Good evening.
This is Jackie.
Come join me for another Dreamtime Story to help you get ready for sleep.
Tonight we're going to read a story by Peter Newell called The Rocket Book.
And it is a fun tale about a little boy,
A mischievous boy,
Who goes down into the basement snooping and finds a red rocket and lights it up and all sorts of fun things happen when that rocket goes straight up through all the flats in the apartment house.
Tonight we will read flats 1 through 7.
So here we go.
The Rocket Book.
It was written in 1912.
The Basement.
When Fritz,
The janitor's bad kid,
Went snooping in the basement,
He found a rocket snugly hid beneath the window casement.
He struck a match with one foul swoop,
Then on the concrete kneeling,
He lit the rocket and she whoop!
It shot up through the ceiling.
First flat.
The steiners on the floor above of breakfast were partaking.
Crash!
Came the rocket,
Unannounced,
And set them all a-quaking.
It smote a catsup bottle fair,
And bang!
The thing exploded.
And now these people all declare,
That catsup flask was loaded.
Second flat.
Before the fire,
Old Grandpa Hop dozed in his armchair big.
When from a trunk the rocket burst,
And carried off his wig,
It passed so near his ancient head,
He roused up with a start,
And turning to his grandsons,
Said,
You fellows think you're smart!
Third flat.
Algernon Bracket,
Somewhat rash,
Had blown a monster bubble,
When oh,
There came a blinding flash,
Precipitating trouble.
But Algy turned in mild disgust,
And called to Mama Bracket.
Say,
Did you hear that bubble bust?
It made an awful racket.
Fourth flat.
Joe Bud,
Who'd bought a potted plant,
Was dousing it with water.
He fancied this would make it grow,
And Joseph loved to potter.
Then through the pot the rocket shot,
And made the scene look sickly.
Well now,
Said Joe,
I never thought that plant would shoot so quickly.
Fifth flat.
Right here,
Tis needful to remark,
That Dick and Little Son were playing with a Noah's Ark,
And having loads of fun,
When all at once that rocket stout up through the ark came blazing.
The animals were tossed about,
And did some stunts amazing.
Sixth flat.
A burglar on the next floor up,
The sideboard was exploring.
The family with the brindled pup were still asleep and snoring.
Just then up through the silverware,
The rocket thundered,
Flaring.
The burglar got a dreadful scare.
Then out the door went tearing.
Seventh flat.
Miss Mamie Briggs,
With no mean skill,
Was playing Casey's Fling,
To please her cousin Amos Skill,
Who liked that sort of thing.
When suddenly the rocket,
Hot,
The old piano jumbled.
It stopped that ragtime like a shot,
Then through the ceiling rumbled.
Come back again tomorrow night,
And we'll read the rest of that rocket story,
As it goes through the flat's eighth,
Through the top floor,
And causes so much more commotion.
Thank you for joining me.
Have a wonderful night's sleep.
