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Stories from Around the World
What A Nice Little Boy that Was
It's taking place at Grandpa's home. The little boy would like to be with Grandpa instead of his mother, who's taking him to school. They're waiting for the school bus. The little boy wants to stay and play music with Grandpa. He likes Grandpa because Grandpa does neat things, like play the banjo and go fishing. He's fun and he'll fix your roof! The little boy would do ANYTHING to stay with Grandpa rather than go to school. His mother says, "You're going to school. It's good for you."
Grandpa says "Some other time," but he also thinks that he doesn't want the little boy to be only thinking about school. Working with animals is also important, and so is music. Grandpa is involved in music, so he'd like the little boy to learn it, too. Grandpa likes the sound of music and he especially likes the banjo.
Later, the boy and the grandpa go to the store. They go for a snack, but also for a guitar and a piano. Grandpa is going to pay for it, but not the whole thing! Grandma will pay for the rest. Grandma thinks it's wonderful. She's a nice grandma, and she does the washing. They need a truck to take the piano back. It's pretty heavy. Some other family members who play music loan them a truck to get the piano home. When they get home, they have to rearrange the furniture AND they have to talk to mom to make some decisions. When mom sees all the instruments, she says, "I'll ship 'em out! It's too much noise!" She wonders who's paying for all of it. She decides she'll pay for part of it, because even though she's upset, she does like music. Music will open the door for her children. There are some good things about it.
In the end, the little boy learns to play the trumpet and the banjo. He's talented. When he grows up he might have a family and he'll encourage them to play, too. They have a lot of music in their house, and everybody plays some sort of instrument.
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