Once upon a time there was an alligator. We read about the alligator book, and I'm a boy, and all the teachers are boys. We get our names to play. We sit in a circle. We do like this, to sit in the circle. We cross our legs like this to hear the story. We put our names back in the basket. And Miss Babs, our teacher, and Miss Jackie, and Miss Daddyboo. Miss Daddyboo's teeboo is down on the ground. The End.
The author:
Whelkies, in the Solar Clipper series, are little hand-carved totems which provide a sort of comfort and strength to their owners, matching their spirit in some way. I'm not sure what it means that my child's whelkie is a dolphin which she calls a whale, but her attachment to this cute little toy is very sweet to see. I hope if we recognize it as important but don't emphasize it excessively we'll avoid a power struggle or obsession...she's never been one to need a pacifier, or carry around a blanket, or drag a stuffed animal with her everywhere, so this relationship is new territory. I think we picked it up at a rummage sale along with some Fisher-Price animals, but it's not a Fisher-Price animal as far as I can tell. She lost it at CVS for a while a few weeks back...we combed the store and recovered it....but then the story pauses. It must have been floating around the house or the van for a while before resurfacing in her affections. And now it's gone to preschool, been taken and recovered and left over night. Lots of adventures for a little blue bit of smooth, hard plastic.
The whale came home. I hope it stays home! Does your little one have a whelkie?
