AUTHOR: Bill Peet by The Children's Storytime Bookshelf - Dailymotion

The Children's Storytime Bookshelf

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00:00The

00:27Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg written by one of my favorite authors, Bill Pete.

00:37Myrtle was sad and completely depressed. As she sat staring down at her empty dove nest,

00:44her children had flown off and left her that day. It was hard on a mother to send them away,

00:51but her instincts had told her that they were full grown and ready to start a life on their own.

00:57She held back her tears for as long as she could,

01:01till they'd flown out of sight on their way through the wood.

01:08Then she fluttered far back in a dark cave to brood and try to get over her miserable mood.

01:15As she swooped through the gloom with a woe-be-gone sigh, an odd-colored oval-shaped

01:21rock caught her eye. But Myrtle, on closer inspection, could tell that the rock was an egg,

01:28for it had an eggshell. I must hatch it, she cried, or at least try my best,

01:35if there's some way to get it back up to my nest.

01:41This problem of Myrtle's was solved right away by some frisky young squirrels who'd come there

01:47to play. They took off with the egg in a wild free-for-all, sent it bouncing along like a big

01:54bowling ball. Out of the cave door, across the rough ground, and straight for the tree it went

02:01whirling around. And to Myrtle's surprise, in less than a minute, they were up to her nest

02:07and plunked the egg in it. Soon, all sorts of birds began flocking around to see the big egg

02:17that Myrtle had found. Blue jays, and redbirds, and noisy magpies, and a big stuffy owl who was

02:25worldly and wise. It won't hatch, said the owl. That egg is stone cold. Why, for all that we know,

02:34it's a thousand years old. If it does hatch, a jay said, I bet it's a turtle, for after all,

02:43you are a turtle dove, Myrtle. But the dove didn't listen to what the birds said.

02:48She was bound and determined to go right ahead.

02:56Early one day, when no birds were around, Myrtle awoke to a faint scratching sound.

03:03It came from inside of the egg. She could tell something was trying to break through the shell.

03:09I knew it, I knew it, she gleefully cried. The egg's going to hatch. There is someone inside.

03:22And once more, the birds crowded Myrtle's treetop to watch as the egg cracked apart with a pop.

03:29Then a feathery thing poked his little head out. Bewildered and frightened, he looked all about.

03:36Happy birthday, the dove whispered softly to him, and he felt more at home and hopped out on the limb.

03:48At first, all the birds were just too stunned to speak, but finally a jay blurted out,

03:54it's a freak. Just look, the thing is half lion, half eagle. I'm sure it must be unsafe or illegal.

04:04No, no, said the owl with a long, thoughtful look. It's a creature straight out of a fairy tale book.

04:12The thing's called a griffin. It doesn't exist. But as a precaution, I firmly insist that we

04:20ought to get rid of this brute right away, or it might grow up and cause trouble someday.

04:29This was too much for Myrtle. Fire flashed in her eyes, and she ruffled her feathers to look twice

04:36her size. You old fool, she exploded. You mixed up old bird. That's the silliest thing anyone's ever

04:45heard. If a griffin's not real, then how under the sun can a thing not at all ever harm anyone?

04:53With a furious charge like a mad bumblebee, she chased the owl back to his old hollow tree.

05:03The commotion and noise made him so terrified that the griffin crawled back in his eggshell to hide.

05:11Myrtle called softly, come out. It's all clear. The birds have all gone. I'm the only one here.

05:23So the griffin crept out on the tree limb once more with slightly more courage than he'd had

05:28before. That's better, said Myrtle. Now the first thing we'll do is pick out a name that sounds just

05:36right for you. There's an old bible name that I think rhymes with meek. I know, it's Ezekiel.

05:43For short, that is Zeke. And now Zeke, if you'd like, I will teach you to fly. You've a fine pair

05:54of wings. Let's give it a try. But first, she announced, you better watch me. And she sailed a

06:02short distance away from the tree. It seemed very simple and easy to him. So Zeke spread his wings

06:08and sailed straight off the limb. For a minute, it looked like a pretty good start. Until all of a

06:15sudden, down went his hind part. He fought his way frantically back through the air and just reached

06:25the limb, but with not much despair. Your last half, sighed Myrtle, doesn't seem to be trying.

06:33It has no natural instincts, no interest in flying. But don't worry, Zeke, leave that end up to me.

06:40I have an idea that will work, wait and see.

06:48Then, by holding his long lion tail in her beak, Myrtle supported the last half of Zeke, and the

06:54griffon went gliding along on the breeze, while the dove gently steered him around through the

07:00trees. As they went sailing past, the owl hooted and sneered, while the mockingbirds mocked and the

07:07blue jays all jeered. But the dove didn't care. She expected them to. That's always the way when you

07:14try something new. This first flight of Zeke's was a very short hop. Before long, they made a refueling

07:24stop. Then Myrtle went bustling around on the ground to show him just where the best bird food was found.

07:36In crumpling old stumps, they found grub worms and slugs, and under flat rocks, they found swarms of

07:43fat bugs. So bugs, said Myrtle, have vitamin A, and so you should eat quite a few every day.

07:51But don't overeat. That's a wise old bird rule. A flyer who gains too much weight is a fool.

07:58So while Myrtle was teaching her Zeke how to fly, she gave him a set of good rules to live by.

08:08At the end of each day, Zeke would stretch out to rest high on the tree limb beside Myrtle's nest,

08:15and softly she'd coo an old dove lullaby while he dreamily stared at the moon drifting by.

08:22For Myrtle had said, if you look for a while, you can see the moon's face and its bright happy

08:28smile. And in this way, he fell off to sleep very soon, trying to make out the face on the moon.

08:36When spring came again, Zeke had reached his full size. He turned out to be huge, which was no big

08:42surprise. What amazed everyone was his skill as a flyer, for that is the thing all the birds most

08:50admire. He's a marvel, said Myrtle with a satisfied smile, and he flies as you see in the classic

09:00dove style. He flies too well, the owl said, to suit me, as he quivered and quaked in his old

09:10hollow tree. And if we're ever attacked by that powerful brute, our chance of escape wouldn't be

09:17worth a hoot. Myrtle tried to ignore what the old owl had said, but she couldn't quite put it into

09:27But she couldn't quite put it all out of her head. So wherever Zeke went, the dove followed along,

09:34just to make sure that he did nothing wrong. Late one afternoon, as they wandered around,

09:40they passed by the cave where the egg had been found. Now that's strange, said Zeke as he peeked

09:46in the door. I have a feeling I've been here before. It's just the right place for a big

09:53brute like me. Besides, I'm too big now to sleep in a tree. If you sleep here, said Myrtle with a

10:00shiver of fright, foxes and wolves might surprise you some night. They're bloodthirsty creatures,

10:08the dove pointed out, and there's no telling when they'll come prowling about.

10:16One night, as the griffon stretched out on the limb, Zeke felt as if someone were staring at him,

10:22and there, sure enough, down below on the ground, the foxes and wolves had come prowling around.

10:29Somehow they'd heard of the fabulous beast, so they were all set for a fabulous feast,

10:35and Zeke was so worried for fear he might fall for the rest of the night that he slept hardly at all.

10:42He awoke the next day with a fierce eagle scowl, and from deep in his throat came a low lion growl.

10:50I could tear all those scoundrels to ribbons, snarled Zeke, with these great eagle claws and

10:57this powerful beak. This came as a shock to the delicate dove, the symbol of peace and of motherly

11:04love, and she tearfully pleaded with Zeke not to do it. I'd die, Myrtle moaned. I couldn't live through it.

11:12Violence is wrong, and it's sinful, I say. If you'll only be patient, they might go away.

11:28But they weren't going to leave for all Zeke could see, and he just couldn't stand one more night in

11:34the tree. So Zeke left the woods and sailed off through the sky while Myrtle was chasing a big

11:40dragonfly. When he finally decided he'd gone far enough, he went gliding down to roost on a bluff,

11:48overlooking a region so bleak and so bare that only the vultures could stand living there.

11:55This place, said Zeke, is as strange as can be, so maybe it's meant for a creature like me. But I couldn't

12:03stand living out here on these rocks. It's a much better place for a wolf or a fox. Then all of a

12:10sudden he sat up with a jerk. Why, there's an idea, he said, that might work. And he hurried along

12:19And he hurried along toward the woods at top speed, anxious to see if his plan might succeed.

12:30When he came to the forest, Zeke dropped from the sky with a loud lion roar that was part

12:36eagle cry. All the birds were astounded and so terrified that they went streaking off in the

12:43bushes to hide. But the foxes and wolves all came running out to see what the unearthly noise was

12:54about and were swept off their feet, jerked up by the tail. Then over the treetops the scoundrels

13:01set sail, helplessly howling and wailing with fright, for this, you see, was their very first flight.

13:13Zeke made the long trip without dropping one fox and set them down gently on one of the rocks.

13:20Then as he departed, the griffon called out, that'll teach you scoundrels to go prowling about.

13:26If you ever come back to the woods, don't forget, I'll take all of you on a much longer trip yet.

13:33When Zeke told the dove about what he had done, she was so very proud of her gigantic son that

13:39she scurried about as fast as she could to tell every bird in that part of the wood.

13:45And now at last there wasn't one doubt, but what the fierce griffon they'd worried about

13:50was a peace-loving creature and tame as could be. Why, even the owl finally had to agree.

13:58But I'm right, the owl said, on one thing at least. He doesn't exist. He's a mythical beast.

14:06Does he mean, worried Zeke, that I'm not really here? That most any minute I might disappear?

14:13It's nonsense, scoffed Myrtle. He's a silly old bird. But if it makes him feel better,

14:19let him be. He's a mythical creature. He's a mythical creature.

14:25But if it makes him feel better, let him have the last word.

The Pinkish Purplish Bluish Egg - Bill Peet Spring Kids Books Read Aloud - Bedtime Stories for Kids

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AUTHOR: Bill Peet

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