hello everyone my name is Megan I'm here
with my dog Tuffy and I'm very excited
to read a book for you it's called the
boy from grew flowers by Jen voytovitch
and illustrated by Steve Adams this is
one of my favorite books I always wished
that I could have special talents like
rink in the story and it's all about how
our difference is make us special so I
hope you like the story boy your group
flowers
rink beau Aegon was a boy from the deep
country he lived out past where the
blacktop road became a dirt road and the
dirt road petered out into a little foot
path the path wound through the ancient
trees of a wild forest huffed Black Bear
Creek headed all the way up from
Lonesome Mountain made a right-hand turn
and smack into the bow Agins door see
the forest there who's that a little
ring now the bow maggots were the only
folks who lived up on lonesome mountain
the townspeople argued as to whether it
was because they were such strange folk
that they lived there or whether it was
because they lived there that they were
such strange folk however everyone
agreed that the bow wagon clan was a
hotbed of strange and exotic talents
rinks uncle dud liked to tame
rattlesnakes and his brother and cousins
were all shape shifters
crazy things are happening here what is
that snake but rink himself had the most
special talent of all during the full
moon he sprouted flowers all over his
body it was a beautiful sight and they
were the prettiest sweetest smelling and
longest lasting blossoms you ever saw
some folks might say home sick in bed if
they happened to sprout but not rink
every morning following the full moon
his mama would gently clip the flowers
from her boy and off he would go to
school do you grow flowers from your
body
now ranked like school at least he liked
the thinking and reading part but he was
shy and quiet and different from other
children so the teacher gave him a seat
at the back of the room and didn't
bother with him as for the children they
all had heard rumors about wrink strange
relatives so they stayed a safe distance
from him is there anyone in your class
that you stay away from I hope not one
day Angelina quiz came along a girl
whose family was in the ballroom dancing
business and had just moved from to
SaLuSa she was what some would call a
plain girl she had an easy manner a
luminous smile and her right leg was
shorter than her left by an inch she
always wore a flower right behind her
ear behind her right ear wrink liked her
straightaway you see her flower there
well suited everyone else Angelina was
always surrounded by friends brink
observed her from the distance she was
forthright and honest yet always kind he
thought he also admired the flower she
wore behind her ear a different one
every day and all of them as lovely as
she asked for Angelina quiz she soon
wondered about this quiet boy who sat
alone at the back of the class so she
asked the other children about him his
uncle dud has a pet rattlesnake called
fat Lucy and she sleeps on the end of
his bed hissed Buster friend and his
mother using the bowling bag for her
purse giggled surely mein Smith his
granny was way raised by wolves
snickered Gertrude Krug Angelina did not
laugh why wouldn't anyone talk to him
she asked the others fell silent the
questioned the question rattled in their
minds
you like the story Tuffy yeah one
afternoon the teacher announced that the
school dance would be held that Saturday
night at the church hall several of her
classmates asked Angelina to go but she
smiled bravely and shook her head I
wouldn't be much of a dancing partner
she laughed rink was struck by the
wistful note he heard in her voice hmm
she comes from a dancing family he
thought that she really loves music and
that she really liked to go to that
dance
the minute the teachers back was turned
ring slipped out the door no one noticed
except Angelina who glares back at his
empty chair every now and then she
marveled at how his absence could take
the shine off such a pretty sunny day
when wrink reached his home high on
Lonesome Mountain he went straight to
his uncle duds room he rummaged under
his bed until he came up with several
feet of fat Lucy shucked off skin next
he dug through his mama's bowling bag
until he found a needle and a spool of
silk thread then in the tumble down shed
off the kitchen he turned up an old
leather mule saddle what do you think
he's doing with all of those strange
things huh what'd he do with a mule
saddle and some snakeskin Rick sat down
and cleared his mind he thought intently
about Angelina's feet he pictured their
shape and their size in the inch of
space between her right foot and the
floor then he cut and stitched and glued
he worked right through from Thursday
afternoon until Saturday morning have
you ever worked so hard on something
from Thursday afternoon until Saturday
morning I don't think I have
when rink was finally done there on the
table stood the loveliest pair of
snakeskin slippers that have ever been
seen on this side of Black Bear Creek
the sole of the right slipper was one
inch thicker than the left so that
Angelina could stand true straight and
tall rink imagine her dancing he thought
that thought so long and the feeling
deep inside him was so pleasant that
even though the full moon had not yet
risen he sprouted a bunch of wild pink
roses from the top of his head you see
the difference in the shoes they're not
so nice
very creative of him that afternoon rink
followed the footpath down through the
forest across Black Bear Creek along a
dirt road onto the blacktop road and up
the hill halfway up the hill he opened a
small gate and walked up the little path
that led right to Angelina's foot front
porch Angelina was helping her mama sew
up a fancy new tango dress the whole
house was quiet and every little snip of
the scissors made a sad little tweak in
her heart she thought about rank and how
she had missed him at school all day on
Friday
but Angelina did you ever miss someone
in class think of your friends when
Angelina heard a knock at the door her
heart flipped the her stir drink with a
bunch of wild pink roses in his left
hand and a player a pair of snakeskin
slippers in his right these are for you
he he said as he offered the slippers to
her if you wear these you'll dance just
fine
Angelina wriggled her bare toes into the
slippers then and there for the first
time in her life she felt herself stand
up straight she took one step then
another and then she did it a practice
dance step Angelina looked at rink with
delight
will you be my dancing partner
she asked well I don't you know how to
do that kind of dancing said ring shyly
I'll teach you it's cried Angelina have
watched my family so many times I knew
all of the steps by a heart she took his
hand and they danced together down the
path
and that's them at the school dance
after the dance ring whopped Angelina
home they stopped on the way and sat
under an old button ball tree Angelina
told rink about her family and he told
her about his then with a pounding heart
he revealed to her the fact that he
sprouted flowers all over himself during
the full moon
Angelina smiled with delight then she
bent down and showed rink where the
flower she wore grew right out front
behind her ear isn't that funny that she
also grows a flower from her head it's
my favorite part from that day on
Angelina quiz and rink bogging were fast
friends Angelina workers snakeskin
slippers every day and when the slippers
wore out rink made her another pair he
has been making all of her shoes for 25
years now the two of them have their own
house up on monster mountain
only these days is called sweet blossom
hill gardening is how Angelina and rink
earn their living actually it's a family
business you see every one of their
seven children was born with a green
thumb
and that's the end that was the boy who
grew flowers one of my favorites and you
can find so many great other books all
on their phone books comm and some other
really great stories to read so thank
you for listening