The Big Brag A Dr. Suess Masterpiece Adapted for Readers Theater by Stuart L. Sheeley Chorus:The Big Brag...by Dr. Suess!
Nar 1:The rabbit felt mighty important that day on top of the hill in the town where he lay.
Nar 2:He felt SO important up there on the hill that he started bragging
Nar 1:And he boasted out loud, as he threw out his chest,
Rabb: Of all the beasts in the world i'm the BEST!
Bear: What's THAT?
Nar 1: Growled a voice that was terribly rough.
Bear: Now why do you say such ridiculous stuff?
Nar 2: The rabbit looked down and he saw a BIG bear.
Bear: I'm the best of the beasts,
Nar 2: said the bear.
Bear: And so there!
Rabb: You're not!
Nar 1: snapped the rabbit.
Rabb: I'm better than YOU!
Bear: Pooh!
Nar 1: the bear snorted.
Bear: again I say Pooh! You talk mighty big Mr. Rabbit. That's true. But how can you prove it? Just what can you do?
Chorus: Yeah, Rabbit!
Rabb: (Hand on chin in though) Hmmm...
Nar 2: though the rabbit
Rabb: Now what CAN I do...?
Nar 2: He thought and he thought. then he finally said,
Rabb: Mr Bear, do you see these two ears on my head? (Points) My Ears are SO keen and SO sharp and SO fine (pause) No ears in the WORLD can hear further than mine!
Chorus: Great EARS!
Bear: Humpf!
Nar 1: the bear grunted. He looked at each ear. (He does.)
Bear: You SAY they are good,
Nar 1: Said the bear with a sneer,
Bear: But how do I know just how far you can hear?
Rabb.: I'll prove
Nar 2: said the rabbit,
Rabb:My ears are the best. You sit there and watch me. I'll prove it by test.
Nar 2: Then he stiffened his ears (He does.)till they both stood up high and pointed and stretched up at the blue of the sky(pause) He stretched his ears open as wide as he could.
Rabb:(gesturing)Shhhh! I am listening!
Nar 1: He said as he stood. (pause) He listened so hard that he started to sweat (pulls out hanky) And the fur on his ears and his forehead got wet.(wipes face)
Nar 2: For seven long minutes he stood. Then he stirred and said to the bear,
Rabb: Do you know what I heard?(bear shakes head) Do you see that far mountain?(bear strains to see) It's ninety miles off. There's a fly on that mountain and i just heard him cough!
Chorus: Wow, the cough of a fly!
Rabb: Now the cough of a fly sir is quite hard to hear. When he's ninety miles off , but i heard it quite clear. Do you see,
Nar 2: bragged the rabbit,
Rabb: It's perfectly true that my ears are the best, So i'm BETTER than you!
Chorus: Yeah, Bear!
Nar 1: The bear for a moment just sulked as he sat for he knew that HIS ears couldn't hear things like THAT.
Bear: This rabbit,
Nar 1: He thought,
Bear: made a fool out of me. now i've got to prove that I'm better than HE.
Nar 2: So he said to the rabbit
Bear: You can hear pretty well. You can hear ninety miles. BUT how far can you smell? I'm the greatest of smellers,
Nar2:he bragged
Bear: See my nose? (he points)
This nose on my face is the finest that grows. My nose can smell anything both far and near. With my nose i can smell TWICE as far as you hear!
Rabb: You CAN'T
Nar1:snapped the rabbit.
Bear: I CAN!
Nar1: growled the bear. And he stuck his big nose 'way up high in the air. (He does)He wiggled that nose and he sniffed and he sniffed. (he does) he waggled that nos and he whiffed and he whiffed. For more than ten minutes he snaff and he snuff. (pause) Then he said to the rabbit,
Bear: I've smelled far enough.
Rabb: All right,
Nar2:said the rabbit
Rabb: come on now and tell exactly how far is that smell that you smell?
Chorus: Yeah how far?
Bear: Oh, I'm smelling a VERY far smell,
Nar2: said the bear.
Bear: Away past that fly on that mountain out there. (He points) I'm smelling past many great mountains beyond. Six hundred miles more to the edge of a pond.
Chorus: (looking in the distance) SIX HUNDRED MILES!
Bear: and 'way out there, by the pond you can see, is a very small farm, on that farm is a tree.(listeners nod)On that tree is a branch on the branch is a nest. A very SMALL nest where two tiny eggs rest. Two HUMMINGBIRD eggs! Only half an inch long (shows 1/2 inch with fingers)
Chorus: Ooooh!
Bear: But my nose,
Nar1:said the bear,
Bear: Is so wonderfully strong that i smelled without fail the egg on the left is a little bit stale!
Chorus: What a nose!
Bear: and THAT is a thing that no rabbit can do So you see,
Nar1: the bear boasted,
Bear: I'm better than you, My smeller's so keen that it just can't be beat...
Worm: What's that?
Nar2:Called a voice from way down by his feet. The bear and the rabbit looked down at the sound, and they saw an old worm crawling out of the ground.
Worm: Now, boys,
Nar2: said the worm,
Worm: You've been bragging a lot. You both thin You're great but i think your not. You're not half as good as a fellow like me. You hear and you smell, but how far can you SEE?(pause) Now I'm here to prove to you big boasting guys that your nose and your ears aren't as good as my eyes!
Chorus: Ooooh!
Nar1:and the little old worm cocked his hear to one side, (he does)
and he opened his eyes and he opened them wide (he does) And they looked far away with a strange sort of stare as if they were burning two holes in the air. The eyes of the world almost popped from is head. He stared half an hour till his eyelids got red.
Bear: that's enough!
Nar1: Growled the bear.
Bear: tell the rabbit and me(points to rabbit) How far did you look and just what did you see?
Nar2:the worm answered,
Worm:That look that i took was a look that looked further than you'll EVER look! I looked cross the ocea, 'way out to Japan. For i can see further than anyone can.
Chorus:JAPAN?
Worm:There's no one on earth who has eyesight that's finer. I looked across Japan, then i looked across China.
Chorus: WOW, CHINA!
Worm: I looked across Egypt then i took a quick glance across the two countries of Holland and France.
Chorus:VIVA LA FRANCE!
Worm: Then I looked across england and also brazil but i didnt stop there. I looked much farther still. And I kept right on looking and looking until (pause) I'd looked 'round the world and right back to this hill! And I saw on the hill since my eyesights so keen, the Two biggest fools that have ever been seen!
Chorus: YUK, YUK, YUK!
Worm: And the fools that i saw were none other than YOU, (pointing) who seen to have nothing better to do than to sit here and argue who's better than who!
Nar1:Then the little old worm gave his head a small jerk(he does)
Nar2:and he dived in his hole and went back to his work (he does)
Chorus: (moving to face audience & pointing) THINK ABOUT IT!