eat any clover until this injustice to the English language is fixed!  It’s my job as the President of the…

RACHEL:  Lacey.  Girlfriend.  Look at the sunshine, the dewy green grass!  It’s your job as a lamb to eat it.  Just like it’s my job as a raccoon to go play by the pond!  We are meadow creatures, not presidents of the Loopy Language Loo-loos or whatever.  Meadow creatures frolic in the spring!  That’s what we as meadow creatures do best!  See those bunny rabbits over there?

LACEY:  Yes, I see the silly rabbits.

RACHEL:  They aren’t silly!  They’re bunnies!  They’re nibbling and frolicking, like bunnies do.  They’re nibbling on your clover, by the way.

LACEY:  My clover!  Oh no they are NOT!  That’s my sweet, dreamy fresh clover!  How dare they eat my clover?  Are they out of their carrot-munching minds?

RACHEL:  Maybe, Lacey, my friend.  Maybe they have spring fever.  Maybe I have it, and the bunnies have it, and those squirrels over there chasing each other around have it, and maybe, just maybe, that crazy poetry-reciting bird you keep baa-baaing about  has it, too.  Think about it, Lacey.  The only one who doesn’t have spring fever seems to be…well, you, Lacey Lamb!  I’m not sure, but I think you may be breaking some kind of law or something.

LACEY:  What!  Me break a law?  That’s completely ridiculous!  You’ve got to be kidding me!  Just because the rest of you are acting like silly furry woodland animals…

RACHEL:  I prefer meadow creatures.

LACEY:  Meadow creatures, my wooly foot.  You’re just being silly.

RACHEL:  Exactly!  And the fireflies over there zooming around the lovely pond, and the frogs ribbiting on the lily pads, and the fish flipping in the sun looking very yummy I might add…they’re silly too!  Silly with happiness, because this is a beautiful, glorious wonderful green fresh spring day in our pretty little meadow, and you, funny little lambie-poo, should be, too!  You should be frolicking and cavorting and skipping and jumping and playing with me and all your meadow creature friends!  Now, come on, Lacey, let’s play!!

(Wordy bird appears.)

WORDY BIRD:  Jump and play your life away, run in the sun and have some fun!  Summer will be hot and dry, fall is always wet and hazy, winter’s so boring you could cry…

LACEY:  And springtime makes my best friend crazy.  Okay, okay, I give up.  Let’s frolic.

RACHEL:  Really?  You mean it?

LACEY:  I guess so.  I mean, here’s that silly bird, right here.  I guess I don’t have to find it anymore.

RACHEL:  That’s right.  There it is, right in front of you.  Catch it!

LACEY:   Uhm, I can’t.

RACHEL:  Why not?  It’s just standing there with a funny look on its face.  Grab it!

LACEY:  Well, I can’t.  I mean, I could, but then what would I do with it?

RACHEL:  Wellll, it is standing awfully still.  You could tag it.

LACEY:  Tag it?  What do you mean, tag it?

RACHEL:  Like this.  (Touches Lacey) Tag.  You’re it!  (Runs offstage.)

LACEY:  I’m what?  Oh, I’m gonna get you!  (leaves stage)

WORDY BIRD:  Gotta run, have some fun!  See you later, alligator.  (leaves stage)

(Lacey re-enters)

LACEY:  Well, that’s the end, my friend!

THE END

The Luck of the Irish

By Nancy Whetstone

(Puppets:  Lamb, Frog, and Lucky, the dog.  Props:  An iris, a picture of an ibis, and a shamrock.)

LAMB:  Hi!  I’m here to talk to you about something that happens every spring.  It’s called St. Patrick’s day, and…(Frog enters)

FROG:  (holding a picture of an iris)  Hi, Lamb!  Whatcha doing?

LAMB:  Oh, hi Frog.  I was just telling the kids about Spring, and St. Patrick’s day.  What’s that you’re holding?

FROG:  Oh, this?  (Lamb nods)  This is an iris.  Isn’t it pretty?

LAMB:  Yes, it is.  Why are you holding an iris?  Are you going to give it to your mom?

FROG:  Well, I guess she’d like that, but I was going to keep it for myself.

LAMB:  Why?

FROG:  Well, you know.  So I could have the luck of the iris.

LAMB:  The luck of the iris?  I never heard of that.  I don’t think irises are good luck.

FROG:  Really?  Hmmm.  Maybe I was wrong.  I’ll see you later, Lamb.

LAMB:  O.K., Frog.  (Frog leaves stage)  Anyway, kids.  What was I saying?  Oh, yes.  I was going to talk to you about something that happens every spring.  It’s called St. Patrick’s day, and on this special day people wear green and have fun parties and…(Frog enters)

FROG:  (holding a picture of an ibis)  Hi, Lamb!

LAMB:  Frog, you interrupted me again!

FROG:  Oh, sorry, Lamb.

LAMB:  That’s OK, Frog.  You know I always have time to talk to my best friend.  The kids don’t mind.

FROG:  Well, thanks, Lamb.  You’re my best friend, too!

LAMB:  That’s good to know, Frog.  So, what are you holding now?

FROG:  Oh, this?  (Lamb nods)  This is a bird called an ibis.  They’re very lucky.  I couldn’t catch a real one, so I have this picture.

LAMB:  Ibises are lucky?  (Frog nods)  Who told you that?

FROG:  Nobody told me that.  I mean, I overheard some people talking about having the luck of the ibis, so I got a picture of an ibis.  I hope it’s as lucky as the real thing.

LAMB:  Well, I’m just a lamb, so maybe I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as a lucky ibis.

FROG:  Really?  Hmmmm.  Maybe I’m wrong again.  I’ll see you later, Lamb.

LAMB:  O.K., Frog.  (Frog leaves stage)  Anyway, kids.  What was I saying?  Oh, yes.  I was going to talk to you about something that happens every spring.  It’s called St. Patrick’s day, and on this special day people wear green and have fun parties and people from Ireland celebrate it as their very own holiday…(Frog enters)

FROG:  Lamb, sorry to interrupt.  But this is driving me crazy.

LAMB:  What, Frog?

FROG:  Well, I can’t figure out what the people were saying was lucky.  I don’t think it’s an iris.  Even though it’s a pretty flower, I stubbed my toe when I was carrying it, and I don’t think that’s lucky.

LAMB:  No, that doesn’t sound lucky to me.

FROG:  And then I had the picture of the ibis.  And it didn’t seem like it was lucky because my mom got angry at me because I tracked mud on the floor.  Maybe you have to catch a real ibis or something. (Dog enters)

LUCKY:  Hi, my name is Lucky.  I heard you talking about ibises.  I don’t think you want to catch one.

FROG:  Why not?

LUCKY:  Because they might want to catch YOU!

FROG:  Why would an ibis want to catch me?

LUCKY:  Because I think an ibis might eat a frog for lunch.  I think you want to stay away from them!

FROG:  Yes, you are right!  I will stay away from them!  Oh, well.  I guess I’ll never have any luck.

LAMB:  Well, your name is Lucky.  Are you a lucky dog?

LUCKY:  Yes, I suppose I am a lucky dog.  In fact, I was born on St. Patrick’s day, and I have a wonderful family who loves me very much.  My family is Irish, so having a dog born on St. Patrick’s day was special to them, and they always say they’re lucky to have me, too.  Well, I’d better go, nice meeting you.  Good luck finding good luck!!  (Lucky leaves stage)

FROG:  Hey!!  That’s what it was!

LAMB:  What, Frog?

FROG:  That’s what those people were talking about.  It wasn’t the luck of the iris, or the luck of the ibis.  It was the luck of the Irish!!  Whatever that means.

LAMB:  I’m not sure, Frog.  But I know you are already lucky.

FROG:  Really?  (Lamb nods)  Why do you say that?

LAMB:  Well, you don’t have to wear green on St. Patrick’s day, for instance.  You’re already green.  I get all my wool shaved off in the spring, and I look silly.  You don’t have wool, so you look the same all the time.  Plus, you can swim really well, and catch flies with your tongue.  Nobody else can do that.

FROG:  True, true.  But I wish I were really, really lucky.  (Lucky enters holding a shamrock)

LUCKY:  Hi, Frog.  I have something for you.

FROG:  What, Lucky?

LUCKY:  It’s a shamrock, which is a four-leaf clover, and people say it’s good luck.

LAMB:  Is it good luck, Lucky?

LUCKY:  I don’t know for sure.  But I do know one thing.

FROG:  What’s that, Lucky?

LUCKY:  You two are the luckiest animals I know.

LAMB:  Why do you say that, Lucky?

LUCKY:  Because you both have an awesome best friend.  I wish I had friends as great as you two.

FROG:  Well, Lucky, today is your lucky day!

LUCKY:  Why?

LAMB:  Because you’re our new friend!!

LUCKY:  Wow!  I guess I do have the luck of the Irish!

THE END

Copyright © 2010 Nancy Whetstone

The Christmas Spider

(a puppet show based on an old legend) c Susanna Holstein, 2001

This one is fun because the audience can sing along with the puppets. If you like, a craft activity could follow the show–making spiders or ornaments, etc would fit nicely with the story.

 Puppets needed: old woman, boy, girl, dog, cat                            

Props: bare tree, decorated tree, spider web, bag of cookie 

Narrator: Once a long time ago, there lived an old woman that was called Tante by all the children in her village. Tante means Aunt in German, and they called her that because she was from Germany, and she was well loved by everyone who knew her.

 Tante: Ah, Christmas is coming again. I wonder now, how many times have I celebrated Christmas? Hmmm….. I don’t think I could count them all! Oh well, it’s time to start cleaning this messy house! Even if it is only one room, it sure does get messy.

Wake up, Dog! Can’t you see it’s time to clean for Christmas?

 Dog: Rowf! Okay, I’ll get out of your way. (He runs off stage)

 Tante: Wake up, Cat! I’ve got to clean in here!

 Cat: Meow! Very well, I’ll leave if I’m not wanted here. (She walks offstage)

 Tante: Good, now the house is all mine, and I can get to work. (She moves around on stage, and things on the stage floor disappear behind the stage as if she is “cleaning”)

 Tante: There, that looks a lot better. Now I’ve got to go and fetch Christmas!

(She walks off stage. Curtain closes)

 (Curtain up)

 (Tante is standing onstage with a bare Christmas tree.)

 Tante: My, isn’t this a pretty tree! I think it’s the best one I’ve ever had—but then, I say that every year. I’ll decorate it as soon as….

 (There is a knock offstage)

 Tante: Oh my! Someone is at the door! I wonder who it could be?

(She moves to stage right. Two children enter).

 Tante: Well hello, and Merry Christmas to you!

 Children: Merry Christmas, Tante! We came by to sing some songs with you, and to bring you these cookies.

 Tante: Well, isn’t that nice! Thank you. What shall we sing?

 (Children put down the package of cookies)

 Boy: Let’s sing Jingle Bells!

 Tante: Good idea! Can you people out there in the audience join us in this song?

 (Everyone sings Jingle Bells)

 Tante: That was fun! What else shall we sing?

 Girl: My favorite is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Can we sing that?

 Tante: Sure! Is everyone ready?

 (Everyone sings Rudolph)

 Boy: Oh my, Tante! We’ve been having so much fun we didn’t notice how late it is! We have to leave now. Have a nice Christmas!

 Tante: Thank you, thank you. I will!

 (Children leave)

 Tante: Goodness, look how late it is, and I still need to decorate my tree! And look! I missed those cobwebs up in the corner. I’ll have to get my broom and clean them out.

But first, I need to share these cookies with my two best friends.

Cat! Dog! Come on in and have some Christmas with me!

 (The animals come onstage)

 Tante: Isn’t the tree beautiful? It will be just lovely when I get it decorated. Would you like some cookies?

 (Curtain goes down as Tante reaches for the bag of cookies. While curtain is down, trade undecorated tree for the decorated one.)

 (Curtain rises and Tante comes onstage. She stops to stand and look at her tree.)

 Tante: What a lovely sight! There is nothing as pretty as a Christmas tree with all its decorations. Oh dear! I forgot to clean out those cobwebs! I’ll get them just as soon as I take a little nap. This has been such as busy day, and I am so tired….

 (She lays down and immediately starts to snore.  Curtains down)

 (While curtain is down, put cobwebs on the tree and put it back onstage.)

 (Curtain up)

 Tante sits up and rubs her eyes. She moves closer to the tree and rubs them again. She can’t believe what she sees.

Tante: I can’t believe this! Who came and made my tree so beautiful! I’ve never, ever seen such a wonderful sight! This is a miracle!

 Narrator: It was then that Tante remembered that she had not swept the spiders out of the corners of the room before she fell asleep. She realized that it was the spiders that had come and decorated her tree with their lovely webs because for once she had not chased them out into the cold winter night.

 Tante: From now on, the spiders will always be a part of my Christmas tree! I want them to come every year and spin their magic for me on Christmas. Cat! Dog! Come look at my tree!

 (Dog and Cat come onstage. The three of them stand looking at the tree)

 Tante (turning to audience): I hope your Christmas is as happy and beautiful as mine. Let’s sing a song together one more time. How about “We wish you A Merry Christmas!”

(Everyone sings and the curtain goes down at the end of the song.)

Why Frogs Have No Tails

(or Nyame’s Well)

Ashanti folktale adaptation by Susanna Holstein

Puppets needed: frog, lion, monkey, elephant. We made a tail from felt and used tape to attach it to the frog. When it was time to be pulled off the tail, it came off easily. Experiment to see what works best for you.

Backdrop can be just black, or solid blue or green, or could be a savanna scene. We used no other props, but props could be added. Other animals can be added to the script as we,, depending on how long you need the play to be.

Narrator: One upon a time, long, long ago, when the animals talked and people could understand them, the frog had a long, beautiful tail.

Frog: Oh my! Just look at my long, beautiful tail! Isn’t it wonderful? Have you ever seen a tail as lovely as mine? Elephant! Oh, Elephant!!

(Elephant comes onstage)

Elephant: What do you want, Frog? You’re not going to brag about your tail again, are you?

Frog: Brag? Of course not! But honestly, have you ever seen a tail as marvelous as mine? I mean, have you really?

Elephant: I knew it! You’re bragging, Frog!

Frog: I am not! I’m just stating a fact. Mine is without a doubt the finest tail in the world.

Elephant: Hummphhh! (he walks offstage) Frog: Well, really! He’s just embarrassed because all he has is that skinny rope-looking tail. Oh, hello, Monkey!

(Monkey enters)

Monkey: Hi there, frog, I said hi, hi, hi there, Frog! How-I said how-how-how are you?

Frog: Oh, I’m just fine, Monkey. I was just admiring my tail. Elephant got upset because my tail is so much finer than his. Frankly, it’s finer than yours too, Monkey.

Monkey: I beg your pardon—I beg—I beg—I BEG your pardon! My tail is perfect for me! (and he swings away)

Frog: Well, apparently no one wants to admit how fine my tail is. Ah, well…. (frog leaves the stage, curtains close)

Narrator: That summer it did not rain. It did not rain for a week, for a month, for two months. All the water holes, except one, dried up and turned into dust holes. To be sure that each animal got enough water, the Creator of the World put Frog in charge of the last water hole. Frog’s job was to see that each animal got a fair amount of water to drink each day. Frog sure felt important in his new job. At first he did very well.

Frog: Elephant! It’s your turn to drink now. (Pause as Elephant enters, goes to water hole and drinks) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10—okay, that’s enough, Elephant. Your turn, Monkey.

(Elephant leaves and Monkey enters)

Frog: 1-2-3-4-5-6. That’s enough for you Monkey. You don’t need as much as Elephant.

(Monkey leaves)

Narrator: But as time passed, Frog got more and more proud of his job, and then he wasn’t so fair.

(Elephant enters again)

Frog: No, Elephant, you don’t get any water today. I heard you were angry with me because I have such a beautiful tail.

Elephant: But Frog! I’m thirsty! You were supposed to make sure we all get enough to drink!

Frog: Well, too bad! I’m the boss of this water hole!

Elephant: Hummphhh!

(Elephant leaves as Monkey enters)

Monkey: Hey-hey-hey, Frog! How about a good ole drink of water for me?

Frog: Not today, Monkey. You can do without it today.

Monkey: Do without it? Do without it? Hey man, I’m thirsty!

Frog: (yawns) Well, I’m off duty now, so the water hole is CLOSED!

Monkey: (leaves angrily, muttering) Thinks a lot of himself, that frog.

Narrator: Now the Creator heard what Frog was doing ,and decided to check it out.Creator turned himself into an animal, and….

Lion: Frog, I have traveled a long way. I am told that you are in charge of this water hole and see to it that all animals get a drink each day.

Frog: Yeah? Well, I don’t know you! Pay me enough money and you can drink all you want!

Lion: PAY you? Why should I pay you? You don’t own this water hole, you are only in charge of it to be sure everyone gets enough to drink!

Frog: Well, the Creator himself put me in charge, so you have to do what I say! And I say, you pay or you stay thirsty!

Lion: Well, I AM the Creator, you foolish little frog! And because you have been so rude and unfair to the animals, I am taking away your beautiful tail!

(Lion bites Frog’s tail, and it comes off and disappears below the stage)

Frog: AAAGGGHHHH! MY tail! Oh, how embarrassing!

(Frog jumps off the stage and disappears too)

Narrator: Frog was so embarrassed over the loss of his tail that he hid in the weeds at the edge of the pond. And to this day, frogs still have short tails, and they still live in the weeds at the edges of ponds, trying to keep all of from seeing that now they have no tails at all.

You’re Not My Friend!

( by Susanna Holstein, 1/03)

Puppets: three children, two boys and one girl. Could be animals

Props: Valentine boxes, valentines

Backdrop: outside first, change to inside

 Two friends are playing hide-and-seek. A third friend walks up as one is counting.

 Tommy:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! Here I come ready or not!

 Jared walks up

 Jared: Hi Tommy! What are you doing?

Tommy: Cassie and I are playing hide-and-seek. Calls to Cassie—I’m coming—I’m going to find you! You’ll see!

 Jared: Can I play?

 Tommy: No, we’ve already started. Anyway, I told Cassie I would play with her today. I promised—just the two of us.

 Jared: Well, hide-and-seek isn’t very fun with just two people! Let me play!

 Tommy: I can’t. I promised! Anyway, last time you played with us you pulled Cassie’s hair and made her cry.

 Jared: Yeah! That was fun! She has such good hair for pulling!

 Tommy: Well, it wasn’t very nice. How would you like someone to pull your hair?

 Jared: They can’t! My hair’s too short! HA!

 Tommy: You know what I mean.  Am I getting warm, Cassie?

 Jared: She isn’t going to TELL you, silly! Then you’d know where she is!

 Tommy: Oh……..yeah. Well, I gotta go and find her.

 Jared: Why? She’s right behind that tree!

 Cassie (comes onstage): Jared! You ruined our game! I would have made it to home base if you hadn’t told Tommy where I was!

 Jared: Oh yeah? Well, you can play your stupid old game! I don’t like either of you. (Sticks out his tongue and gives them a raspberry.) You’re not my friends anymore!

Tommy: Who needs friends like you anyway? You always cause trouble!

 Jared: You used to be my best friend, Jared! But not any more! Now you’re my worst enemy! So there! (Runs offstage)

 Tommy: You’re not my friend either. So there THERE! ………Gee, he’s really mad. I’m sorry, Cassie, I don’t feel like playing anymore.

 Cassie: Me either. Why did he have to do that?

 Tommy: I don’t know. He just doesn’t want us to play, I guess. Let’s go inside.

 Curtain

 When curtain comes up, Tommy and Cassie are in the house, making valentines.

 Cassie: Are you going to make a valentine for Jared?

 Tommy: Why should I? He doesn’t want to be my friend anymore, and I don’t like him anyway!

 Cassie: Well, I think I’ll make one for him. We should have let him play.

 Tommy: Why? He doesn’t have to do everything we do! We were having fun without him.

 Cassie: I guess you’re right. Let’s make a valentine for our teacher! I’ve got some better paper upstairs.

 Cassie and Tommy leave the stage. Jared walks on. He sees the pile of valentines.

 Jared: Valentines! That’s right, Valentines Day is tomorrow! I wonder who these are for. (He looks at the pile of hearts) Let’s see—James, Maria, Kayla, Stephen, Rico, Antoine, Madison….these are for the kids in our class! But….where’s mine? There’s no valentine for me! Well, I’ll fix them! I won’t give them any valentines either! That’ll show them. I don’t need them for friends anyway.

 Jared leaves the stage as the curtain goes down.

 When curtain comes back up, there are valentine boxes on the stage, with kids names on them—Cassie, Jared, Allison, James and Tommy. Jared walks in with his valentines.

 Jared: Guess I’ll put mine in the boxes. Not in Cassie and Tommy’s boxes though! Let’s see, this is the one I made for Allison, and this is the one I made for James. I’ll just drop them in their boxes and…..(He starts to put them in the box, but just then Cassie and Tommy walk onstage. Jared hurriedly stuffs the valentines into the boxes, but puts them in the wrong ones—instead of Allison and James’s boxes, he puts them in Cassie and Tommy’s boxes. )

 Cassie: Uh….Hi, Jared. Happy Valentines Day.

 Tommy: Yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day. We were just going to put our valentines in the boxes.

 Jared: I already put mine in. See ya. (He leaves the stage)

 Cassie looks in her box.

 Cassie: Look! There’s a valentine in my box from Jared! It says “Friends Forever!”

 Tommy: There’s one in my box too. It says “You’re the Best!” Gee, I guess he has forgotten about our fight. Maybe he wants to be friends again. I sure miss him.

 Cassie: Me too. Let’s go and thank him for the valentines!

 Tommy: Good idea!

 They are about to leave when Jared comes back onstage.

 Jared: Oh, uh….hi. I thought maybe I put my valentines in the wrong boxes. I was just coming back to check….

 Tommy: Thank you for the valentine! I think you’re the best too…..the best friend!!!!

 Jared: Huh?…………… Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, you’re welcome.

 Tommy: I’m sorry we didn’t let you play with us.

 Cassie: That wasn’t nice of us. It would have been more fun if you were playing too. You are always so funny.

 Jared: Really? You really think so? Well, I shouldn’t have pulled your hair Cassie. That was mean.

 Cassie: That’s okay. I really like the valentine you gave me, Jared.

 Jared: So…are we friends again?

 Tommy: Friends forever!

 Cassie: Yeah… Friends forever!

 Jared: I’m glad I decided to give you those valentines! (reaches out and pulls Cassie’s hair)

 Cassie: Ow!

 (all three laugh and start leaving the stage together as the curtain comes down)

The Valentine Pet

(Susanna Holstein 1.30.2004)

Note: this was written with the specific curtains we used. We had one made of blue fabric with clouds that we used for outside scenes; another was black with a window made of felt, with little curtains, etc to look like the inside of a house. The outside curtain was pinned to the top of the inside curtain and flipped up or down depending on the scene.

Scene 1: Use “inside of house” curtain

 Bobby: Boy,. It’s almost Valentine’s Day. I don’t know what to give my Mom for a Valentine’s present. Last year I gave her that big picture I drew of my dog tearing open the trash bags. She didn’t know what it was at first, but when I explained it to her, she said it was very realistic and creative. See, I made the picture using something my art teacher calls “collage.” I got pieces of the trash and the plastic trash bag and glued them right on the picture.

 Sally: Yeah, I remember that picture! It started to smell a little funny after a while, though, and Mom said we better throw it away because it was a health hazard! What a great present!

 Bobby: Well, what did YOU give her last year that was so great? Oh, I remember. It was that Atomic Bomb perfume! She was allergic to it and broke out in hives and we had to take her to the hospital. That was a GREAT present all right. I bet she never forgets that one.

 Sally: Oh, you’re a dork! I’m going to my room. So there!

 Bobby: Yanh! Baby! Go on and run, I don’t care. Silly old Sally anyway. My present was better than hers.

 Sally leaves the stage.

 Mom: Hi Bobby. Where’s your sister?

 Bobby: Um, she went to play in her room. Mom, is ther anything you really, really want for Valentine’s Day this year?

 Mom: Oh Bobby, you don’t need to get me a present! Just make me a nice card and that would be just fine. I already have so much stuff, and a card is something special to me.

 Bobby leaves the stage. Mom stares after him for a second.

 Mom: That Bobby is such a sweet boy. That picture he gave me last year really was creative. I wish I could have kept it, but the smell…..

 Mom: There’s Mrs. Lattimer across the street. That little dog of hers is so cute. It would nice to have a pet to curl up with in the evenings.  Now that Bobby and Sally are older, I’d like to have a pet around during the day to keep me company.

 (Mom leaves the stage.)  Bobby and Sally enter stage.

 Bobby: Did you hear that? She wants a pet. That’s what we can get her  for Valentine’s Day.

 Sally: What kind of a pet? Where would we get one? How would we pay for it?

 Bobby: You sure ask a lot of questions! She didn’t say what kind, I guess any kind would be all right. Let’s look in the paper. Sometimes people give away pets they don’t want.

 Sally: Good idea. Let’s find toay’s paperand see if there are any free pets listed.

Both leave the stage.

Scene 2: Use “outside” curtain 

Bobby and a man are onstage.

 Bobby: Yes, sir. I saw your ad in the paper that you had a pet to give away. I’m looking for a nice pet for my Mom for Valentine’s Day. Have you given yours away yet?

 Man: No, son, I sure haven’t. Let me show you my little Cleopatra.

 He leaves the stage.

 Bobby: Cleopatra? It must be a beautiful pet! I wonder what it is?

 Man comes back with big snake.

 Man: Here she is! Meet Cleopatra, son. What did you say your name was?

 Bobby: Uh, uh, B-B-B-Bobby! Uh, she’s really nice, Mister, but I don’t think my Mom would be very happy if I brought Cleopatra to her for Valentine’s Day. Good-bye!

 Man: She’s a great pet! She’s real quiet, and she doesn’t chew anything up or get hair all over things.

Bobby: I’m sure you’re right. I hope someone else will want her. Bye!

Bobby leaves stage in a big hurry.    Sally comes onstage.

 Sally: This ad says that these people have a nice, small, cuddly pet to give away. I wonder what it is?

 Woman comes onstage.

 Woman: Hello. Were you coming to my house?

 Sally: Yes, I saw your ad in the paper that said you had a pet to give away. I am looking for a nice pet for my mother for Valentine’s Day. May I see your pet?

 Woman. Certainly. Wait right here. I’ll go and get dear little Mortimer.

 Woman leaves the stage.

 Sally: Dear little Mortimer? This must be a nice small pet, maybe a kitten. That would be perfect for Mom. Bobby will be so jealous when I find the best pet.

 Woman comes back on stage.

 Woman: Here you are, dear. Isn’t he sweet?

 She shows Sally the mouse she is holding.

 Sally: A mouse? For a pet?

 Woman: Oh, mice make wonderful pets! They’re very quiet, and they don’t eat much, and they scare people.

 Sally: My mother is afraid of mice. She fainted last time she saw one. She fell right on the mouse and almost squashed it!

 Woman: Oh dear! I wouldn’t want that to happen to my Mortimer! I’m afraid I can’t give him to you after all. What a shame!

Woman leaves the stage.

 Sally: Mom would really be mad if I brought a mouse home. I hope Bobby found a better pet than I did.

 Bobby comes onstage.

 Sally: Did you get a pet? The one I found was a mouse! You know how Mom feels about mice.

 Bobby: Oh boy! Remember how she fell on that one? I thought all its blood and guts were going to….

 Sally: That’s okay, Bobby, sometimes I REALLY don’t want to know what you’re thinking! Anyway, did you find a good pet?

 Bobby:  Oh yeah, it was great! It was a great big snake! But I knew Mom wouldn’t like it.

 Sally: A snake! You’re right, she’d probably have to be taken to the hospital if we walked in with a snake. Some present that would be!

 Bobby: What are we going to do now? We have to find a present! Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.

 Sally: Let’s walk down to the pet store. Maybe we can get her a goldfish. I have a little money.

 Bobby: Okay. A goldfish isn’t much company, though, or very easy to cuddle with. But that’s probably going to be the best we can do.

 They walk offstage.

 Scene 3: “Outside” Curtain

 Sign at one side of the stage says “Free Puppies!”

 Bobby and Sally walk on from the other side.

 Bobby: Look! Free puppies! That’s just what we need!

 Sally: They’re probably all given away already. But let’s go ask. Maybe there’s one left.

 Man comes on with a dog.

 Bobby: Hello. Are all the puppies gone yet?

 Man: Yes, they sure are. I gave them all away this morning. I think people wanted them for Valentine’s presents or something.

 Sally: Oh dear. We wanted one for our mother for Valentine’s Day. She really wants a pet. I guess we’ll have to get her a goldfish after all.

Man: Wait a minute. This is the mother dog, and I can’t keep her either. I’m moving away and that’s why I had to give away the puppies. I hate to part with Miss Priss here, but I know she won’t be happy in the apartment I’m going to be living in in the city. Do you think your mother would like her for a pet? She’s a really nice dog, she never bites or jumps on furniture, and she loves to cuddle on your lap. Ill even give you ger dog house and bowl and leash and sweaters and toys and food and……

 Curtain comes down while he’s still talking.

 Scene 4     Inside Curtain

 Sally, Bobby and dog are on stage.

 Bobby: Do you think she’ll like Miss Priss? I sure do.

 Sally: I hope so. I’ll really feel bad if Miss Priss has to go live in a city apartment.

 Mom comes on stage.

Mom: Bobby, Sally, dinner is ready. Where on earth have you two been?

 She stops talking and stares at the dog.

 Mom: A dog! Where did you get a dog? Who does she belong to?

 Bobby and Sally talk at the same time:

 Bobby: Well, you see we wanted

 Sally: She’ll have to live in an apartment

 Bobby: we got her for you

 Sally: Valentine’s Day….

 Mom: Stop! One at a time! I think I understand, though. You’re saying that this beautiful dog would have to live in a city apartment if we don’t take her, and that you brought her to me for a Valentine’s Day present?

 Bobby and Sally: Yes, Maam.

 Mom: Thank you! She’s just what I wanted!  I think I’ll name her….

 Bobby and Sally: She already has a name, Mom. Her name is Miss Priss.

 Mom: That’s perfect! Welcome home, Miss Priss. You’re the best Valentine’s Day present ever.

 Puppets: , Old Man, Young Man, Boy, Girl, Young Woman, Old Woman, Dog, Mouse, Snake 

Props: Sign “Free Puppies!”

 Curtains: Clouds for scenes 2 and 3

Black curtain with window for Scenes 1 and 4