Reader’s Theater Adventures for Halloween How to Catch Monsters: Grades 1-3

Narrator Amanda ran outside just like she did every Saturday morning to play. That was when she first saw the monsters. They were stomping up the garden path, making a lot of noise, and talking in low, grumpy voices.

Green Monster I want to eat them, do you know? Blue Monster I want to now! So let us go! Purple Monster To have to wait would make me mad! Green Monster To wait, yes, that is very bad! Purple Monster So let us eat them right away. Blue Monster We have to go. We cannot stay. Narrator The monsters were very scary looking. They were twice as tall as Amanda and four

times as wide. They were covered with long, stringy hair and had mouths full of large yellow teeth. Amanda took one look at them and ran back to her house.

Narrator Josh and Amanda ran to get their dad, their hearts pounding. He would know what to do! The only problem was, he didn’t believe the monsters were real.

Dad Monsters, huh? I remember when I was your age I used to pretend to see monsters, too. I wanted to catch them.

Amanda (upset) But they want to catch us! Josh They want to eat us! Dad Well then, why don’t you catch them first? Build a monster trap.

Amanda See! They are in the house. Josh This is very bad. Amanda And look how fast they are eating the cookies! Josh They eat a lot! Amanda Yes, and they will want to eat us next. Josh So what can we do? Amanda I know what we can do to trick them. Come with me. Narrator The kids knew the monsters were looking for a pot to cook with, so they made a note

with a big red arrow pointing to their dad’s den. It said, “Pots and pans in here.” The green monster was the first one to see the note.

Green Monster Look! Let us go, there are the pots, Purple Monster We will have soup, we will make lots! Blue Monster Yes, that is what I want to do!

Green Monster There are no pots. This is not fair! Purple Monster The note said “den,” and we are where? Blue Monster This is the den. Where are the pots? Green Monster They took them out and then forgot …. Purple Monster To move the note! Oh, now I see! Green Monster So let us think. Where could they be?

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Dad So do you have any ideas about how you want to make your trap? Josh Yes, we do! Amanda We want to trap them in a big hole. Josh Can you dig a hole with us? Dad Okay. A big hole would be a good way to catch monsters. And I need to loosen up the

dirt anyway to get the garden ready. Narrator While Josh, Amanda, and their dad were digging a large, deep hole out in the garden,

the monsters were in the house making a huge mess. The children had written many notes and hidden one in each room, starting with the family room. Each note told the monsters to go to a different room to look for the pots and pans. The children had planned it so the last note would lead the monsters to the backyard.

Purple Monster This note had better be the last! Green Monster I want to find a pot, and fast! Blue Monster I want to eat. This is not fun. Green Monster I want this game to just be done! Narrator All of a sudden, the monsters felt the ground moving beneath their feet, and all three of

them fell into the hole. Amanda Ha! We trapped you. Josh S o you would not eat us! Green Monster But we do not eat little kids! Purple Monster We never do, we never did! Amanda But you said you were going to eat someone. Josh And you did not want us to go. Amanda Yes, and when we ran into the house, you said you would find us! Purple Monster We want to eat the worms, not you! Green Monster We did tell you to stay, so true! Blue Monster So you could help us find a pot! Purple Monster That would have helped us out a lot. Narrator By this time, Mr. Brown had recovered from his surprise at finding out the monsters

were real. He had stopped shaking, closed his mouth, and was now ready to help the monsters out of the hole.

Purple Monster Why, thank you, that was very kind. Green Monster We could be friends, but do you mind? Amanda No, let’s be friends! Josh This will be great! Blue Monster We will have fun! I cannot wait!

The End

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Reader’s Theater Adventures for Halloween Bats in the Belfry: Grades 6-9

Town Crier Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! That’s “’Ear ye! ‘Ear ye! ‘Ear ye!” for you lot who never learned your French, proper like. It’s nine of the clock on a fine summer’s evenin’ in London on the thirtieth day of August of 1666. King Charles, the second of that name, sits on the throne of England, and all’s well….

Bartholomew Bat Huh! That’s all you know, sir! It might be “all’s well” for people, but it’s a black day for bats, let me tell you.

Town Crier Well excuse me ever so much, your majesty (sarcastically). I’m tryin’ to set the scene ‘ere. Do you mind? And ‘oo’s talkin’ about bats anyway?

Beulah Bat We are, that’s who. Town Crier And just ‘oo are you then? Benedict Bat We’re bats! That’s who we are, sir. In fact, we represent the bat colony that lives in the belfry of St.

Botolph’s Church, Aldersgate, near the public water pump where the old walls of the city used to be, and we’re here for a very important meeting.

Bathsheba Bat I, personally, represent the female bats, and I have a good deal to say. I’m here for the meeting. That’s what you should be announcing, instead of all this useless information about the days and dates and such.

Town Crier I don’t know why I should be announcin’ something like that to the general public. I mean, they’re not likely to care much about bats. More likely, what’s the weather like, and ‘ow the king’s doin’… Thinks like that. And what’s this ‘ere meeting you’re talkin’ about anyway?

Bartholomew Bat It’s a protest demonstration, really. We are all meeting to defend ourselves against the things people are saying about us bats.

Bathsheba Bat Lies! Lies! (indignantly) All vicious lies! Beulah Bat It’s all right, mother. We know what they’re saying isn’t true. Benedict Bat All this business about being nasty creatures who bite children … and accusing us of getting into

people’s hair… Bartholomew Bat And, even worse, my cousin Barnabus, who is coming to visit us any day now from Transylvania,

says that there are these rumors going around about bats being (spells it out) v- am-p- i- r- e- s…. Benedict Bat (alarmed) Don’t even mention the word. You know it drives people crazy! Town Crier ‘Ere now, that’s enough of that! We don’t want to be causin’ a panic, you know! Even folk ‘oo

can’t spell know what that means. Bathsheba Bat No matter. The people don’t like us for whatever reasons. And now they want to make us leave all

the belfries in all the churches in London. Benedict Bat Now perhaps you can understand why we’re having a protest meeting. Beulah Bat And why it’s so important to get the word out that people really need us. Don’t they know that we

protect them and their crops by eating all kinds of destructive insects? Town Crier I’m sorry to say that the bats ‘ad their meetin’ and didn’t accomplish much. I mean, it was quite a

thing with thousands of bats milling around, all over the show. But in the end people decided that them swarmin’ about was just something to do with the ‘ot summer weather—a phenomena like—and that the little creatures would ‘ave to go.

Bartholomew Bat Well, we tried to get people to change their minds, but they’re very set in their opinions that there’s something unsanitary about us, I guess.

Benedict Bat We certainly had a lot of bats at the protest meeting. I haven’t seen that many bats together since last Halloween.

Bathsheba Bat Most disappointing, I say. I thought that this time we really might make a difference and strike a blow for bats all over the world. But, no, the general public is holding to its point of view that we must go.

Barnabus Bat Good e-ve-ning. I am your cousin, Barnabus. Bartholomew Bat (delighted) Barnabus, I’m so glad you finally got here. We’ve really been looking forward to

seeing you. Barnabus Bat I too haf been counting da days. Ha, ha. How iz e-ve-ry-vun? Vell, I hope?

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Bartholomew Bat Er, yes. We’re all fine, as far at that goes. But we have had a very disturbing turn of events here. Now even though things are a bit at odds here right now, we want you to stay for a good long visit. Would you like some water?

Barnabus Bat I ne-ver drink vater. I only drink blu-oo—ber-ry vine. I luv it. Benedict Bat We’ll have to get some for you, Barnabus. Barnabus Bat I must admit I am a little veary. I vould suggest a kviet e-ven-ing at home.

Or else I vill be down for da count. Ha, ha. I think I shall retire to dat metal collection box I found in a pile off old junk in da belfry.

Bartholomew Bat What’s the matter, Benedict? You’ve been tossing and turning for the last two hours. Why are you so restless? Did you eat too many mosquitoes? Benedict Bat I just can’t seem to settle down to sleep. I keep sensing that something is wrong. Do you smell

something? Beulah Bat I smell something too. Bathsheba Bat Yes, I think it’s smoke. And where there’s smoke, there’s…. All Readers FIRE!!! Benedict Bat (anxiously) We were right. There’s a definite red glow over by the river, but nobody seems to be

up and about. Bartholomew Bat You mean no one seems to have noticed it yet? Benedict Bat Yes, but the wind’s up a bit, and it’s blowing in this direction. Beulah Bat (urgently) It’s obvious then, we’ve got to do something to warn people. Bartholomew Bat We’ve got to wake everybody up. Not just in our neighborhood, but everywhere, so that they can

start wetting down their roofs and getting their things together. Bathsheba Bat Do you have a plan? What can we do to wake everybody up? Beulah Bat We live in a belfry, don’t we? And a belfry has…. All Readers BELLS!!!! Bartholomew Bat That’s all very well. But how are we going to ring them? Even the smallest bell takes a big,

muscular bell-ringer to pull the rope hard enough to move the clapper and make some noise. Beulah Bat We’ll all have to hang onto the rope then. Bartholomew Bat We’ll have to get the bats from the colonies in all the other belfries around here too. I’ll go get the

word out. Barnabus Bat Good e-ven-ing. Iz there a problem? I vas try-ing to sleep, but I sen-sed some grave disturbance. Benedict Bat There’s a fire over by the river. But look at all the bats that are coming to help us! There must be

thousands! Beulah Bat Take your places, everyone! Bartholomew Bat Is it working? I don’t hear the bell ringing. There must not be enough of us… and all the bats for

miles around are already here. Bathsheba Bat How about that rusty, old collection box that Cousin Barnabus has been sleeping in? Barnabus Bat It iz a ve-ry nice box. Zo com-forta-ble, you know. Ven I am in it, I sleep like da dead. Benedict Bat It is quite heavy, as I recall! Beulah Bat Quickly! Tie the bell rope around the box, and then we’ll all pile on again. All Readers PULL!!! Town Crier (bragging) Well, ladies and gentlemen, the rest—as they say—is “istory. What with those bats

managin’ to ring the bell and wakin’ me up, and me goin’ about all over the city and spreadin’ the bad news, I reckon we saved London! Of course, I ‘ad the most important role, but modesty forbids me to boast about it.

Bathsheba Bat The tragedy is that, although we managed to ring the bell, nothing could have saved London from the fire.

Bartholomew Bat But, remember, without our effort it could have been worse. Once the fire caught, it burned for almost three days. At the end of that time … thirteen hundred and twenty dwellings….

Benedict Bat Four hundred streets and courts…. eighty nine churches Beulah Bat Including the great St. Paul’s…. Bathsheba Bat . . . .Were completely destroyed. But not our church! Barnabus Bat Da roof vas a trifle scorch-ed, but da people who vere fighting da fire countered da flames. Ha, ha. Town Crier When the folks ‘oo lived in London found out what a service the bats ‘ad done in givin’ a warnin’

about the fire, they forgot all about tryin’ to drive them out of the city. And when the rebuildin’ was bein’ planned, the architects included lots of belfries in the churches so that the bats would always ‘ave a safe place to live!

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