Oh, Crumbs! Life is good when you have a velvet bed, a golden collar, and a dish of fresh cream… But not everyone has it so easily. A pampered cat learns the value of helping others who are not so fortunate.
Make your child the main character. Replace this (_____) with your child’s name.
Oh, Crumbs
“Oh _____!” called Mrs. Bluesky. “My handsome cat! I’ve got a dish of fresh cream for you!”
_____ stretched out his arms and legs;
he had been snoozing in the warm light of the window.
When he heard the clink of the china dish being set down, _____ stood up. What a good life he had!
It wasn’t just the daily dish of fresh cream… He also had a collar with a tag made of solid gold…
…And a red velvet sofa to lounge on whenever he pleased.
But _____ favorite part of the day was tea time when Mrs. Bluesky would bring him a plate of delicious cheeses to enjoy.
Today, it was soft brie from France, tangy cheddar from England, and Rokpol, a strong blue cheese from Poland.
As he gobbled up the cheeses, _____ didn’t notice how many crumbs he dropped. He was a messy eater!
Usually, he would stroll back to his velvet sofa for a nap after a big meal. But today, he decided to return to the sunny window.
From his cozy spot on the windowsill, the cat looked down upon the room and immediately saw something he didn’t like.
A small family of mice was nibbling away at the many cheese crumbs _____ had left scattered all over the floor!
He got to his feet. His tail twitched. With a great yowl, he pounced onto the rug.
The little mice ran as fast as their small legs could carry them. They disappeared into a tiny hole in the corner of the room.
_____ grumbled quietly and strolled back to the window.
The next day, Mrs. Bluesky brought _____ teatime treat: German smoked cheese, Greek feta, and Swiss cheese with holes!
_____ gulped, guzzled, and scoffed it all down, leaving the usual pile of crumbs.
After his meal, the cat hopped up to the windowsill. He closed one eye and left the other one open.
Soon enough, he heard the skittering of small feet as three mice approached the morsels of leftover cheese.
_____ pounced onto the floor, hissing at the mice. The biggest two scurried away, heading for a hole in the corner of the room.
But the smallest mouse remained, looking frightened yet running away.
_____ was puzzled. “Why aren’t you afraid?” he challenged.
“I…I…I am afraid,” stumbled the little mouse. “But I’m also very hungry. If I run away, that would mean two days without any food.”
“But what about your dish of cream?” asked the cat.
With a blank look on her face, the mouse replied, “Nobody brings me a dish of cream.”
“And what about your own plate of line cheeses?” asked _____.
“N… Nobody brings us a plate of cheese or anything else for that matter,” said the mouse.
_ was quiet for a moment. Then he asked, “Little mouse, what is your name?”
“I’m called Squeak,” she said, looking down at the floor. “I’m sorry… We thought you didn’t care about the leftover crumbs.”
“Well I have so much to eat!” he replied. “I have cream and cheese. I sleep on a velvet sofa and wear a collar made of gold.”
“That sounds amazing,” said Squeak. “I live in that little hole over there.” She gestured towards the corner of the room. “I eat what I find.”
_____ thought that didn’t sound like a great life and began to feel bad about chasing the mice away from the crumbs.
“Ok, Squeak,” he said. “My name is _____. From now on, I’d like your family to enjoy those crumbs. You need them more than I do.”
Squeak smiled weakly. “Thank you,” she said. her parents slowly crept out of the little hole in the corner.
_____ went out to the garden for a long walk. “It doesn’t seem right that I have so much while the mice have so little,” he thought.
The next day, Mrs. Bluesky called out to the fluffy cat. “Teatime, _____! It’s Edam from Holland and Manchego from Spain!”
_____ licked his lips as he looked at the creamy wedges of yellow cheese. Then, using his paws, he broke each slice in half.
It was another sunny day, so after his meal, the cat retired to the warm spot on the windowsill and kept one eye open.
In the corner of the room, Squeak’s whiskers emerged from the mouse hole. She squealed with delight when she saw what awaited.
“Mom! Dad!” she cried happily, and they all scurried out to see the generous heap of Edam and Manchego left outside their hole.
“Thank you so much!” the little mouse squeaked up to the cat. “We are so very grateful.”
_____ smiled. “I have more than enough in my life, and you have so little. This works out perfectly.”
From that day on, _____ left great big hunks of cheese for the mice to enjoy every day at tea time.
He even let them snooze on this red velvet sofa… Well, sometimes!
