WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Little Dramas for Primary Grades cover

Little Dramas for Primary Grades

Chapter 43: THE BIRD’S NEST
By Ada M. Skinner
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Children & Young Adult ReadingPlays/Films/Dramas

About This Book

A collection of brief, teacher-friendly scripts and dramatic readers intended for beginning primary grades that present simple scenes, animal fables, folk tales, and short adaptations. Each piece includes character lists, directions, and stage cues adaptable to classroom performance; selections aim to develop oral reading, imagination, and interpretive skills. Contents range from nursery dramas and moral fables to seasonal pieces and adaptations of well-known short stories and legends, offering varied roles for young children and practical material for classroom dramatization.

THE BIRD’S NEST

Characters—Yellow-breast, Bobolink, Cuckoo, Crow, Cow, Dog, Sheep, Hen, Little Boy

Yellow-breast. To-whit, to-whit, to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid
And the nice nest I made?

Cow. Not I. Moo-oo! Moo-oo!
Such a thing I’d never do!
I gave you a wisp of hay
But didn’t take your nest away.
Not I! Moo-oo! Moo-oo!
Such a thing I’d never do.

Yellow-breast. To-whit, to-whit, to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid
And the nice nest I made?

Bobolink. Bob-o-link! Bob-o-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum tree to-day?

Dog. Not I! Bow-wow! Bow-wow!
I wouldn’t be so mean, I vow!
I gave hairs the nest to make,
But the nest I did not take!
Not I! Bow-wow! Bow-wow!
I wouldn’t be so mean, I vow.

Yellow-breast. To-whit, to-whit, to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid
And the nice nest I made?

Bobolink. Bob-o-link! Bob-o-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum tree, to-day?

Cuckoo. Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
Let me speak a word, too!
Who stole that pretty nest
From little Yellow-breast?

Sheep. Not I! Oh, no! Oh, no!
I wouldn’t treat a poor bird so.
I gave wool the nest to line;
But the nest was none of mine!
Oh, no! Oh, no! I wouldn’t treat a poor bird so.

Yellow-breast. To-whit, to-whit, to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid
And the nice nest I made?

Bobolink. Bob-o-link! Bob-o-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum tree, to-day?

Cuckoo. Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
Let me speak a word, too.
Who stole that pretty nest
From little Yellow-breast?

Crow. Caw, caw! Hear the crow!
I should like to know
What thief took away
A bird’s nest, to-day?

Hen. Cluck! Cluck! Hear me then!
Don’t ask me again!
Why, I haven’t a chick
Would do such a trick!
We all gave her a feather
And she wove them together.
I’d scorn to intrude
On her and her brood.
Cluck, cluck! hear me then,
Don’t ask me again.

Bobolink,
Cuckoo,
Crow. Chirr-a-whirr! Chirr-a-whirr!
All the birds make a stir,
Let us find out his name
And all cry “For shame!”

Little Boy. I stole that pretty nest
From poor little Yellow-breast.
And I feel so full of shame
I do not like to tell my name!

—Adapted from Lydia Maria Child.