ROOSTLINGS.Play in 3D

ROOSTLINGS · STORY 12

Halloween at the Roost

By Lars & Luc · Ages 3–5

Costumes, painted dinosaur bones and one enormous pumpkin. When the parade cart gets stuck, every pair has a little help to give.

All four pairs, with Fig and their Valley friends · the Roost

Make a friendly boo, a cape flap and the dinosaurs’ gentle replies. Hear your own sounds as the pumpkin parade comes together.

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Dax wears a pumpkin suit and Obi wears a little open-faced ghost costume at the Roost. — It was Halloween at the Roost. Dax wore a pumpkin suit. Obi wore a ghost cloth. His face peeped out above it. "Boo!"

Ivy asks Pebble before painting pretend pale bones along her orange side. — "Pebble, will you wear some painted bones?" asked Ivy. Pebble dropped her frill. Hrrmph! "That's a yes!" Ivy brushed pale bones along her side.

Obi paints Maple's foot while Fig paints his lowered neck; Waffle tries her bat cape. — "Maple, will you wear bones too?" asked Obi. Maple lowered his neck. Hmmmm. "That's a yes!" Obi painted a foot. Fig painted his neck. Waffle wore a bat cape. Her feathers stuck out. Flap, flap, fluff!

Fig and the four children's faces fill the Lift beside the Bell rope; the Farmer waits by the cart below. — Fig and the kids went up on the Lift. Ding-dong-DING! "Roostlings! The Bell!" called Fig. "Up and out!" called four kids. Below the Roost, the Farmer stood beside a cart.

A huge smiling pumpkin waits in a wooden cart caught at a root below the Roost. — The cart held a huge pumpkin. "The cart is stuck," said the Farmer. Fig looked down. "Pumpkins are not good at walking."

Four close pairs answer the roll call: Ivy and Pebble, Hana and Kite, Dax and Waffle, Obi and Maple. — "Ivy and Pebble, push and pull!" Hrrmph! "Hana and Kite, see and fetch!" Tik-tik! "Dax and Waffle, run and find!" Chirrup! "Obi and Maple, reach and lift!" Hmmmm. "Little ones. Big help!"

Ivy and Hana adjust their hats while Waffle flaps her little cape. — Ivy straightened her witch hat. Hana pushed back her star hat. "Ask first. Help, don't hurt. All home." Waffle flapped her cape.

Fig points down from the Roost toward the stuck pumpkin cart. — The pumpkin was meant to lead their parade. "Who's the one for a stuck thing?" asked Fig.

Dax names Ivy and Pebble; Hana calls Kite while Obi waits beside Fig. — "Ivy and Pebble!" called Dax. "Pebble, you'll push," said Ivy. "Kite, you'll see," said Hana. Obi waited with Fig.

Three smiling children fill the curving Slide while their pointed hats ride down in the Lift. — Down the Slide. Wheee! And go! Ivy, Hana and Dax went first. Their hats rode on the Lift. Pebble took the trunk path. Kite glided down.

Waffle stops beside the cake plate and Dax points her toward the cart. — Waffle got there first. She stopped at the cake plate. "The cart, Waffle!" called Dax. Waffle turned. Chirrup! Her tail feathers fanned.

Ivy and Pebble look at one another at nose height, leaving a clear waiting gap. — Ivy stood by Pebble's nose. "Pebble, will you push?" She waited. Pebble dropped her frill. Hrrmph! "That's a yes!" Ivy stepped beside the Farmer.

Pebble presses her nose to the back of the cart; Ivy signals stop. — Pebble put her nose to the cart. She pushed once. The wheel did not turn. "Stop," said Ivy. Pebble stopped.

Ivy looks closely at the front wheel and the root in its way. — The pumpkin smiled. The cart stayed still. Ivy looked at the wheel. "Something's in the way."

Hana asks Kite to look; Kite rises above the pumpkin cart. — "Kite, will you look?" asked Hana. Kite bobbed his head. Tik-tik! "That's a yes!" He rose above the cart.

Hana's small hand gesture fills the foreground beside Kite, the wheel and the blocking root. — Kite circled once, then perched on a root. Hana saw it pressed against the wheel. "The wheel needs to go up." She raised one hand. "This much."

Kite circles the Roost to call Fig, Obi and Maple. — Kite flew up and circled the Roost twice. Fig looked down. "One more. A heavy thing. Obi and Maple, down you go."

Obi and Fig arrive in the Lift beside Maple's enormous kind face and grounded foot. — Obi came down on the Lift with Fig. Maple waited at the roots. Pale bones ran along his neck. His feet stayed on the ground.

Obi asks Maple to lift, then steps back beside Fig. — Obi stood by Maple's nose. "Maple, will you lift?" He waited. Maple lowered his neck. Hmmmm. "That's a yes!" Obi stepped back beside Fig.

A close view shows Maple holding the front rope in his mouth and the Farmer's hand steadying the cart rail. — The Farmer held the cart's side. Maple took its rope in his mouth. Pebble waited at the back. The pumpkin's painted smile faced the path.

Maple lifts the front a little and Pebble pushes the wheel clear of the root. — Maple lifted the front a little. "Now, Pebble," said Ivy. Pebble pushed. Bump. The wheel rolled free. Maple lowered the cart.

The Farmer and Ivy smile in thanks, with Dax pointing toward a wider path. — "Thank you," said the Farmer. "Ring the Bell, and we'll come," said Ivy. Dax looked past the roots. "We need a wide path."

Waffle runs past the cake to find a wide path for the pumpkin parade. — "Waffle, will you find our path?" asked Dax. Waffle fanned her tail. Chirrup! "That's a yes!" She ran past the cake, onto the wide path.

Dax's red shoes, Obi's blue shoes and Pebble's painted legs march beside one pumpkin-cart wheel. — The Farmer pulled the cart around the Roost. Dax marched beside it. "Boo!" went Obi. Hrrmph! went Pebble. Her painted bones bobbed with each step.

Maple hums, Kite's star flashes, the children wave their hats and Waffle flaps her cape. — Maple hummed. Kite's star badge flashed. Hana waved her star hat. Ivy waved her witch hat. Waffle flapped her cape. Flap, flap, fluff!

Nine leaf-hatted Nibblers fill three clear rows beside Bubble's face and Dax's raised marching knee. — Bubble waited beside a row of pumpkins. Blub! Nine Nibblers stepped out behind her. Nine leaf hats bobbed. Dax lifted his knees. Nine Nibblers lifted theirs.

The Baker and the keepers make gentle parade sounds as the friends pass. — The Baker clapped. The Ferry-keeper tapped a bowl. The Lighthouse-keeper shook a seed pot. Around the Roost they went. One big pumpkin. One small pumpkin. Nine leaf hats.

Dax sets down two cake plates and Waffle tucks in her bat cape. — Then came cake. Waffle got there first again. Dax set down two plates. "This time, you're right." Waffle tucked in her cape. Chirrup!

Fig, Obi and Ivy draw the pumpkin, cart, root and tracks in the Big Book. — "Big Book, open." Fig drew the pumpkin beside its cart. Obi added a root. "The wheel went up," he said. Ivy drew its tracks. "Then it went on."

Ivy and Obi use soft cloths to wash painted bones from Pebble and Maple's foot; Waffle peeks past the basin and her removed cape. — The sky grew pink. Ivy washed the bones from Pebble. Obi washed Maple's foot. Waffle's bat cape came off.

Bubble settles at the roots as Fig hangs the hats and a leaf hat rests on Waffle's tail. — Bubble settled at the roots. "She's home too," said Obi. Fig hung the hats beside the Lift. Waffle curled up beneath them. One leaf hat slipped onto her tail.

Nine familiar faces gather closely at home: four child-and-dinosaur pairs and Fig. — "Ivy and Pebble, home. Hana and Kite, home. Dax and Waffle, home. Obi and Maple, home. And Fig makes nine. All home."

A little adventure by Lars & Luc, to read, listen to and make your own.

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