by Laura Bannon
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Baby Roo.
00:12Story and pictures by Laura Bannon.
00:15Once a sailor went to a far-off land where kangaroos live.
00:20He made a pet of a very young and brought it back to his home on the farm.
00:25He called her Baby Roo.
00:27Baby Roo didn't like the long ride across the ocean on a ship full of people.
00:32But when the trip was over she was put in a pasture full of animals.
00:37How pleased she was.
00:40There were many kinds of animals.
00:43Some of them were big and some were little.
00:46Some had short curly tails and other had long fancy tails to shoo away the flies.
00:52They looked gentle and kind.
00:55Baby Roo was glad of that because she wanted to be friends with all of them.
01:00The horse was the first one to see the little kangaroo.
01:04He walked up close and looked at her in surprise.
01:07What is this thing, he said to the cow.
01:11The cow stared goggle-eyed at Baby Roo.
01:14Well, it's not a bird she said.
01:18Birds have wings.
01:19Oh Bill she called to the goat, come see what you make of this.
01:25The goat peered into Baby Roo's face a long time and said, at least I know it is not a
01:30person.
01:32People don't have fur on their faces.
01:35Except sometimes a beard like mine.
01:38He added proudly.
01:40The donkey came to see what the fuss was all about.
01:44He looked hard at Baby Roo's tail and said.
01:47It's like a snake, only snakes don't have big ears.
01:52Baby Roo felt like saying something, but all her words just stayed inside her.
01:58What have you there, called the goose.
02:01She liked to know about everything that happened in the pasture.
02:05With her little gosling she waddled up to Baby Roo.
02:09What do you think of it, asked the donkey.
02:13But the silly goose never could decide anything for herself.
02:17Here comes the pig family she said.
02:20Mrs. Pig will know what it is.
02:23The mother pig came over the hill with her little pigs taggling along behind her.
02:29When the young pigs saw Baby Roo they ran up to her.
02:32Here was a new playmate.
02:35But Mrs. Pig called out, stay back until I can tell what it is.
02:40Then she looked Baby Roo over and said in a sure voice, it is not an animal.
02:46All animals walk on four legs.
02:49I am too an animal said Baby Roo.
02:52She had found her tongue at last.
02:55Prove it said the pig.
02:57Will you get hoofs on those silly front feet.
03:01Baby Roo just shook her head.
03:04She was afraid she would cry if she talked anymore.
03:08Come speak up, said the pig crossly.
03:11What kind of animal are you?
03:14The sailors called me Baby Roo sobbed the poor little thing.
03:18Ha ha ha.
03:20Whoever heard tell of an animal called Baby Roo.
03:23They all laughed.
03:25I don't like you.
03:27I'm going away, cried Baby Roo.
03:30To everyone's surprise she did go away.
03:34She just sprang up on those strong hind legs.
03:38Over the pasture fence she sailed like something with wings.
03:42Another hop took her into a bed of hollyhocks.
03:46There she sat and sobbed.
03:48Rows of round eyes watched her from the fence.
03:52Nothing like that had ever happened in the pasture before.
03:56Now I think you really are a bird little one called the cow.
04:00She was sorry they had been so rude.
04:03Down the path from the farmhouse trotted Shep the dog.
04:07He could hardly believe his eyes, a baby kangaroo crying in the hollyhocks.
04:13What is the trouble my dear, he asked.
04:16They say I'm not an animal she said.
04:20Of course you are an animal the dog told her in a kind voice.
04:24You are a young kangaroo he had been around and knew about things away from the farm.
04:29Yes, that's what I am said Baby Roo nodding her head.
04:35Kangaroo was a hard word for her to say.
04:38Sometimes the farm animals have bad manners said the dog.
04:42You will have to excuse them.
04:45There are a great many things they haven't heard of because they have never been off
04:49the farm.
04:50Come back into the pasture with me.
04:53I'll help you make friends.
04:56Baby Roo felt better.
04:58She hopped back over the fence while the dog crawled through it.
05:03What a magnificent jump that was, said the horse.
05:06I'd give my beard for hind legs like yours said the goat.
05:12Baby Roo smiled and almost everyone seemed friendly.
05:16But Mrs. Pig still stared at the little stranger over her upturned snout.
05:21So the goose stared too.
05:24This is an animal from a far off country.
05:27The dog told everyone.
05:29She is a kangaroo.
05:31She may be an animal said Mrs. Pig.
05:35But she is a foreigner.
05:37And I don't like foreigners.
05:40From here she called to her little pigs.
05:43I can't have you playing with just anybody.
05:46Stay away pet the goose told her gosling.
05:50Don't he make friends with strangers.
05:53Baby Roo was so unhappy.
05:56What is a foreigner, she asked.
05:59It is someone who travels away from his homeland the dog explained.
06:04Don't he feel badly Baby Roo.
06:07It is not wrong to be a foreigner.
06:10Should we be foreigners if we traveled to another land, asked the goat.
06:14Yes, we would be foreigners and we would want others to be kind to us said the dog.
06:20Most of the animals were ashamed.
06:23But snooty Mrs. Pig and Mrs. Goose kept right on staring.
06:28Baby Roo had an idea.
06:30She remembered how much the sailors on the boat had liked her pocket.
06:35So she said, I am not only a high jumper.
06:39I have a pocket she puffed out her tummy the better to show it.
06:44What was this?
06:46An animal with a pocket.
06:48Now Mrs. Pig sat up and took notice.
06:51Mrs. Goose took notice too.
06:54I want to see said the gosling who just couldn't stay away.
06:58She stood on the tips of her little puddle feet to peep into the pocket.
07:03I see something shine, she cried.
07:06Oh, I forgot about that laughed Baby Roo.
07:10Out of her pocket she took a bright new penny.
07:14A pocket with money in it.
07:16That was enough for Mrs. Pig.
07:19You must have come from a very fine family my dear she said in a sweet voice.
07:25A sailor on the boat put the money in my pocket said Baby Roo.
07:29Well no matter said Mrs. Pig.
07:32Go and play with your nice new playmates she told the little pigs.
07:37Poor Mrs. Pig.
07:40She had never been outside the pasture fence.
07:43She didn't understand that pockets and pennies and the country one comes from are not really
07:49important.
07:51Baby Roo became very fond of her new friends.
07:54She had a wonderful time with the young ones.
07:58They went on long hops together through the meadow.
08:02The farm animals learned that the hills beyond the pasture fence were not the edge of the
08:06world.
08:08And they found that an animal from a far off country could be as good as themselves.
08:13For who could help liking Baby Roo when they got to know her.
08:18She was such a friendly little thing.
08:32The end.