While I was
home for Thanksgiving, mom was doing some cleaning in the basement. She found some
old things from my childhood. Scribbled drawings. Photographs. And there was this little homemade book, from third grade I think. It had all of these pages that were mostly filled in, but with blanks left.
I, of course, had filled in those blanks so many years ago. It was interesting to read back through it all. Reminded me of
the simplicity of childhood. A good thing in many ways. So, I thought it would be neat to reproduce it here, complete with misspellings and awkward capitalizations. It appears that I got help with some of the larger words, but not with others. The hard links are what I filled into the blanks. The rest was pre-printed. Oh yeah, and it might help to know that Adam is my brother.
BTW: There is a Dr. Seuss book by this name, or with a very similar name. I have no idea if what I have came from that book or elswhere, as my copy is just a bunch of photocopied pages stapled together.
A Book about Me.
(scrawled onto a construction paper cover, with a magic marker self-portrait underneath)
MY NAME
My name is
Matthew. It is a very
nice name, and I am
happy that my parents chose it.
When I grow up, my name will sound just fine if I decide to be a(an)
astronaut or a(an)
palentolgiost. It will NOT fit my job if I decide to be a(an)
teacher or a(an)
librarian.
Sometimes people call me
shrimp, and I think that name is
awful. I would rather have them call me
Matt.
If I could change my name, I'd call myself
the same. I think this would be a very nice name because
I like it.
If I have children when I grow up, I will call them
Kevin and
Amy. I certianly will NOT call them
Adam or
Gertrude.
MY PLACE
The place where I live is very
cozy. It has
11 rooms, a great big
Living room, and a tiny little
closet. The best thing about the place where I live is the
living room. The worst thing is the
garage.
The room where I sleep is
comfortable and
nice. The first thing I see when I wake up in the morning is my
room. If I could change three things about my room, I'd change
ceiling and
desk and
window. If I could live anywhere in the whole world, I'd live in
Florida. My house would be made of
Wood and
brick, and it would look like a(an)
house. Inside, there would be a(an)
big bed, a(an)
big room, and a(an)
pool.
It would be very nice if
mom and dad could come and live with me.
SCHOOL
The name of my school is
Hall-Woodward. It is a(an)
big building with a big
library and a small
girl's bathroom.
Most of the time, I
ride the bus to school. It makes me feel
good to be there. The three things I like best about school are
art reading and
science and
music. The thre things I don't like about it are
Noise and
math and
Social Studides.
My teacher is very
nice. He (she) is a(an)
wonderful person. If I could change my teacher, I'd make him (her) more like
the way she is. I'd like to have a long talk with my teacher and tell him (her) to please stop
Math and
homeworck.
If I were a teacher, I'd give all of the children
a day off and
homeworck. I would let them
have art I would never, ever
spank them.
A FRIEND IS...
A friend is someone who will give you a(an)
pencil when you ask for it.
A friend is someone who will not tell on you if you
hit your brother.
A friend is someone who won't laugh if you tell him or her that you
fell.
A friend is someone who won't yawn when you talk about your
club.
A friend is someone who will play
War with you, even if he or she doesn't feel like it.
A friend is someone who says "
cheer up" when you are sad.
A friend will help you find your
toys when you lose it (them).
A friend does not
Hit you or
kick you.
IF I WERE MY Brother
(choose one: mother, father, sister or brother)
If I were my
brother, I'd change many things about myself. The first thing I would change would be the way I
Swing. Then I'd
act right and
be quiet.
I would stop telling
Matthew to
Shutup. I would NEVER, NEVER ask
Matthew to
Shutup.
I would spend more time
playing, and less time
bugging matthew.
I would buy a(an)
bike and give my
old one to
matthew.
I would not invite
Richard to come over so often, and I would try to be nicer to
Matthew.
I would try not to
laugh in front of
Matthew.
But the most important thing that I would do would be to go up to
Matthew and say "
I'm sorry."
A TRIP
If I could take a trip to any place, I'd go to
Florida. I would fill my suitcase with
clothes and
toys. Then I'd wave goodbye to
mom and dad, hop in a(an)
airplane, and be on my way. If I wanted to take along one person, I'd take
Tim. But that would be all.
The reason I'd like to go to
floirda is
Disney World. I would do lots of things there, like
ride on rides and
watch shows.
Once I went on a trip to
Virginia, and it was
fun. I did a lot of things on that trip, but the one thing that I remember most is
papa and granny.
There is one place that I'd never want to visit. That place is
West Virginia.
My idea of a perfect trip is
quiet.
IF SOMEONE GAVE ME A MILLION DOLLARS
If someone gave me a million dollars, I'd go right out and buy a(an)
transformer. I'd also buy a(an)
inground pool and a(an)
dune buggy.
It would be
fun to have a million dollars. People would treat me like
they usually do. The would ask me to
play with them. I would be able to
play and
swim and
fish.
I might even give some of the money away. First, I'd give some to
Tim. I'd call him (her) up and say "
here's some money." I might also give some to
Brian.
If someone gave me a million dollars, I' might spend a little on my family. I'd buy my
Dad a(an)
toolbox and I'd buy a new
sewing kit for my
mom.
THE PERFECT TOY
If I were an inventor, I'd invent the perfect toy. I would call it the
speeder, and I would take it with me wherever I went. It would be made out of
metal and
circuits, and would look a little like a(an)
Robot, and a little like a(an)
car.
This toy would do
lots of things. It would
transform, and
eat, and
walk. If
tim asked to play with it, I'd say "
you can play with it." But if
Rachel wanted to play with it, I'd say "
you can't play with it."
I would keep this perfect toy in my
closet, and every
day I'd take it out and
play. In school, the toy would
clean up and
pass out things. If my teacher said "
take it home" I'd tell him (her) "
it's helping us clean."
The best thing about this toy would be
that it would guard the house. However there might also be a few things wrong with it, such as
malfunctioning,
cuting down trees and hitting, and
without permission, falling down.
It would be wonderful when
Brian came over. He (she) would look at it and say, "
that's neat." I'd say, "
I know it is." Then my toy would
jump up and down.
A FEW QUESTIONS
There are a few things I've been wondering about. First, I wonder why I'm not allowed to
steal bases or
go to Scotts.
Next, I wish someone would please tell me why I have to be so polite. When I'm eating, why do I have to
say may I be excused? When a stranger comes to my house why do I have to
pay no attention?
Why does my family always tell me to
clean up my room and
go away? Why can't I just
go to Tims and
play whenever I want to? I also wonder why my
brother gets so angry over little things like
calling him stupid.
When I grow up, wy will I ahve to
go to work and
go to college? why shouldn't I just be able to
sleep all day?
Why do people care so much when someone
falls? What is so bad about
tripping and
falling? Why does it matter so much if
I fall down?
COLORS
Colors are funny things. Each color seems to have a differen feeling.
Blue is a(an)
nice color. It makes me feel
good and
happy. I have a blue
bookmark and a blue
jacket. Blue sounds like
birds It looks like
the sea and tastes like
ice water.
Red has a different feeling. When I think of red, I feel
happy. If I were to touch red, it would feel like
my bed. If I were to have red for dinner, it would tast like
cherries. If I were to put on a pair of earphones and listen to red, it would sound like
birds.
The color gray is
dark. It makes me think of
wolves and
night. If I could hug gray it would feel like
fur. If gray creeped up and stood in front of me it would look like
a monster. If yellow is the morning, gray is the
afternoon.
MY VERY SPECIAL DAY
I wish there were a day called
Matthew day. On that day I would be able to do anything I wanted. When I woke in the morning, the first thing I'd do would be to
play with tim. Next I would
watch tv and then I would
play with leigons of power.
I would tell my family to "
not bother me," and then they would all have to do it. Then I would tell my
brother to
shut up, and my
mom to
sen him to his room.
I would run the school on My Day, and I woud make three changes. They would be:
1.
no homework
2.
more play time
3.
more art
For dinner on My Day, I would order
pizza and
meat. For dessert I'd have
ice cream. Then, when dinner was over, I'd
play with robitix.
I'd stay up until
12 o'clock on this very special day, and no one would be able to say a word about it.
A SECRET PLACE
I would like to have a secret place where only I could go. If I could pick the perfect place, it would be in the
woods. If I had to tell one person where it was, I'd tell
Brian. because he(she) would
keep it a secret.
If I were sad, like the time
I was grounded, I'd take a(an)
toy and go to my secret place. Then I would
play. I might wrie a letter to
Brian and tell him (her) that I feel
Sad and
bored. Most of the time when I am sad it is because of
my brother.
If I were happy about something, like the time
I got sky lynkx, I'd take a(an)
transformer and a(an)
GiJoe figure to my secret place. Then I'd
play. I might make faces like a(an)
clown or I might do tricks like a(an)
Acrobat.
If I were angry, like the time
my brother kicked me, I'd take
my cat to my secret place. Then I'd
walk around. I'd make sure that
mom or
dad couldn't hear me, and then I'd scream, "
ahhh!!!"
If I could hide three things in my secret place, so that they would always be there if I needed them, I'd hade a(an)
first aid kit, a(an)
shovel, and a(an)
chair.
I'M HAPPY WHEN...
Many things make me happy. One is
birthday. Another is
reading. A third is
art. When
Adam is nice to me, I feel warm inside. When I'm eating a(an)
samwich, I feel
good inside. When I'm watching
Bill Cosby on T.V., or reading about
Garfield, I feel as if I could
dance around the room.
I remember one very happy time. It made my feel good because
I got sky linx.
Two things that make me smile just a little are
go bots and
clothes.
Two things that make me smile even more are
transformers and
Robotix.
One thing that makes me laugh out loud is
Brian.
I'M SAD WHEN...
When I am sad, I feel as if a(an)
Spider had crawled inside of me. My
head hurts. My
belly feel(s) like
butterflys. I feel as if I'd like to
cry.
I remember once when
my brother kicked me made me sad. He (she) (it)
hurt me, and it made me feel like a(an)
ball. There was nothing else that I could do, so I
cried.
Another time I was sad because
Adam wouldn't let me play with the animal.
The person who makes me the saddest is
Adam. This is because he (she)
is mean and
a maniac. If I could tell hime (her) three things, I'd say:
1. "
go away."
2. "
shutup."
3. "
I hate you."
IF I COULD CHANGE ME
Sometimes, when I'm looking in a mirror, I think I am
handsome. I wish I were
funny, and that I could change my
height and my
weight. However, there are other things about me that are just fine, like my
face, my
hands, and my
feet.
Most of the time I am very nice (except when I
am mad and
hurt). My teacher wishes that I'd change the way I
write. My
mom wishes that I'd change the way I
write, and my
dad wishes that I'd change my
writing.
However, the are wrong. I'm a very
good person, so I don't think I'll change anything. Well, maybe I could change
my writing and
my speed just a little. Then I'd be perfect.
BOY, IS THAT BORING!!
How is it that there are so many boring things in the world? The most boring thing that I can think of is
homework. It makes me want to
scream and
shout.
The most boring show on T.V. is
news. The most boring game I've ever played is
tic-tac-toe. The most boring book I've ever read is
the dictionary.
There are a lot of boring people in the world. If I could invent a stop-being-boring-pill, I'd give it to
Rachel and
her dog.
It is very boring when people talk about
clothes or
furniture.
Here are some boring things that make me want to fall asleep:
1.
news
2.
the car
I am not boring at all. This is because I'm so
fun and so
smart. People just LOVE to have me around.
THE PERFECT SANDWICH
If I were going to make the perfect sandwich, I would start with two pieces of
bread. Then I would add some
cheese, some
mustard, and some
mayonaise.
Here are some of the other things I would put in my sandwich:
1.
lettuce
2.
jelly
3.
peanut butter
4.
ketchup
5.
garlic
Before I was done, I'd ad a little
salt and a little
pepper, and then I'd eat it. It would taste a little like
cheeries, and I would say, "
yum." I woul call my sandwich the "
Double Deluxe," and I might even open a store and go into the sandwich business.
Some people might not like my sandwich. But others would smak their lips and shout "
yum." I might even make
10000 dollars.
MY CLUB
I would like to have a club called the "
duckbusters" We would meet every
Saturday and talk about
chasing the ducks and
plans. No one could join the club unless he or she were interested in
chasing ducks. Therese are the people who couldn't join:
Gordon and
Richard and
Aren.
The president of my club would be
Tim. The vice president would be
Matthew.
My clubhouse would be very
safe. I would build it in the
tree, and it would be made out of
wood. When it was finished, I would paint it
like the tree and
nothing else. This clubhouse would have two special things. These would be
a trapdoor and
a ladder that would come up.
We would collect other special things to put on our club house shelf - things like
dirt bombs, and
rocks.
There would be a sign on my clubhouse door saying, "
no ducks or girls." There would also be a sign inside that only members could see. This sign would say "
duckbusters."
BLAST OFF!!
I am about to blast off for another planet. No one lives on this planet, and I will be the first one there. It will be my very own planet and I will name it
Glupeter.
The first thing I will do when I arrive is
get out of my ship. Then I will build a city called
mlomiter, and ask some of my favorite people to fly up and join me. I will incite
Brian and
Tim. I will NOT invite
Gordon and
Richard because they are too
dumb.
My city will be very
big and very
hard to blow up. There will be three extra special stores in it that will be named after me. One will be a(an)
food store that will sell
food. The second will sell
drinks, and the tird will be a(an)
Space Suit store.
On my planet, no one will be allowed to
smoke. People will have to
do what I tell them to, and I will have three rules. The will be:
1.
no smoking
2.
no wrecking
2.
no stealing
A MAGIC HAT
If I had a magic hat, I'd put it on and change the world. I'd call my hat
merlin, and every morning I'd go to my
closet, take it out, and put it on.
If my
brother said "
shutup" while I was eating my breakfast, I'd touch my hat and he (she) would
fall out of his chair. THen he (she) would say "
What happend," and I would
say hush.
At school, all of my friends would talk about my hat. They would say "
that looks tacky,"or "
that's stupid," and I would pretend that I didn't hear them. I'd just touch my hat and they would
Start hitting heads together. I my teacher told me to
sit in the corner, I'd just
stay there and touch my hat. Then he (she) would
fall down, and all the other kids would
laugh.
If I were being punished by
dad, I'd touch my hat and
lots of things would happen. Dad would
fall.
The table would
fly.
The chair, and
plant would
go up and down. If
dad said "You can't
do that" or "
stop," I'd just touch my hat and
disappear. Now wouldn't THAT be lovely.
At night, if
mom told me to go to bed, I'd just touch my hat and
disappear. THen I'd stay up all night, with my hat on my head, and
read,
play, and
color.
LET'S CHANGE PLACES
If I could change places with anyone in the whole world, I'd like it to be
brian. This is because
Brian is very
nice and
funny.
There is one person I would NOT change places with. This is
Adam. It seems to me that
he lives a very
sad life.
My own life has its good and bad moments. The worst thing about it is
cleaning my room. The best thing about my life is
having fun.
If I could change places with a T.V. star, I'd change places with
MIchael J. Fox.
If I could change places with a sports hero, I'd change places with
refrigerator.
If I could change places with one of my friends, I'd change places with
Brian.
If I could change places with someone in my fmaily, I'd change places with
Uncle Robert.
A BOOK ABOUT ME
If I were to write a book about me, I'd call it "
Matt's life."
I would start by telling the readers about my younger days. I would tell them I was very
small, and that I did a lot of
silly things. I would write about the time that I
went to Myrtle beach. That would make them
I want to go.
Next I would write about the way I am today. I would say that I enjoy
soccer and
baseball, and that I'd rather not
die. I would explain that my favorite things in the whole world are
going to the beach and
my mom's friends pool.
Then I would write about my future plans. I would say that I'd like to be a(an)
palenotologist or a(an)
astronaut when I grow up, and that I'd like to look like
I am now when I am older.
I would tell my readers that if I had one wish it would be
to have a free pizza.
I would hope that when my readers finish my book, they would think of me as a very
nice person person.
So, that's it. A few updates:
My brother is a great guy. I love him to death. No idea what I was so pissed about in the third grade.
Math rocks
I'm not so sure anymore about trading places with Michael J. Fox
No Smoking and No Wrecking are still rules on my planet
Even if you gave me five lines to write on, I would still say that
my idea of the perfect trip is quiet.
And it's a nodeshell rescue to boot.