ESL-Chat Blog: Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?

ESL-Chat Blog

Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?

"My daughter and I really love this book; it’s a fun read and we love the facts at the back about the different historical periods! The illustrations are nice and mesh so well with the writing. My daughter thinks the story is very funny and silly and really enjoyed it! I do think this book is appropriate for kids up to (and maybe even beyond) age 10 y.o.a. mainly because it is very informative and gives kids references of a sort to absorb. Would make a great book to add to your kids school library...I am donating a copy to our school library!" Amazon review

Here is the full text of the book:

Why Do I Have to Make My Bed? by Wade Bradford

"Why do I have to make my bed?" I said.
"I already put the dishes in the dishwasher, I dusted off my video game, I even picked up my dinosaurs, my racetrack and my
robot monkey, action figures. So why do I
have to make my bed? It is just going to
get messed up again"

Mom raised her eyebrow and said: "that reminds me of a story about your grandmother when she was a little girl and that little girl
was as grumpy as a groundhog and she
said I already washed and dried the
dishes I dusted my rock and roll records
I even picked up my spanking my hula
hoops and my roller skates gee whiz why
do I have to make my bed her mother just
tapped her foot and said that reminds me
of a story about your grandfather when
he was a little boy and that little boy
was as mad as a wet cat and he said I
already fetched the water from the pump
I dusted the phonograph I even picked up
my signing tops my toy train and my two
soldiers pray tell mother why do I have
to make my bed his mother just smirked
and said it reminds me of a story about
your great grandmother when she was a
little girl and that little girl was as
father formica Badger and she said I
already drew water from the well I
dusted off pause fiddle I even picked up
my lasso my marbles and my rag dolly
land’s sakes mom why do I have to make
my bed her mother just scrubbed the
table and said that reminds me of a
story about your great-grandfather when
he was a little boy and that little boy
was as ruffled as a hen and he said I
already hung my britches to dry I dusted
father’s printing press I even picked up
the eggs the henhouse and the tomatoes in the
garden so why do I have to make my bed
his mother just flooded her fan his head
that reminds me of a story about your
great-great-great-great grandmother when
she was a little girl and that little
girl was as cantankerous and
orphée dog and she said I already swab
the deck I dusted off the captain spy scope I
even picked out the rats that were
hiding in the pickle barrel so why do I
have to make my bed her mother just
plucked her tongue and said that reminds
me of a story about your double
great-great-great grandfather weenie was
a little boy and that little boy was as
a wicked as a warlock and he said I
already shared of the sheep and milked
the yak I just it off sisters loom I
even picked up as the pig droppings and
planted the weed so why do I have to
make my bed his mother just put her
hands on her hips and said that reminds
me of a story about your double
great-great a double double
great-great-grandmother Rena she was a
little girl and that little girl was
more Hunger s than four and she said I
already stoked the fire for the sword
maker I dusted off the sacred blowing
horn I even picked up the broken spear
and patched up father’s war wounds so
why do I have to make my bed her mother
just burped and said Rhett reminds me of
a story about your triple great triple
great-great grandfather when he was a
little boy and that little boy was as
ill-tempered as a caged a lion and he
said I already unclog the aqueducts I
dusted off the statues I even picked up
after the bloody Gator
why do I have to make my bed his mother
just brushed her golden hair
that reminds me of a story about your
triple great-great triple-triple
great-great-great grandmother when she
was a little girl and that little girl
was as cranky as a crocodile and she
said I already gave water to the pyramid
builder I dusted off father’s papyrus
scrolls I even gathered up the plague of
frogs big brother snuck into her pants
so why do I have to make my bed
her mother brush the Frog off her tunic
and said that reminds me of this story
about one of your ancestors weenie was a
little boy and that little boy was as
sour as a saber-toothed tiger and he
said me already clean cave we hunted
mammoths me dust stalagmites and we make
fire why we have to make bed it just get
messed up again why why why his mother
just stared at him and said because I
said so Oh said the cave boy who then
straightened his bed of sticks and furs
Oh said the Egyptian girl who fluffed up
her bed of flax and linen
Oh said the Roman boy who smooth the
wrinkles out of his wool blanket Oh said
the Viking girl who shook the fleas from
her Caravan hide Oh said the Norman boy
who stuffed more goose feathers into his
pillow Oh said the pilgrim girl who
neatly folded her mother’s crook
ah said The Virginian boy who pulled his
sheep nice and straight ah said the
country girl who heaped handfuls of hay
into her mattress Oh said the city boy
who tucked his sheep under the corners
Oh said your grandmother who made
everything tidy and neat and that mom
said as she lowered her raised eyebrow
is the end of the story
oh I said and then I made my bed
well if you like that book it’s called
why do I have to make my bed or a
history of messy rooms and at the end of
the book you’ll find a whole history of
chores that children had to do through
the ages all the way back from the
prehistoric time through ancient Egypt
the Roman Empire Middle Ages colonial
America all the way to the present day
and I hope you’ll read that I’m going to
go to sleep now in my nice clean bed so
join me next time and I read you a story
goodnight.

Here is another link on YouTube

Book information:
Reading age: 5+
Word count: 1060
Number of unique words: 310, Word list
Number of pages: 32
Year: 2011
Links: Amazon, Wikipedia, YouTube, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Common Sense Media, Printables, Lexile

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