Once a little boy went to school.
One morning
The teacher said:
βToday we are going to make a picture.β
βGood!β thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds;
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats;
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said, βWait!β
βIt is not time to begin!β
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
βNow,β said the teacher,
βWe are going to make flowers.β
βGood!β thought the little boy,
He liked to make beautiful ones
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said βWait!β
βAnd I will show you how.β
And it was red, with a green stem.
βThere,β said the teacher,
βNow you may begin.β
The little boy looked at his teacherβs flower
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacherβs
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over,
And made a flower like the teacherβs.
It was red, with a green stem.
On another day
The teacher said:
βToday we are going to make something with clay.β
βGood!β thought the little boy;
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.
But the teacher said, βWait!β
βIt is not time to begin!β
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
βNow,β said the teacher,
βWe are going to make a dish.β
βGood!β thought the little boy,
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said βWait!β
βAnd I will show you how.β
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
βThere,β said the teacher,
βNow you may begin.β
The little boy looked at the teacherβs dish;
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his better than the teacherβs
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again
And made a dish like the teacherβs.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch
And to make things just like the teacher.
And pretty soon
He didnβt make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
That the little boy and his family
Moved to another house,
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
The teacher said:
βToday we are going to make a picture.β
βGood!β thought the little boy.
And he waited for the teacher
To tell what to do.
But the teacher didnβt say anything.
She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy
She asked, βDonβt you want to make a picture?β
βYes,β said the little boy.
βWhat are we going to make?β
βI donβt know until you make it,β said the teacher.
βHow shall I make it?β asked the little boy.
βWhy, anyway you like,β said the teacher.
βAnd any color?β asked the little boy.
βAny color,β said the teacher.
And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.
~Helen Buckley, The Little Boy
