Creative Thinking

For a bedtime story last night, I chose a book that I remember reading from my childhood. We read Caps For Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina. I don't remember, as a child, if I had a reaction when I read the author's name then. I would like to bet, however, that I giggled as immaturely as I did last night, as an adult.

Anyway, in this book, a cap peddler keeps his 10 caps for selling stacked on top of his head. While taking a nap, 10 monkeys steal his caps and climb a tree. The man tries to get the monkeys to return the caps by shaking a finger and shouting at them. The monkeys shake a finger and make a sound back. The man then tries shaking two fingers at them, while shouting. The monkeys then shake two fingers and make a noise back. Getting more angry, the man stamps one foot and yells even louder. The monkeys, of course, stamp one foot and rattle something back. Nearing his wits end, the man stamps both feet and really hollers at the monkeys.

Being the teacher that I am, I ask a lot of questions. I asked Chase if he could tell me, based on the developing pattern in the story, what the monkeys were going to do in return. My intently listening and completely enthralled son very seriously answered,


"Fling pooh?"


Uh, tee hee hee. No, tee hee hee. Not quite the answer I was going for, tee hee hee. BUT, very creative indeed.