Once upon a time, not long ago, and not far away, there was a friendly village with crooked
streets, and on the streets paraded the animals, farm animals in the village. How many? One, two, three, four, five, six, counting the duck, seven, counting the sheep, and the little pig is eight, a calf, and a nine, ten, eleven, past the big house, to the boot.
How many animals? Almost more than we could count. Now look up. Look way up. The streets were filled with animals. A big parade, I think. How many? Did you count? Lots of animals.
Well, let's go to the castle. I'll hurry over first and go in the back door so that I can let the drawbridge down and open the big front door for you. Are you ready? Here's my castle.
Here we are, inside. And here's one little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two more. And another chair. Now look up. Look way up. I'll whistle for Jerome.
Jerome is a long way away, isn't he? We could hardly hear him whistle. He's a long way away. I'll whistle again.
Hello, friendly. How are you? Fine, how are you? We thought you were a long way away because we could hardly hear you whistle.
Well, I was a long way away. I was way over at the West Gate watching an airplane over there. But you came in so quickly, I didn't have a chance to whistle again.
Well, friendly. I'm very, very fast. In fact, I was fast at that airplane I was watching. Yes, really. As fast as an airplane.
Mm-hmm. Yes. How are you doing, friendly? I think maybe you're talking just a little big.
Talking big? What do you mean? You know what I mean, Jerome. How are you doing, friendly? We were in the village before we came here, looking at all the animals.
All the animals? In the village? All the farm animals, dozens and dozens of them.
Dozens and dozens of them? We're eating down the street. More animals than we've seen before. Really dozens and dozens?
Mm-hmm. You're sure you're not talking a little big, friendly?
Well, I didn't stop to count. Maybe there weren't quite so many.
Maybe if you'd have counted, it wouldn't have come out to be dozens and dozens.
Maybe I was exaggerating. Big talk? That's what big talk is in them. Exaggerating.
Exaggerating. There's a book about it. Oh, that's right. That's right.
You know what the name of the book is? I forgot. Oh, I know. Big talk. Yes. Big talk.
See? And it isn't about a giant and it isn't about a giraffe. It's about a big kangaroo.
And a little kangaroo. A little kangaroo. And it's called big talk. Big talk.
Mm-hmm. I remember that a little bit.
Let me get over here where everyone can see all of the pictures. I think.
Let's see. The little kangaroo says all kinds of things.
Don't tell too much, giraffe. I'm sorry because we want to read the book.
That's right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell anything.
Can you see the pictures now, Jerome? Oh, yes. Big talk. Oh, big talk.
And it's by Miriam Schline. And the pictures are by Harvey Weis.
And it's a William R. Scott book. William R. Scott. It says.
Now, a little kangaroo and a big kangaroo were holding a conversation.
They were talking. How high can you jump after the big kangaroo?
I can jump as high as the sun, said the little one. Oh.
How fast can you run after the big kangaroo?
I can run as fast as the wind, said the little one.
And that's fast. That's fast. Mm-hmm.
How much can you drink?
I can drink up the sea. That's the little one.
That's the ocean. Look at the sailor over here.
He's rowing in a lifeboat so that he won't be drunk up.
How much can you eat?
All the grass in the world.
That's a lot of grass. That's a lot of grass. Are you brave?
As a lion, says the little kangaroo. He's scaring away two wild dogs, wild animals.
Are you tall? As a tree, he made himself tall.
Have you a funny face? That's a funny question. Have you a funny face?
Ah, said the little kangaroo. My face is as funny as a kukubura and a koala bear, dancing in the moonlight.
Oh, and that's funny, isn't it, easy?
Oh, said the big kangaroo. I'm glad you told me that because with all those other things you told me, I wasn't sure.
But now I know you're my own little kangaroo, hopping, and the little kangaroo hopped into the pout.
But you will, said his mother. The little kangaroo peaked up. Will what?
Will be brave as a lion and grow tall as a tree and jump high as the sun and run fast as the wind.
Will I really ask the little kangaroo? Oh, yes, said his mother. I know.
Ah, said the little one sleepily. I'm glad you told me that because, you know, I really wasn't so sure about all those things myself.
And he felt sound asleep.
Friendly? The little kangaroo was really talking big, wasn't he?
Yes, he was. And I think he knew it.
But I can do some of those things.
You can do said he could do. You can do some of the things that the little kangaroo said he could do.
Well, almost. I can jump very, very high.
Really? Not as high as the sun, but very, very high.
Have you seen Jerome jump? Oh, sure, Jerome, should I?
All right. Now, I'll look at the sound.
You'll see if you're talking big. I'll count to three and then you jump.
Ready? I'm ready. One, two, three.
Oh, my feet weren't right, friendly. Try it again.
All right. You already know? I'm ready. One, two, oh, I slipped. One, two, three.
Up you go. And here you come. Out! What did you say?
I said out, friendly. Oh. Oh. I think I could have jumped higher.
But I won't try again. My feet hurt when I come down.
You jumped so high that when you come down, your feet hurt me.
Well, you did jump high, and I guess you weren't talking big, were you?
And I can run, too.
Fast as an airplane. We'd like to see that.
Well, I think how long would it take you to run around the castle?
Around this castle? Mm-hmm. Oh.
If you counted to three, I'd be around and back.
One, two, three. Oh, you'd hardly have time to get started.
Let me count to ten. I'm very fast. Let me count to ten, and you run around the castle.
All right. I think an airplane could go around the castle while we're counted.
Can you tell me when to start? I'll say one, two, three, go, and then I'll start to count.
You ready? I'm ready. One, two, three, go.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and a half.
Nine and three-quarters, it here he comes.
Ten. You just made it two. Can I make it?
Just count to ten when you came.
Well, it's a little farther around the castle than I thought, friendly.
We had to count slowly at the end. Oh, did you? Really? Oh, well.
You didn't run quite as fast as an airplane.
Well, I ran as fast as the airplane I was watching before.
Really? I think it's still out here. There it is.
Oh, that kind of an airplane. That's the kind your own can run as fast as.
Yes, I can. I think you watch over the castle after you've gone and you'll see the kind of an airplane.
Your own can run as fast as.
You ready? I'm tired, friendly.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Good night, your own, good night, friendly.
It is late.
This little chair will be waiting for one of you and the rocking chair for another
and the big arm chair for two more to curl up when you come again to our castle.
I'll close the big front doors and pull up the dropperage after you're gone.
And you watch near the moon. Good night. Good night.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.