I'm Thankful For...



  Uncle Amon

  Uncle Amon Books

  ~~~

  Copyright © 2015 Uncle Amon Books

  All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Graphics and images used in this book are licensed and © Dollar Photo Club. No part of this book or this book as a whole may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or means without written permission from the publisher.

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  Table of Contents

  FREE GIFT!

  Jana’s Toys

  Special Pets

  Annie’s Big Brother

  John’s Little Sister

  Wonderful World

  Maze Solution

  More Books by Uncle Amon

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  Jana’s Toys

  “Mom! You’ve got to see this!” Jana exclaimed, jumping up and down on the carpet in front of the TV.

  “What is it, Jana?” Mom asked, standing up from the desk where she was getting some paperwork done.

  “It’s a commercial for the Digi-Doggy I told you about!” Jana explained excitedly. She pointed to the TV screen. In the commercial, a bunch of kids were running around in their front yard, playing with a very realistic-sounding robot puppy who came when they called him, wagged his tail, and responded to petting and commands.

  “Isn’t Digi-Doggy the coolest?” Jana asked dreamily.

  Mom shook her head. “He’s a very interesting toy,” she said. “But I’m not very inclined to buy him for you, not with the way you treat your toys.”

  Jana’s mouth dropped open. She turned away from the TV as the Digi-Doggy commercial faded into a pizza advertisement. “What do you mean, Mom?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Jana,” sighed Mom, “you’re forever getting new toys, playing with them for a week or two, and then tossing them into the back of your closet and forgetting all about them. What about the Molly Dolly Dad and I got you for your birthday? You begged for her for months, and last time I saw her, she was covered in a layer of dust.”

  Jana opened her mouth to argue, even though she knew Mom had a point. But before she had a chance to say anything, Mom continued.

  “And what about Bleep, the talking robot? Or Rex, the pajama-bag dinosaur? Or—”

  “Okay, okay!” Jana clamped her hands over her ears. She didn’t want to hear any more.

  Mom gave her a very disappointed look. “I’m not being unkind, Jana. It’s just that I want you to start appreciating what you’ve got before you get any new toys.”

  In a huff, Jana stomped off toward her bedroom. “It’s not fair!” she cried, slamming the door behind her. “I really want a Digi-Doggy!”

  Mom didn’t answer, and Jana bit her lip to keep from crying. She lay on her bed for a while, feeling very sorry for herself. Then, after a while, she got up and opened her closet door.

  Jana wasn’t very good about keeping her closet clean, so all of her toys spilled out in a heap at her feet. There was Molly Dolly, Bleep the talking robot, Rex the pajama-bag dinosaur, Jana’s glow-in-the-dark rocket ship, her teddy bear Theo, an old beach ball, and even some books and toys Jana hadn’t glanced at since she was a baby.

  Jana stared at the toys and thought for a moment. Maybe if I clean up my closet and dust off these toys, she decided, Mom will realize that I deserve a Digi-Doggy, after all!

  Music always helped Jana work, so she turned on the radio and tuned it to her favorite kids’ station. Then she began to sort through, clean up, and organize her things. She was right in the middle of brushing Molly Dolly’s ponytails, when a special announcement came on the radio.

  “Listen up, kids!” exclaimed a woman’s cheerful voice. “Do you have too many toys? Do you have dolls and stuffed animals that go unloved, balls that go unbounced, and digital toys that never see the light of day? Do you have books you never read anymore, playthings you never use anymore? If so, I’m talking to you!”

  Jana couldn’t help but listen up. After all, this woman seemed to be speaking right to her.

  “This Thanksgiving, Tender Heart Children’s Services will be collecting toys and books for kids in need. To make a donation, simply stop off at one of your local Tender Heart donation centers. That teddy bear you never hug anymore could make another child’s dreams come true!”

  Jana sat stock-still, staring at Theo. “I never hug you anymore,” she told him. She picked him up and straightened out the floppy bow around his neck. “But that lady said you could make somebody’s dreams come true.”

  Glancing around at all of her other toys, Jana added, “All of you could make somebody’s dreams come true!”

  Suddenly, Jana felt terrible for acting so selfish earlier. After all, she didn’t really need a Digi-Doggy. She had plenty of toys! She had plenty of books, plenty of games, plenty of food, a warm house to live in, and a family that loved her. Jana realized suddenly that she had so much to be thankful for, especially when she considered the fact that some kids didn’t have anything.

  And so Jana knew what she had to do. The very next day, Mom drove her to a Tender Heart donation center, where Jana proudly donated all of the cleaned-up, good-as-new toys that she didn’t play with anymore. She had a wonderful feeling of satisfaction as she and Mom walked out of the center.

  “I have so much to be thankful for!” Jana told Mom, grabbing her hand.

  Mom smiled down at her daughter. “You certainly do. I’m very proud of you, sweetheart.” She thought for a second, and then added, “Just maybe you do deserve a Digi-Doggy. Perhaps for Christmas. What do you think?”

  But to Mom’s surprise, Jana shook her head. “No thanks, Mom,” she replied with a smile. “I guess maybe I don’t really need a Digi-Doggy, after all!”

  Just for Fun Activity

  Be like Jana and start gathering together toys, books, and clothes that you don’t want, need, or use anymore. (Be sure to ask an adult’s permission before putting anything into a giveaway pile.) You can ask your friends to pitch in too!

  Once you have collected your donations, you and your friends can make special gift boxes for the kids who will receive them. Lots of organizations will be happy to take gift boxes, so make sure to find one that will welcome this idea!

  Then, divide your things into piles according to age, clothing size, and whether they are for boys or girls or either. A good grouping for a gift box is one complete outfit (or two or three useful articles of clothing), a couple of toys that are somewhat different from each other, and a few books for the appropriate age group.

  Once everything is grouped off, find clean, plain cardboard boxes that your donations will fit into. (Some office supply stores will be happy to donate boxes for charity.)

  Then have fun decorating your boxes, if you wish! You can cover them with stickers, draw on them with markers, or perk them up with glitter glue. The important thing, though, is that no matter how your gift box is decorated, it’s guaranteed to make somebody’s day!

  Special Pets

  On the chalkboard in the front of the room, Mrs. Arnos wrote the word �
��THANKFUL” in very large letters. Then she turned around and smiled at her first-grade class.

  “Can anyone read what I just wrote?” Mrs. Arnos asked.

  Kade raised his hand, and the teacher called on him. “You wrote ‘thankful,’” Kade told her.

  “Good, Kade!” cried Mrs. Arnos. “Now, who can tell me what it means to be thankful?”

  This time, Lilly raised her hand. “It means that you’re happy with what you have,” she replied.

  Mrs. Arnos clapped her hands. “That’s a wonderful definition of thankfulness! For the month of November, our class is going to focus on the things that we are thankful for. That will help us get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of the month. We’re going to choose one topic each week and focus on why we are thankful for that particular thing. This week, our topic will be pets.”

  The class started talking all at once, and Mrs. Arnos had to calm the excited students down. “On Friday,” she continued, “those of you who want to bring your pet to class can. Just make sure that a parent or another adult is around to take the pets home after show-and-tell. As you show off your pet, you’ll have the opportunity to tell your classmates why you’re thankful for him or her. Any questions?”

  Kade’s hand shot straight into the air once again.

  “Yes, Kade?” asked Mrs. Arnos.

  “Can I bring my parrot?” Kade questioned eagerly.

  “Of course!” smiled Mrs. Arnos.

  For the rest of the day, Kade was so excited, he could hardly sit still. Friday