Read, Count, Play – Every Child, Every Day!

A Very Tall Man

by Cornelius Wambi Gulere

Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald

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His hoe was too short.

  1. Point out the vivid colors – the yellow sun, the blue sky, the green bushes, and the red shoes.
  2. Count the two bushes and the two red shoes with your child.
  3. Point out how uncomfortable the man looks bending over so far to hoe.
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His doorway was too low.

  1. Comment that the doorway is too low for him – the man is taller than the door.
  2. Look how much the man stoops down to talk to the boy – he is much taller than the boy, and the boy is much shorter than the man!
  3. Count the bushes together.
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His bed was too short.

  1. The man’s legs stick far out of the bed. He is much longer than his bed.
  2. Point to the bird and the boy and how puzzled they look by the short bed.
  3. Count together the toes on each of the man’s feet.
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His bicycle was too short.

  1. The tall man is much too big for his bicycle. Look how far his leg sticks out!
  2. Point out that the bird has changed color from yellow to orange!
  3. Where is the boy in this picture?
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This man was too tall!

What can he do to solve his problem and fit into his world?

  1. Maybe the man is not too tall – maybe he just needs to solve his problems!
  2. Point out that the man has a problem and he is feeling sad about it.
  3. Notice that this man is much taller than the other people.
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He made a very long handle.

  1. He solved his problem with the hoe! He made his hoe bigger!
  2. Which one is bigger, the hoe or the man?
  3. Do you see the man’s red shoes? Where have they gone? They disappeared!
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He made very high door frames.

  1. Which is higher – the door or the man?
  2. The sun in the sky is round. Point to round things where you are.
  3. Which is longer and which is shorter – the man’s legs or his upper body?
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He made a very long bed.

  1. We can’t see the man’s feet now. His bed is longer than he is.
  2. The man looks very comfortable and happy in his big bed.
  3. Look at how small the boy looks next to the bed!
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He bought a very high bicycle.

  1. Notice that the boy and the bird are inside the basket now.
  2. Everyone looks very happy now that the man’s things are the right size.
  3. Point to and name the many different colors on this page.
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He sat on a very high chair. He ate with a very long fork.

  1. Count out with your child many of the things in the picture – such as fingers, legs, steps, and tines.
  2. Look at how high the boy’s chair is! Would you be scared sitting so high?
  3. Now that all his things are the right size for him, the man is not too tall at all!
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He left his house and moved to a big house in the forest, where he lived for many years.

  1. Count the pineapples, bags, and trees with your child.
  2. Count the rungs on the ladder with your child.
  3. Notice that the bird is yellow again!

You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:

A very tall man
Author — CorneliusWambi Gulere
Illustration — CatherineGroenewald
Language — English
Level — Firstwords
© Text: Ugandan Community Libraries Association; Illustration: African Storybook Initiative 2014
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Source www.africanstorybook.org
Original source www.ugcla.org

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