Miguel is a young boy and just like any other boy, his world revolves around play. So focused is Miguel about play that he forgets to take a bath. He goes to sleep as a filthy boy, with no worries about going to bed covered in dirt and grime.
He woke up one day with mung bean seedlings growing out of his ears! Imagine all that dirt inside those ears that made those seedlings sprout!
He called on his mother to help him out. Mother pulled out the seedlings with a promise from Miguel that he will take a bath. But breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime came… but Miguel never took a bath.
What happened next?
Well, think about all the vegetables in the sinigang dish growing on Miguel’s body!
I’ve read this book to many children since 2014 and it never fails to elicit “eew” and “yuck” expressions in the crowd. I love reading this to my children to entice them to take a shower in the weekends. Whenever they start to smell “sour” from all the sweat of weekend morning play and they are too lazy to go to the bathroom, I remind them about Miguel. I only mention onions growing on the crooks of Miguel’s arms and they all scamper to the bathroom.
Read aloud is a perfect storytelling strategy for a group of three to five children. In a group of 20 to 25 children, read this story with elaborate props of a lifesize Miguel cardboard doll. Prepare cutouts of the vegetables that the children can attach to the specific parts of Miguel’s body where these vegetables grow. It’s fun and interactive!
You should be able to find a copy of this book in National Book Store for Php 99.
Nick and Toni read this story with me for you to enjoy! Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/vcd5YWIlNhM
