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Alvie, the Little Brown Burro Finds A Home
And so the saga of Alvie begins.....
Once upon a time, at a mall not so very far away, there was a toy store where a small toy, a brown burro, was carelessly tossed in a bin with other small toys.
It was Christmas time and the mall was very crowded.
The burro was little. He was alone. He was scared.
Big people and little people would stop and look in the bin. Sometimes they would select a toy to take home with them. But they never selected the little brown burro.
He was not chosen.
He didn't even have a name.
He really, really wanted to have a home. So he closed his eyes really, really tight and held his breath and wished really, really hard. He wished that someone nice would look in the bin and choose him to go home with them.
And do you know what happened? Nothing, that's what!
Well, at least not right away.
So the little brown burro decided he had to do something. He shined his hoofs really bright. He brushed his burro mane and burro tail until they were all silky smooth. Then he put his best little burro smile on his face. He wanted everyone who looked in the bin to notice what a fine looking, friendly burro he was.
All day long, the little brown burro waited for someone to notice him. Several people looked in the toy bin and one or two even picked up the little brown burro. But they put him back in the bin and no one chose him.
It had been a very long day. It was almost time for the store to close for the night. The little brown burro thought that his wish had not been granted. He was very sad.
And then....it happened.
Just when the little brown burro had given up hope, a very nice lady - with a very nice smile and kind brown eyes - looked in the bin. The little brown burro smiled really big and looked right at the nice lady. She picked him up. "Oh, how cute," she said. "You look like a nice little burro. I'm going to take you home with me. You'll like it at my house. We laugh and have fun every day."
And just like that, she bought the little brown burro and took him home with her!
And do you know what? She was right! The little brown burro DID like it at her house. She lived with her nice husband in a nice neighborhood, in a nice house. The burro was very happy to be a part of her family!
And that's how Alvie - although he still didn't have his name yet - found a home.
What did Alvie learn? He learned that you should never give up. Even when it looks like your dreams might not come true. Keep on trying. Do everything you can to prepare yourself for success and one day your dreams just might come true.
THE END
Here are some good discussion questions to ask your children after reading them Alvie's story:
1. Why did Alvie want a home instead of staying in the toy store?
2. What happened the first time the little brown burro wished for a new home?
3. What did the little burro do to try to get someone to notice him?
4. Who finally chose the brown burro and why?
5. Did the little burro like his new home? Why?
6. What did Alvie learn?
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