Ryers Readers - Otis

Episode Date: September 1, 2023

Friendship can sometimes help you out of some sticky situations!

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 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 celebrity.

Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that baby cows or calves are on average around 90 pounds when they are born? Unlike a lot of other babies, when calves are born, they are able to see, stand, and walk immediately. They can also smell things from as far as six miles away. Pretty cool, huh? Storytime! Today, we have a super special Ryers Reader's Reader's request from three-year-old Charlie in Illinois, USA.

Charlie would like to hear Otis by Lauren Long. I hope you enjoy this story, Charlie. Let's do this. There was once a friendly little tractor. His name was Otis. And every day, Otis and his farmer worked together, taking care of the farm they called home. Otis liked to work. But after working hard all day, Otis was ready to unwind and play. He would ride the rolling hills and skirt mud pond down by the corn.

He would leapfrog bales of hay and explode through hay stacks. On occasion, he would chase a rabbit or play ring around the rosy with the ducks to the sound of his steady put-puff-puff-puddy chuff. And sometimes, at the end of the day, he would just sit. under the apple tree and watch the farm below every night tired but happy Otis would put-puff into the stall in the barn that was all his one night when Otis was fast asleep the farmer brought a beautiful baby calf into the barn the calf bald and bald for her mother but when the sleepy sound of a

soft put-puff putty chuff came from the next stall The scared little calf stopped bawling and drifted off to sleep. From that day on, the calf started following the little tractor everywhere he went. Put-puff-puff-puff-puddy-chuff. She followed him over the rolling hills and down by mud pond. She was right behind him leapfrogging bales of hay, and the calf made their games of ring-around-the-rosy all the better. Sometimes, at the end of the day,

The two of them would just sit together, under the apple tree, and watch the farm below. Otis loved his little calf, and the little calf loved Otis. One day, the farmer surprised everyone with a brand new yellow tractor. Time to move out, Otis, the farmer said. He took Otis out of the little stall in the barn that was all his and parked him back behind the barn. Then he backed the big yellow tractor into the stall next to the little calf. Little calf didn't like the big yellow tractor. He had a deep rumbling snore that shook the stall when he slept.

There was no one to purr the little calf gently to sleep, no one to spend her days with. And Otis? Otis could not even see his farm as the weeds began to cover his tires. His friend often sat with him, but she could not get him to play like the old days. It was early summer when the farmer discovered a poster. Who has the prettiest calf in the land? Judges will decide at the county fair and award a fancy blue ribbon to the winner. The farmer knew the answer.

He would show the little calf. But on the morning of the fair, the little calf was nowhere to be found. She had wandered down to mud pond by the cornfield to cool off. When she waded in the muddy water, her feet sank. With every step, she sank deeper and deeper and deeper. The little calf was stuck in mud pond. Get the hands! The farmer shouted when he saw her.

All the farm hands came running with their ropes, but the more they tugged, the more stuck the cat. got. Get the big yellow tractor! The farmer shouted, he can save her. But the big tractor just scared the little calf. She sank in deeper and deeper. Nearby farmers began to gather. Fire chief Douglas and the fire truck! The farmer shouted, they can save our little calf. But the sight of the big red fire truck startled the little calf even deeper. The farmer was fit to be tied. If the farm hands and the big tractor and even fire chief Douglas and his fire truck couldn't save the little calf, who could? Suddenly, the little

calf's ears perked up. Over the hum of the growing crowd, there came a faint sound in the distance, a soft rhythmic purr. The crowd turned and looked. The sound became a sound. louder. Put-puff putty chuff. And all at once, Otis putt puffed from around the barn. He turned and headed straight towards Mont Pond. Otis putt puffed down the rolling hill and pulled right up next to the muddy water's edge. The calf heard her friends puttering purr and bawled. It was something like a hello. Then to the sound of the gentle chuff and the amazement of all the people in the in the crowd, Otis slowly began to circle the pond. He circled and he circled, and the little calf turned and turned, never taking her eyes off of her friend. With each ring Otis made, a round

mud pond, the muddy grip loosened until the calf was able to stumble out of the pond on her own. The two friends had found each other again. Otis led the calf right down the dusty road towards the village, and everyone threw flowers as they went, following them into town. It looked like a happy parade. No one needed a fancy blue ribbon to tell them that the calf was a special calf. Otis was a special tractor, and the two of them were special friends. From that day on, the farmer discovered that with Otis's Poucett's Poucester,

Puttering Purr beside the chicken coop, the chickens laid more eggs. At milking time, with Otis' gentle chuff nearby, his cows produced more milk. On occasion, Otis even got to join the farmer and the big yellow tractor out in the fields. But often, at the end of the day, Otis would just sit with his friend under the apple tree and watch the farm below. 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 type of fruit tree did Otis like to sit under?

If your answer was an apple tree, 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, Charlie. Hi, I'm Charlie. You know this? Thank you.