Don’t Be Afraid Of Books - written by Alfred (a short story for kids)
Once upon a time in a beautiful Christian home in Ohio a little girl named Jennifer stood in front of her Mum waiting for the bomb to land. She had just given her Mum her report card and I can tell you the grades on the report card where lower than an underground cabin.
Interestingly, Jennifer’s Mum didn’t shout at her or beat her up. She talked to her and gave her that most beautiful advise a mother can give a daughter in such a situation. The unfortunate thing however was that Jennifer wasn’t listening. She felt getting good grades was just too hard.Jennifer’s Mum got Jennifer an after school home teacher to teach her on some select days after school.
The next day at school Jennifer talks to her best friend Evelyn about what’s going on.
Evelyn tells Jennifer that school is just too hard and that she herself is frightened of books.
A few days later the school teacher tells everyone in Jennifer and Evelyn’s class to study for a test. Word around school was that it was going to be the hardest test they would face in that grade.
While Jennifer and Evelyn meet after school to chat, they also talked about the test and Evelyn tells Jennifer that she knows it’s going to be really really hard so she’s not even going to bother to read. She reminded Jennifer that she is afraid of books. “Books are just too hard”, Evelyn said.
Jennifer and Evelyn both agreed that neither one of them is going to read when they get home.
When Jennifer got home she doesn’t tell her Mum about the test because if her Mum knew that she had a test her Mum would force her to study.
Later that day the Holy Spirit urged Jennifer to read but she said, “No.” the Holy Spirit kept urging her to read but she said that books are just too hard. The Holy Spirit told her that no matter how difficult it may seem at first it would only get easier with time, all she had to do was to take the first step and pick up her book and read for the upcoming test. But still Jennifer refused. Nothing the Holy Spirit said got to her and this continued for most of the evening until she fell asleep.
The next day Jennifer went to school like it was no different from any other day. She took the test along with Evelyn and everyone else in the class. A surprising thing happened though; when the test results came out it turned out that Evelyn was among one of the few students in the classroom who passed the test. Jennifer was surprised and annoyed at the same time, “I taught we agreed we were not going to read. And I taught you said you were afraid of books?”, Jennifer asked Evelyn.
“I said the same thing to my mother yesterday”, Evelyn answered, “…but she told me there was nothing to be afraid of, and what do you know after I read a few pages I actually started enjoying myself. My fear of books was long gone. Come to think of it I think it was silly to be afraid of reading in the first place. I’m sorry I didn’t call last night and tell you in time that I now love reading books. I hope you don’t blame me for your failing the school test.”
THE END.
