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Climate change is real. It isn’t just an “inconvenient truth” (Guggenheim, 2006) in a documentary film starring former US Vice-President Al Gore. It’s been happening in the Philippines. Furious typhoons and ruthless droughts.
This is what “Annie D. Ant,” the picture storybook, and the Readers Theater Edition is all about. I hope teachers out there as well as parents and grandparents will be inspired to share this story with the kids in their classrooms or under their care.
Here’s Part 2 of the Readers Theater Edition:
* * *
The Readers Theater Edition
by Carmelita C. Ballesteros
(Adapted from the author’s picture storybook)
CHARACTERS
Narrators 1 and 2, have an expressive voice and clear enunciation
(could be a boy and a girl, both girls, or both boys)
Annie D. Ant, has a young, kind voice
Georgia Grass-Hopper, sounds vain and selfish
Little Red Hen, a little loud and bossy
Poky Little Puppy, sounds arrogant and overbearing
First Little Pig, always seems curious
Second Little Pig, arrogant, laughs foolishly
Third Little Pig, proud, smart-aleck
(The Three Little Pigs could be all girls, all boys, or mixed)
Elsa the Elf, high-pitched, but nice voice
Mr. Lion, has a big voice, but sounds humble
Mr. Sheep, has a very loud voice
Mrs. Duck, almost as loud as Mr. Sheep
Mrs. Cow, has a cheerful voice
Mr. Turtle, has a mellow voice
STAGE DIRECTIONS
The children stand in a semi-circle, middle of the stage. On the right side facing the audience, the narrators are beside each other. Beside them are the major characters. The CHOIR members stand together, left side facing the audience. Ideally, there should be five microphones with stand. However, if there’s only one microphone, the teacher/coach can devise an efficient manner of using the microphone. The CHOIR does not need a mike. If a choir member will speak individually, he or she must use the mike.
Part II
NARRATOR 1: The little red hen sits at the dining table. She is hot and sweaty. NARRATOR 2: Annie gives her a glass of water. There is another knock at the door.
Knock! Knock!
GEORGIA: Who is it?
POKY LITTLE PUPPY: I’m your neighbor. I’m the poky little puppy. Can I have some
food? I’m so hungry!
ANNIE: Come in! Please join Ms. Little Red Hen.
NARRATOR 1: Annie gives a bowl of soup to the poky little puppy. He’s also
hot and sweaty.
NARRATOR 2: There is a very loud knock at the door. Knock! Knock!
ANNIE & GEORGIA: Who is it?
THREE LITTLE PIGS: (together) We are your neighbors. We are the three
little pigs. We have nothing to eat and nothing to drink. Hu-hu-hu!
ANNIE: Come in. Don’t cry. Please sit down and join our good friends.
Georgia, would you please set the table for three more?
GEORGIA: (annoyed) Here you are. Placemats, plates, soup bowls, spoons,
and glasses. What else do you need?
ANNIE: I have a great idea. Why don’t you all stay here with Georgia and me?
LITTLE RED HEN: (sniffing, sincerely touched) Oh, Annie, you’re so kind!
CHOIR: Thank you for the water, It’s the coolest glass, It’s the sweetest glass,
In all my life.
NARRATOR 1: But Georgia wasn’t happy.
NARRATOR 2: Georgia didn’t like her neighbors.
ANNIE: We need to fix up extra beds for our neighbors.
GEORGIA: Hey, Annie. We don’t have enough food and water for all of us!
Why did you invite them to stay with us?
ANNIE: We cannot eat and drink while they starve, can we?
NARRATOR 1: It is December. Soon, it will be Christmas. But there’s still no
rain.
NARRATOR 2: Annie and Georgia are trimming their old Christmas tree. They
also have an old lantern and other old Christmas décor.
ANNIE: (optimistic) Christmas is just around the corner.
GEORGIA: (cross) And the water in our dam is getting less and less.
ANNIE: (sighs) I know. There isn’t much food left in our storehouse.
GEORGIA: Annie, I’m getting really scared. I’m afraid we won’t have any
Christmas dinner. And it’s your fault!
LITTLE RED HEN: It’s not Annie’s fault, Georgia. It’s ours.
POKY LITTLE PUPPY: We shouldn’t have stayed here.
FIRST LITTLE PIG: We should have stocked our own food and water.
SECOND LITTLE PIG: We shouldn’t have made fun of you.
THIRD LITTLE PIG: If we’re not welcome here anymore, let’s go back home.
GEORGIA: (furious) Goodbye!
ANNIE: Wait! Stop!
CHOIR: Let’s suffer one more day, I trust we’ll get by, Let’s share one more
meal, I trust we’ll get by.
ANNIE: We’ll get by. I have e-mailed my friends in South Africa, Australia,
and England. And my e-mail pals in Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan have
promised to send food and water soon.
GEORGIA: Really? Why would your e-mail friends do that?
ANNIE: Because they know about El Niño.
NARRATOR 1: There is a knock at the door.
NARRATOR 2: Knock! Knock!
(Music: Instrumental Version of “Feliz Navidad”)
ANNIE: Who is it?
ELSA THE ELF: (excited) I’m Elsa the Elf. I’m from the Elf Express. I
have a container van with me. It’s full of food and water for you.
ANNIE & GEORGIA: Come in! Please come in!
ELSA THE ELF: The food parcels and water jugs are from South Africa,
Australia, and England.
ANNIE & GEORGIA: How wonderful!
GEORGIA: Thank you so much, Elsa. We’ve been starving.
ANNIE: You’re an angel, Elsa.
ELSA THE ELF: No, I’m not. I’m an elf from the Elf Express. I need some
help to unload the food and water.
LITTLE RED HEN: (cheerfully) Tak-tak-tak-tak! No problem!
POKY LITTLE PUPPY: (merrily) Barf-barf! Barf-barf! Anytime, Miss Elsa
the Elf! Your ears are fascinating!
FIRST LITTLE PIG: (delightedly) Oink-oink! What kind of food have you
brought for us?
SECOND LITTLE PIG: (thrilled) Oink-oink! Did you bring any corn for
me? And some sweet potatoes? Ha-ha-ha!
THIRD LITTLE PIG: (overjoyed) Oink-oink! How many food parcels and
how many jugs of water shall we unload?
ELSA THE ELF: One thousand food parcels and one thousand water jugs.
GEORGIA: Wow! We’ll never go hungry and thirsty again.
ANNIE: We were never hungry and thirsty.
GEORGIA: Yes, I was. Yes, I am. We have been eating less and drinking less.
ANNIE: We’ve always had enough, Georgia. And now that we have so much,
we shall give some of them to our neighbors.
GEORGIA: (exasperated) What? Annie, I don’t understand it!
ANNIE: (determined) Let’s get the empty baskets from our food storehouse.
LITTLE RED HEN: Let me help you. Annie, can we give some food and
water to my old friends, Mr. Robert O. Rabbit and Mr. Terry T. Turtle?
ANNIE: Sure, we’ll give something to everyone.
GEORGIA: Sure, we’ll be starving again soon. We had very little food and water.
Then Elsa the Elf came. All at once, we have plenty of food and water! But we’ll give them away. We shall have very little left for us again!
ANNIE: (kind and caring) Georgia dear, we have more today than we had yesterday!
CHOIR: We’ve always had enough, We’ve never wanted more. And now we have a
van, To share with everyone.
NARRATOR 1: Annie, Georgia, and their five neighbors are very excited.
NARRATOR 2: They’d like to distribute food and water to the entire animal kingdom as
fast as possible.
ANNIE: I think it will be easier and faster if we ask our neighbors to come here. Ms.
Little Red Hen, would you fly to the treetop and call everyone?
LITTLE RED HEN: (briskly) Right away! Tak-tak-tak-tak!
POKY LITTLE PUPPY: Annie, I can help call our neighbors. I can bark and run around
the hill.
ANNIE: (smiling) Start running! Go!
FIRST LITTLE PIG: Annie, are you sure there’ll be enough for all our neighbors?
GEORGIA: Annie, are you sure there’ll be enough for us?
ANNIE: Yes, we took down 50 food parcels and 50 water jugs to the basement.
THIRD LITTLE PIG: So we’re going to give away 950 food parcels and 950
water jugs.
SECOND LITTLE PIG: That’s right. I’m sure our neighbors will be pleased!