Transcript
Discussion (0)
Do this! Thank you so much for tuning into today's story. Don't forget to rate and follow, so you never miss out on all the Ryer's Reader's fun.
And if you're looking for even more fun, come join me on the Ryer's Reader's Patreon page, where you can find ad-free episodes, bonus content, and even become a Ryer's Reader's celebrity.
Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact?
Did you know that there are at least 77 different animals and plants that are no longer living in the wild and can only live in zoos?
You can visit animals like the chicken frog or the European bison and even the California condor in a zoo, but won't be able to find them anywhere in the wild.
Pretty cool, huh?
Okay, story time.
Today, we have a super special Ryers' Reader's Request from Maddie and Rosie in Rhode Island, USA.
Maddie and Rosie would like to hear, Love You Forever by Robert Munch.
I hope you too enjoy this story. Let's do this.
Oh, and, um, grownups, you might want to grab some tissues for this one.
A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back.
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she held him, she sang,
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
The baby grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was two years old,
and he ran all around the house.
He pulled all the books off the shelves.
He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator, and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet.
Sometimes his mother would say, this kid is driving me crazy.
But at nighttime, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed,
And if he was really asleep, she picked him up, rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him, she sang, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
That little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew, and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old.
And he never wanted to come in for dinner.
He never wanted to take a bath.
And when Grandma visited, he always said bad words.
Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo.
But at nighttime, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy
and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him, she sang,
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
The boy grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a teenager.
He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes.
and he listened to strange music.
Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo.
But at nighttime, when that teenager was asleep,
the mother opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep,
she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him, she sang,
I'll love you forever.
I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
That teenager grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a grown-up man.
He left home and he got a house across town.
But sometimes, on dark nights, the mother got into her car and drove across town.
If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window,
crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed.
If that great big man was really asleep, she picked him up and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him, she sang, I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living my baby you'll be. That mother, she got older. She got older and older and older.
One day, she called up her son and said, You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick.
So her son came to see her.
When he came in, she tried to sing the song.
She sang, I'll love you forever.
I'll like you for always.
But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick.
The son went to his mother.
He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And he sang this song.
I'll love you forever.
I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living my mommy you'll be.
When the sun came home that night,
he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.
Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping.
He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her.
back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And while he rocked her, he sang,
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.
The end.
Don't forget to stick around to see if you can answer
today's paying attention question.
Before you go, do you think you can answer
today's paying attention question?
attention question. At night, when the boy was asleep, how did the mother get across the floor to his bed?
If your answer was, she crawled, you did it! Great job! You sure were paying attention. I hope you
enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next. Bye, Maddie. Bye, Rosie.