Story - The Blue Coat

This past year I've been working on learning more oral stories and improving my telling techniques. I find it interesting what can interfere with the telling of a story. But I've learned to keep going. You'll see a few interruptions in the video below.

Today's story is a Jewish story called "The Blue Coat". I heard this story told different ways, the one most people might know is a book called "Something from Nothing" by Phoebe Gilman. I like "The Blue Coat" because it's nicely suited for children to become involved.

I also added a visual component and cut each piece of clothing from a piece of paper.

The Blue Coat

Once there was a boy name Tom.
Once there was a boy name Tom who had grown too big for his coat.

"Oh dear, oh dear" said his mother. I'll have to make you a new one. So his mother went to the store and bought a length of blue fabric. She brought it home, laid it on the table and set to work.
All day she worked, cutting and shaping, fitting one piece to another until she made Tom a beautiful blue coat.

Tom was so pleased with his coat that he wore it everywhere.
He wore it in the sun and rain, the wind and the snow.
He wore it when he ran and jumped and splashed and rolled.

Till the day his mom looked him up and down and said, "Oh dear, oh dear. That coat is tattered and torn beyond repair."

She laid it on the table and looked at it. "Hmmm" she thought and set to work. She worked all day cutting out the good pieces and shaping them together, fitting one piece to another until she made a vest.

Tom was so pleased with his vest that he wore everywhere.
He wore it in the sun and rain, the wind and the snow.
He wore it when he ran and jumped and splashed and rolled.

Till the day his mom looked him up and down and said, "Oh dear, oh dear. That vest is tattered and torn beyond repair."

She laid it on the table and looked at it. "Hmmm" she thought and set to work. She worked all day cutting out the good pieces and shaping them together, fitting one piece to another until she made a hat.

Tom was so pleased with his hat that he wore everywhere.
He wore it in the sun and rain, the wind and the snow.
He wore it when he ran and jumped and splashed and rolled.

Till the day his mom looked him up and down and said, "Oh dear, oh dear. That hat is tattered and torn beyond repair."

She laid it on the table and looked at it. "Hmmm" she thought and set to work. She worked all day cutting out the good pieces and shaping them together, fitting one piece to another until she made a bow tie.

Tom was so pleased with his bow tie that he wore it everywhere.
He wore it in the sun and rain, the wind and the snow.
He wore it when he ran and jumped and splashed and rolled.

Till the day his mom looked him up and down and said, "Oh dear, oh dear. That bow tie is tattered and torn beyond repair."

She laid it on the table and looked at it. "Hmmm" she thought and set to work. She worked all day cutting out the good pieces and shaping them together, fitting one piece to another until she made a button.

Tom was so please with the button that he wore it everywhere.
He wore it in the sun and rain, the wind and the snow.
He wore it when he ran and jumped and splashed and rolled.

Till the day his mom looked him up and down and said, "Oh dear, oh dear. That button is tattered and torn beyond repair."

She laid it on the table and looked at it. "Hmmm" she thought and set to work. She worked all day cutting out the good pieces and shaping them together, fitting one piece to another until she made a....story.
She made this story of Tom's blue coat.

And I just shared the story of The Blue Coat with you so you can share it with someone else.
And that is the end of that story.