THE VEGGIE MONSTER

WRITTEN, ILLUSTRATED AND PUBLISHED BY: BodhaGuru Learning Private Limited VERSION: 1.0

Copyright 2012 by BodhaGuru Learning Private Limited

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Thank you for downloading this book. This book must not be reproduced, copied or distributed in any form or means, without the prior permission from the author. Your support and respect for the hard work of the author is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons - living or dead, places or events is purely coincidental. We hope you and your child enjoy the story as much as we enjoyed writing it.

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Children Fun and Learn Book Subject: Science Topic: Edible parts of the plants *****

CHAPTER 1 - Monstrous negotiation

One day, a monster was walking by and saw a farm with the wheat harvest ready to be cut.

MONSTER: Oh! This farmer grows wheat. And I love wheat rotis!!! Let me do something.

After some time the farmer entered the farm to cut the crop. FARMER: Aha - My crop is ready. Let me cut it

FARMER: Oh! What is that? Let me go and see.

Suddenly the monster woke up. FARMER: Oh my God! Its a monster. Help, Help! This monster will eat me. MONSTER: Stop, Stop! Dont run away I wont eat you. I am a VEGETARIAN - I dont eat meat.

The farmer stopped and looked back at the monster. FARMER (thinking): What - A vegetarian monster? I have never heard of it. That means he is not harmful.

He turned back and started to walk towards the monster. FARMER (sternly): Go to some other place? Leave my farm - immediately. MONSTER: I cant I love veggies. I dont want to leave your nice farm.

FARMER (irritated): Aaaaaaaahh! What will you take to go away? MONSTER: ONLY if you give me your next 8 harvests

FARMER (thinking): This monster has become greedy seeing my crop. I have to get rid of him - somehow.

FARMER: What? 8 harvest of crops. That is too much. MONSTER: So! How about just 4 harvests? Just for you - lets settle down for 4. FARMER (reluctantly): Ok! But promise me you will go back after the 4th harvest. Gentlemans promise!

MONSTER: Yes! Monster mans promise! Ill definitely go.

FARMER: But how will I survive if you take the next 4 harvests? MONSTER: Ok! So I will take the top portion of the plant, while you take the roots. That way we share all the harvest equally - half and half. I am always fair - you know.

FARMER (thinking):

This monster is cheating now. He wants to take everything. But I will teach him a lesson after all - I am a farmer!!!

FARMER: As you say. I have already promised you that, so I will honour my promise.

The farmer started to walk back. MONSTER (singing): I am so intelligent. I am so intelligent. Haa Haa Haa!

CHAPTER 2 - Im loving carrots

The farmer started working on the farm - sowing the seeds first.

He watered his farm regularly.

Soon his next harvest was ready. The monster walked in the farm. MONSTER (thinking): Looks like my crop is ready? I am so hungry now.

The monster saw the farmer sitting in the farm and eating carrots. FARMER (enjoying): Wow! Juicy carrots! Im loving it!

MONSTER: Hey! Where is my share? You promised me I will get the top half of the crop. The farmer got up and brought a covered basket to the monster. FARMER: Here it is - your share of help.

The monster hurriedly opened it and saw only leaves in the basket. MONSTER (shocked): What! Is this my share? I asked for the upper part of the plants. Dont you know?

The farmer walked towards his farm and plucked out a carrot from the soil. FARMER: Yes you got your share only. I am eating my share of the harvest CARROTS - the roots of the plants. And you enjoy your share - LEAVES.

The monster started eating all the leaves with a sad face. He saw a goat that was eating leaves. MONSTER (crying): If I keep eating these tasteless leaves, I will become like this goat. Mamma, Mamma - Hu Hu HuWhere are you, Mamma?

FARMER (singing): After all I am a farmer!!!

The monster came running to the farmer. MONSTER: I have changed my mind. In the next harvest, why dont you take the upper part of the plants and I take the roots. This way we will have a change of taste you know. FARMER: As you wish!

CHAPTER 3 - The cabbage parathas The farmer started the work for his next harvest.

Soon his next harvest was ready. The monster was becoming thinner. He walked towards the farm. He saw the farmer working in the farm.

The farmers wife walked in and gave a lunch-box to the farmer. The farmer started eating it.

FARMER (eating): The cabbage paratha tastes so good with this coriander chutney. Im loving it! FARMERS WIFE: It is made of our crops - our hard work - that is why it tastes so good.

The monster went near the farmer and his wife. FARMER (pointing to the bundle of roots): Come my friend that is your share of hard work from this harvest. The monster saw only the roots of the plants in the bundle. MONSTER (frustrated): What is this? You didnt grow carrot this time?

FARMER: No. I am eating my share of cabbage and coriander leaves. MONSTER (crying): I cannot eat these roots. Mamma - HuHu Hu. I have become so thin.

FARMER (singing): After all I am a farmer!!! The monster saw a goat nearby eating the leaves and leaving the stem behind. MONSTER (thinking): These stems are useless. I will ask the farmer to take the stems for the next harvest and I will

take the other parts. I am sure he cannot play any trick on me this time.

The monster went to the farmer. MONSTER (wickedly): In the next harvest, you take the biggest part - the STEMS and I will take the leftover parts of the plants. You do so much hard work, so you deserve the best. I have a big heart you know. FARMER: As you wish! CHAPTER 4 - Who got the potatoes? The farmer started the work for his next harvest.

Soon his next harvest was ready. The monster had become thinner. He walked towards the farm. The farmer was pulling out the potatoes from the soil and was keeping in his basket. His wife was standing next to him.

MONSTER (looking at the potatoes): Hey these potatoes are mine. You take the stem of the plants. FARMER: Yes, I am taking the stems only. Hence, these potatoes are my share.

The monster became very frustrated. MONSTER (crying): Mamma what will I eat now? Uuuuuuuuuuu - HuHu Hu.

FARMER (singing) After all I am a farmer!!!

The monster saw the farmers wife eating an apple and throwing away the seeds. MONSTER (thinking): Yahoo! I have an idea - I will ask the farmer to take these useless seeds. He thinks he is smart but this time I will show him how smart I am.

MONSTER (wickedly): In the next harvest, you take just the SEEDS. I am concerned about you - you are growing fatter by eating a lot. You should slim down or you will become slow due to the over-weight. So you should just eat the seeds. FARMER:

As you wish! CHAPTER 5 - Knowledge wins over the greed The farmer started the work for his next harvest.

Soon his next harvest was ready. The monster had become really thin by now. He was hungry. He saw the rice farm of the farmer. He came running to the farmer but could not run fast so he fell down.

MONSTER (breathing heavily): Hey where is my share of rice? I want to make a tasty biryani. FARMER (pointing to the husk): Yes, Yes there is your share.

MONSTER (looking at the husk): Where is the rice? Now you are cheating me

FARMER: As you said, the seeds are my share. So the rice is mine.

MONSTER (crying): Mamma HuHu Hu. This farmer knows everything about the plants! I will never come back here, Mamma. Uuuuuuu u u - uu The monster started to walk away from the farm.

The farmers wife entered the farm with the lunch-box in her hand. FARMERS WIFE: I have made your favourite Hyderabadi Biryani with our freshly cut rice. Let us eat it FARMER (singing loudly):

After all I am a farmer!!!

The monster left the farm. MONSTER (repenting): I wish I was not GREEDY at least I could have received something. And if I had worked along with the farmer, I would have been eating that tasty biryani now. Moral of the story: Luck only favours those who work hard. CHAPTER 6 - Food for thought 1. Why was the monster becoming thinner day-by-day? 2. Was monster expecting free food? If yes, why? 3. What would have happened if the monster worked along with the farmer to grow the crops? 4. What are the different parts of the plants that were edible (i.e. eatable) in this story? 5. Why potato is considered a stem and carrot a root - even though both grow below the soil? 6. What happens, if the farmer only knew how to grow the wheat crop and nothing else? 7. If you were the farmer, what you would have done? What are the other ways to get rid of the monster? Which is the best way in your view point and why? 8. Apart from rice, which other crop was grown by the farmer in the story whose seed we eat as food? 9. We eat rice and rice is a seed - does that mean a new rice plant can grow in our stomach?

Feel free to imagine, generate new questions, think and discuss the answer to all the questions with your friends, teachers and parents. Have Fun! ***** THE END *****