Ryers Readers - Not My Circus

Episode Date: April 17, 2024

Olivia bought her very own circus! But, can she find a way to keep it?!

Let's 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 Ryers, readers, fun. Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that an idiom is a word or phrase that means something different from its actual meaning? You might have even heard a few idioms before. Here are some common. common idiom phrases that you might recognize. Number one, not my circus, not my monkeys, means not my problem. Number two, raining cats and dogs means it's raining really hard. Number three, break a leg, means good luck.

Number four, spill the beans. means to tell a secret. Number five, hit the sack, means go to sleep. Number six, under the weather, means feeling sick. Number seven, costs an arm and a leg, means it costs a lot. And number eight, bent out of shape, means to get upset. Do you recognize any of these phrases? Do you or your grown-up use them?

Well, maybe now you might. Pretty cool, huh? Okay, story time. Today, we are going to read, Not My Circus, by Janet Sumner Johnson. When Olivia's mom sent her to the market, she was supposed to buy eggs. Circus for sale It couldn't resist a bargain She made friends with the animals right away

And was thrilled when they agreed to go home with her Was not so thrilled But she invited the animals in for dinner While they discussed the matter Dinner did not go well The monkey started it But none of the other animals made a good case for themselves That night, Olivia emailed Mr. Victor.

Dear Mr. Victor, these monkeys are troublemakers. Please take the circus back. Sincerely, Olivia. But Mr. Victor didn't care. Dear Olivia, not my circus, not my monkeys. Good luck, Mr. Victor. I'm calling the zoo, mom announced. Olivia begged, please, not the zoo.

I'll teach the animal's manners, I promise. Her mom agreed to wait for the moment. Lessons started right away. Olivia taught them which fork to use and when. That's not for combing hair. She demonstrated how to use a napkin. Napkins aren't food. She introduced them to the toilet.

It gross! And the plunger. Olivia's mom was most impressed. She decided that they could keep the circus. Maybe they aren't so bad. Until the neighbors stopped by. That night, Olivia reluctantly emailed Mr. Victor again. Dear Mr. Victor, the elephant's poop is too big.

Please take the circus back. Sincerely, Olivia. But Mr. Victor didn't care. Dear Olivia, not my circus, not my elephant. Good luck, Mr. Victor. So Olivia rallied the animals to clean up the neighborhood. The elephant hoes down the streets. The goats cleaned up the trash.

The dogs weeded the flower beds. The camel spills. it shined everyone's cars. Olivia's neighbors were quite impressed and agreed to let the circus stay. Maybe they aren't so bad. Their streets stayed tidy, their cars shined like never before,

and their animal fertilized flowers became prize-winning, which caught the attention of the mayor. Exotic pets are not allowed, he declared. Everyone begged the mayor to let the animals stay, but he put his foot down. That night, Olivia emailed Mr. Victor in tears. Dear Mr. Victor, the mayor says we can't keep the animals. I have potty trained them and taught the manners. Please take the circus back.

Sincerely, Olivia. But Mr. Victor, didn't care. Dear Olivia, not my circus, not my animals. Good luck, Mr. Victor. Mom sighed. Guess it's time to call the zoo. No, this is my circus, and they are my... Olivia stayed up all night working on a plan. In the morning, the animals helped distribute the flyers. Olivia's amazing animals Inc. Neighborhood cleanups. Fantastic fertilizer. Flower beds for sale. Best prices in town. The mayor objected, I told you no exotic pets. Olivia shrugged. They're not pets. They're my home business. Word spread far and wide of Olivia's success and eventually the news reached Mr.

He decided that maybe he'd be too hasty in selling his circus. He emailed Olivia right away. Dear Olivia, I changed my mind. I will take the circus back after all. Sincerely, Mr. Victor. But Olivia didn't care. Dear Mr. Victor, not your circus, not your animals. Good luck, Olivia. 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? What did the goats do to clean up the neighborhood? If your answer was cleaned up the trash, 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.