lost - and found again

Before I began reading this book…..

we looked together at the cover.  ‘What,’ I asked, ‘do you think the story might be about?’

Alexis suggested that the little girl might end up losing her teddy.  Let’s see if he is right, shall we?

Sara and her mummy had to go out to feed the sheep.  Daddy was unwell, you see.  Of course, Teddy would come too.

Outside…..

the rooks were calling and a wind was starting to blow.  As Mummy and Sara climbed up the steep path, the sky turned greyer and the air grew colder.  The dogs raced on ahead.

The farmhouse behind them seemed very small.

‘That’s because when you are near something it looks big and when you are away from it it looks small,’ explained Melchior.

They stopped when they reached the top of the hill.

“Look, look!”  Sara laughed.  She watched as a snowflake fell on her mitten.

‘Look, look!’ we echoed, pointing to the foot of the lone pine tree.  ‘She’s left her teddy!’

Sara and her mummy spread out the hay for the hungry sheep. 

The snow continued swirling, falling faster and faster.  The air grew thick and white.

“Come on,” said Mummy, “we must go home before the snow gets too deep.” 

They started off down the hill.

Suddenly, “Oh no, where’s Teddy?” cried Sara.

“We can’t look for Teddy now,” said Mummy.  “It is snowing too hard.”

Sara sat down in the snow.

‘She looks sad,’ said Ella.

Suddenly, out of all that whiteness appeared one of the dogs.  She was carrying something in her mouth.

“Oh Teddy,” cried Sara.

‘Oh she’s got her teddy back,’ we echoed.

Another happily ever after story.  A bit like that other lost toy story we’ve read.

‘Knuffle Bunny!’ remembered Tanisha.

The same (two small children lose - and then find -  a soft toy) and yet somehow different.  What differences can you remember between the two tales?

Emily remembered that in Knuffle Bunny the little girl was with her dad but in this story she was with her mummy.

And then Ella reminded us that in Knuffle Bunny the mum at home was OK but the daddy at home in this book was sick.

Melchior recalled that the girl in Knuffle Bunny was angry but in this story she was just sad.

Yanis pointed out that the dad was doing the work in Knuffle Bunny (visiting the launderette if you remember) whereas in this story the mummy was doing the work of feeding the sheep.

Finally, Hiromi told us that in this story a dog found the bear and Knuffle Bunny was (eventually!) found by the dad.

Goodness, what a LOT of differences we spotted!  

Do you know any other lost toy stories?  How are they the same as (and yet somehow different from) these two stories?