THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)

Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry

Characters:
Michael Mouse
Miss Santos

Larry Lion

Michaels Mom

Miss Carr

Mr. King

Rude Student 1

Rude Student 2

Narrator: Once, in a town a few counties over and a school similar to yours, there lived a boy
named Michael. Like most boys, Michael liked to play outside, eat hotdogs, and tease his little
sister. When it came to school though, Michael often got very frustrated because he had a
learning disability called dyslexia. Dyslexia made it hard for Michael to recognize words,
comprehend what he was reading, and spell.
Miss Santos: (Administering a spelling test) The word is decline
Michael: (Silently spelling out the word and writing it on test paper) becline
Narrator: When Michael was in class he had extra supplies to help him read.
Miss Santos: Okay class, time for silent reading. Everyone pull out a book. (Quietly to Michael)
Michael, do you have all your materials for reading?
Michael: (While pulling out audio tape, headphones, book, and index card) Yes Miss Santos
Narrator: Michael tried not to feel different from the other kids in his class, but sometimes this
was hard to do, especial because he sat next to Larry Lion, the smartest student in Miss Santoss
class.
Miss Santos: Class, silent reading is finished. Everyone please pull out your reflection journals
and write about what youve read about today.
Larry: (After looking over at Michaels journal) Hahaha! Everyone, look how awful Michaels
handwriting is. A mouse could write better than that. Its not nearly as neat as mine.
Miss Santos: Okay, Okay everyone settle down. All eyes should be on their own paper. It is not a
competition. You all have only 3 minutes left so focus on your own papers.

THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)
Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry
Narrator: Being pointed out and teased made Michael feel like he wasnt as smart as the other
kids, even though he knew he was smart. He just had to work a little harder than the other kids
and needed a little extra help from his teachers.
(Miss Santos and Miss Carr are eating lunch in the teacher lounge and are engaged in
conversation)
Miss Carr: So how is it going with Michael? Is he improving since you implemented all the
accommodations his mother and you discussed after he was diagnosed?
Miss Santos: I do think he is doing better.
Miss Carr: Remind me, what sorts of things have you been doing for him?
Miss Santos: Well, I always have a recording of the books that he does during silent reading. He
can play the recording and follow along in the book. I made bookmarks for the entire class so he
uses his to follow along with the recording. I make sure all his worksheets have large print so
the letters are easier to see, and I make sure to write in big print on the board too. Summarizing
the readings I assign for homework or during class that I cant provide a recording for is also
really helpful. He has said that verbally summarizing the readings really helps him better
comprehend and understand the material.
Miss Carr: Sounds like you are trying a lot of great things that is making learning a little easier
for him.
Miss Santos: I hope we are making progress. He really is a bright kid if you give him a chance. I
just wish some of my other students wouldnt be so mean about it. They really dont understand
how hurtful their comments can be.
Narrator: Meanwhile, in the school cafeteria Michael sat listening to the history chapter that his
class would be discussing after lunch.
Michael: (Silently to himself) Ill show them I can understand all this. I am not different. I can do
anything they can.
Larry: (To the group of classmates he is sitting with) This is how Michael sees words. He would
write my name like this (writing his own name all mixed up). All mixed up...Mixed up Michael
One of Larrys friends: Thats a good one Larry. Mixed up Michael.
Everyone laughs and looks at Michael sitting all alone.

THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)
Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry
Narrator: When Michael got off the bus that afternoon he headed straight to his basketball hoop
in his backyard. He always went there after a rough day at school. Michaels mom knew to let
him have some space, but after leaving Michael with his own thoughts for a while she went out
to check on him.
Michaels Mom: Michael, sweetie. How are you doing? Youve been out here a while. Do you
want to talk about what happened?
Michael: Not really.
Michaels Mom: Well why dont you tell me anyways. Its not good to keep things all bottled up
inside.
Michael: Im just tired mom.
Michaels Mom: Tired from what?
Michael: Tired from everything at school. That kid Larry was teasing me again at school today.
He said a mouse could write better than me. Im so tired of feeling different from my classmates,
and Im tired of them thinking Im different. Most of them just think Im lazy or dumb.
Michaels Mom: Well you know that is not true. And your teachers know too.
Michael: Yeah. But I cant read out loud with confidence like everyone else in class. And I hate
that during silent reading Im the only kid that has to listen to a book on tape, follow along with a
bookmark, and then reread it sometimes just to understand. And I hate that my handwriting is so
bad sometimes that no one can read it. Sometimes I cant even read what I wrote. And dont even
get me started on mixing up numbers in math class. Just once Id like to be the smart kid that
everyone looks to for doing such a great job or for help, but no one ever looks at me because of
that.
(Michael continues to shoot free throws and his mom considers what Michael has said for a
moment. Then she walks over and looks him in the eyes)
Michaels Mom: Michael listen to me. No one is perfect at everything. We all have our own
struggles that we have to find a way to overcome. We each have our own talents and one day
youll get to show yours. You have so many talents to share with your classmates. One day you
will be the boy that someone looks to because they need help. Just keep your eyes open and be
patient.
Michael: Thanks mom.

THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)
Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry
Michaels Mom: Good. Now five more minutes of basketball. Then its time to wash up for
dinner.
(The next day)
Narrator: The next day the special was P.E., Michaels favorite.
Mr. King: (Standing in front of his group of students) I just want to remind everyone that next
week we are having our mid-year fitness test. This means that everyone will have to make a free
throw, run half a mile in 10 minutes, and catch and throw a baseball pitch. So I would start
practicing now. (Looking at his watch) Now we have about 10 minutes left before Miss Santos
comes, go work on your skills.
(Michael walks over to a basketball hoop and starts shooting a ball)
Mr. King: Michael you have great technique when you play basketball. It must be your secret
talent.
Michael: Thank you Mr. King.
(Michael looks over at the hoop beside him and notices Larry is struggling. Suddenly, Michael
hears his mothers words)
Michaels Mom: (In a faded distant voice) One day you will be the boy that someone looks to
because they need help. Just keep your eyes open and be patient.
(Michael walks over to Larry)
Michael: Hey Larry, do you need any help?
Larry: How are you going to be able to help me, you cant even read?
(Michael turns away from Larry, faces the net, and shoots the basket.)
Larry: Oh, well I guess I could use the help. Um, thanks.
Narrator: Michael helped Larry with his free throws for the remainder of class. Every
afternoon after school, Larry went to Michaels house to practice for the fitness test. Larry
wondered how Michael was so athletic, yet struggled with reading and writing.
Larry: Hey...ummmMichael, how come you have so much stuff on your desk at school when
you read and stuff?

THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)
Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry
Michael: (Hesitant at first but then relaxes) I have a learning disability called dyslexia. It makes
hard for me to process what symbols, like letters and numbers, mean. Thats also why my
handwriting is so bad sometimes. Imagine looking at a word and not being able to process that
/b/ goes with the letter B or /a/ with A or /t/ with T. That is why I am always listening to books
on tape when everyone is reading silently. I follow along with a bookmark to limit the amount of
letters that I am seeing at a time, and Miss Santos always summarizes because when I hear
something spoken I can understand it much quicker than trying to sort through symbols and
sounds.
Narrator: After hearing that Michael was not mixed up at all, Larry felt really bad for making
fun of him and always giving him a hard time. Just like Larry struggled with P.E. Michael
struggled with reading and writing.
Larry: You know Michael, you're my bud.
Michael: Youre my bud too, Larry.
(The boys are sitting in math class working in a group comparing their answers on worksheet.)
Rude Student 1: Hey mix up, how did you get that answer?
Rude Student 2: Yeah dude, it is seriously an easy problem, just look at the numbers.
(Michael starts lowering his head getting discouraged and Larry gets angry.)
Larry: You shouldnt make fun of things you dont know about. You should be nice to him, he
may be able to help you one day.(Michael raises his head and smiles at Larry.)
Narrator: When it was finally time for P.E., Michael and Larry walked to the gym together.
Mr. King: Okay everyone, today is the day. I want everyone to line up behind the tape for their
free throw shot.
(Michael is first in line and makes his free throw shot, just as he expected. Larry is next He goes
up to the tape and thinks about everything Michael had taught him that week. He looks up at the
hoop, shots the basketball, and swish, in goes the ball.)
Larry: Thank you again for everything, I shouldnt have made any judgments about you. I guess
you did help me after all. (High Fives)

THE BOOKWORM AND THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

(An adaptation of the fable The Lion and the Mouse)
Adapted by Jessica Huffman, Ellie Jansen, and Sarah Mickelberry
Capshaw, K., Fisher L., Fox, S., Gejdenson, S., Gund, S., Hundt, R., Kenney, C., . . . Whitney,
K., (2013). The Yale Center For Dyslexia & Creativity. Retrieved from
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/Accommodations.html
Cioffi, G., Dalton, B., Deeney, T., Finn, C., Kleinman, S. N., McCabe, A., . . . Smith, M., (2013).
The Facts About Dyslexia. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/dyslexia/the_facts.html
Dyslexia Center of Utah. (2013). Facts. Retrieved from
http://www.dyslexiacenterofutah.org/dyslexia/facts/
DyslexiaHelp. (2013). Accommodations are key to the success of dyslexics in school. Retrieved
from http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/dyslexia-school/accommodations
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2013). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary
NCLD Editorial Team. (n.d.). What is Dyslexia. Retrieved from http://www.ncld.org/typeslearning-disabilities/dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia#startOfPage
The Lion and the Mouse. Retrieved from http://www.aesopfables.com/cgi/aesop1.cgi?
sel&TheLionandtheMouse2