Irving, the Dirty Turtle
When Avi was around 6 or 7 years old, the letter "R" was very difficult for him to pronounce. He could do it with effort, but needed a way to practice it. So I wrote this story, and simply asked him to read it out loud. By the time he finished reading it just once, there was a very noticable improvement in his speech.
(Please keep in mind that this was designed for a young boy who really enjoyed the story. Some serious editing would be needed for a girl.)
Irving has many friends. His two favorite friends are Esther and Reuven. Esther was a robin, which is a kind of bird. She likes to chirp. Reuven was a green earthworm. Irving himself was a turtle. All three were good friends, even though Esther could fly and Reuven and Irving had to crawl.
One day, Esther said, "Let's have a race! The turtle against the worm! I wonder who is slower." That really embarrassed Reuven and Irving. Birds can fly, but Reuven and Irving were trapped on the ground. Esther said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Can I offer you a ride to apologize?" Irving said, "Sure!" So Esther flew them all around the world, and Reuven said, "Esther, you are a really great friend."
Irving said, "I hear you chirping, Esther. It sounds like you are very thirsty. I have some freezing cold seltzer for you. Or maybe you would like some water, or a nice refreshing root beer?" Reuven said, "Earthworms really like bug juice. I have some here which I brought from the store." Esther asked, "Is there any orange juice around? That would be great." Irving answered, "It's right here."
For supper, Esther had a frankfurter on a roll with mustard and relish. Irving said, "A truly great frankfurter requires barbecue sauce!" Reuven had corned beef on a roll. They drank ginger ale, and had watermelon for dessert. Then they went to a circus in New Jersey. Irving said, "My favorite ride in the park is the roller coaster. When I ride it, I don't ever want it to be over."
Esther asked Irving, "Which do you prefer? Would you rather be a turtle, or a bird, or an earthworm, or a person?" Irving answered her, "It doesn't matter, as long as we were rich!" Esther wanted Irving to know that she liked him a lot, so she whispered in his ear, "I feel rich whenever I am near you." So Irving ran away and screamed, "Girls are gross!"