Funny Fah Learns When to Stop
The words of every page, for reading aloud, large print or a screen reader. Words in speech bubbles are in quotes.
Cover
Book One
Chime-Time Stories
Funny Fah
Page 4
In a Palace far away lives a kindly old man. His name is Master Chi Lu. Every day his little chimes provide the palace visitors with happy, relaxing melodies. Mater Chi Lu loves to be involved in their adventures. This is the story of little FUNNY FAH.
Page 5
FUNNY FAH learns when to STOP!
One morning when the breeze began to blow, the colourful chimes woke up and started to bump into their chime plates. A lovely, tinkling song began to float on the breeze. Can you see Funny Fah? He is the little red chime. Master Chi Lu is very, very happy when he hears the music.
Page 6
And all the little chimes are happy too. Funny Fah is very happy. He is always telling funny jokes.
He shouts, "Why did the banana go to the doctor?" The others wait for him. Then he laughs, "Because he wasn't peeling well! Get it? Peeling well! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Then, "Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide! Ha! Ha! Ha!" He laughs even louder.
Funny Fah loves it when everyone laughs at his jokes.
Page 7
"What has ten wheels and flies?"
"We know that one!" said little Soh. But Funny Fah wasn't listening to them.
He just shouted, "A garbage truck! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
He had told that joke lots of times.
Page 8
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Sometimes Funny Fah goes TOO far with his jokes. And also, he gets TOO LOUD! Would you like a friend who doesn't STOP being noisy when you ask?
Page 9
He shouted again, "Where do cows go on Saturday night?" Before Funny Fah could say the answer they all shouted, "WE KNOW THAT ONE! STOP WITH THE JOKES, FUNNY FAH."
Oops! Funny Fah cringed and put his hand up. He whispered, "To the moooooovies? Hee! Hee! Hee!"
Page 10
They just sighed.
"O-o-o-h!"
Page 11
A feather flew in through the window so he grabbed it and swung over near little Tee.
"Hey, Timid Tee, how do you put your hand up in school?" Little Tee raised her arm and said, "Like this." Funny Fah quickly tickled her under the arm with the feather. She giggled and pulled her arm down real fast. Then she smiled to be friendly to Funny Fah... but only just!
Page 13
Then he tried to tickle little Tee under the chin. But she just did not feel like being ticked anymore. Funny Fah tried again behind her ear.
He just didn't know when to stop, did he!
He started to really annoy little Timid Tee. She gritted her teeth and cried out, "STOP IT!"
Let us see if Funny Fah took any notice.
Page 15
Every evening before the sun sets, the Palace workers put away their mowers and rakes and gardening tools.
The birds in the trees whistle their last little songs for the day.
Even the tree is happy. Can you see the big smile?
Page 17
The little chimes start to yawn and take turns sleeping on the little chime plates behind them.
Each chime has a colourful pillow. Master Chi Lu puts a blanket over them on the cool nights. The wind blows cold off the mountains near the Palace.
The worker putting the rake away is really happy tonight. He can see the little chimes through the window.
Page 18
Guess what happened when it was Funny Fah's turn to go to bed.
He could not resist one more joke.
But it was time for sleep, not for jokes.
"Knock, knock!" he shouted. "GO TO SLEEP!" they all replied. But Funny Fah was laughing loudly like a kookaburra.
"Koo! Koo! Kah! Kah!"
Page 19
Little Soh started to cry. "Please go to sleep Funny Fah. We want quiet-time now." She pulled her blanket over her ears so she couldn't hear him giggling into his pillow.
Page 20
The evening breeze had stopped and everything went hush. Master Chi Lu tucked little blankets around their ears. Some were sleeping on the chime plate, while the others folded their hands and dozed off.
They were hanging on the strings tied to the bell shaped top plate over their heads. Some of the little chimes watched the moon moving past the window until they fell asleep.
Page 21
The only sound to be heard when Master Chi Lu left the room was naughty little Fah still giggling away on his pillow.
The bright moonlight was casting shadows through the window. Everyone felt safe and sound around Master Chi Lu's Palace.
But, let's see what happens a short time later!
Page 22
Funny Fah was almost asleep when heard a rustling sound outside the window. He lifted his head up with a jerk! The baubles on his hat began to shake. His mouth dropped open. His teeth started to chatter...
Page 24
What was he looking at? The bright moonbeams had suddenly darkened and a scary shape moved near the window. It moved away then it moved back again and came even nearer to him. What is it?
His heart started to say, "Boomp! Boomp! Boomp!"
Funny Fah's eyes were popping open.
Page 25
Everyone else was asleep. Funny Fah struggled, he didn't want to scream! He whispered, "Who's there? Are you coming to get me Mr Monster?" Then he shouted, "A-a-a-h! Go away, Mr Monster! Wake up, wake up everyone, wake up!"
The monster suddenly moved away from the window. By now Funny Fah was bighting his knuckles and shaking madly.
Funny Fah longed for his friends to wake up.
He leaned over and shook Little Tee.
Page 27
"Little Tee, Little Tee. Wake up!"
She angrily shouted, "Go to sleep Funny Fah. No more jokes, ple-e-e-e-a-se."
"But, there's a monster just outside the window. I'm not joking... I saw a monster!"
Little Timid Tee said, "Yeh! Yeh! A monster, we know that one. Go to sleep!"
All the rest just folded their arms and turned the other way.
"Oh! No!" Funny Fah suddenly realised.
Page 29
Funny Fah looked back at the window. The monster had gone. He looked and looked and looked. "The monster has gone and I'm the only one who saw it!" he thought.
He leaned back on his pillow and wished the others would believe him.
"Why didn't they believe me?" he asked.
Now he couldn't sleep.
Page 30
Tears rolled down his cheeks. He wondered and wondered.
"I was just trying to let them know about the monster. Why wouldn't they listen to me? What will I do if the monster comes back?"
Page 31
"I tickled little Tee. I said, "Knock, knock who's there? I told funny jokes." What did I do wrong?"
Funny Fah is thinking about his friends, not the monster.
Page 32
Next day the sun shone brightly on the Palace. Master Chi Lu placed the little chimes outside in the breeze. Soon they were playing songs.
Page 33
Funny Fah still tells jokes, but now he is REALLY different. He is careful not to offend his friends. He doesn't play tricks if it might hurt someone. And he has promised he will not keep his friends awake when they ask him to STOP! He really wants to be friends with EVERYONE.
Do you think he has learned a lesson?
Do you know what Funny Fah saw?
Was it really a monster?
Page 34
It was actually the gardener collecting some of the tools to put them away.
See, here is the gardener collecting the rakes and clippers.
Page 35
Can you see the moon shadow of the gardener? Funny Fah thought the gardener was a monster moving back and forth near the window. He thought the rakes and clippers the gardener is carrying, look like the claws of a space monster.
The gardener moved away from the window before the other chimes saw him. That's why little Tee shouted at Funny Fah. She was sure he would not STOP his joking. Was she right?
Page 36
Funny Fah still does not know who the "monster" was.
And the other chimes have noticed how happy Funny Fah is now.
Would you tell Funny Fah the gardener collecting his rakes in the moonlight was not a monster?
END
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