Preston Learns to Whisper

PRESTON LEARNS TO WHISPER


“No, no, no.” I am sleepy. Why do I have to get up?”, I scream loudly to my mom.

“Preston, we have to get ready to go to the library,” Mom replies.

“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go,” I yell back.

“Preston, please get up now,” Mom says.

Slowly, very slowly I sit up in bed. I rub my eyes. I stretch my arms. I put my feet on the floor.

“Here are your clothes, get dressed quickly. We are going to be late,” Mom tells me.

Finally, I am dressed and in the car. I am going to the library. I hate the library. It is such a quiet place. I hate to use my inside voice.

Miss Doris, the librarian, is putting the puppet stage together as I walk into the room.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I am getting ready for our story,” she answers.

“I hate stories,” I reply. “I hate the library,” I yell even louder.

“Preston, please don’t scream,” she calmly replies. “We must whisper and use our
inside voice while we are at the library,” she explains.

“Why?” I ask. “Why can’t I use my outside voice if I want too?”

“Preston, we need to be quiet so other people can read,” she tells me.

As the puppet show begins, there is loud singing coming from the next room.
“They are not using their inside voices,” I complain.
“I can’t hear, Miss. Doris,” I scream.

“Yes, Preston, that is why we all must whisper so everyone can hear,” she replies.

“But they are singing too loudly and I can’t hear the story either,” I answer.

Miss Doris walks into the next room and suddenly the loud singing gets much quieter.

“Now we should be able to hear,” Miss Doris tells us. “I just needed to remind them that we are having a puppet show, and ask them to please use a softer tone.”

Everything is quiet once again and Miss Doris continues the puppet show.

“Did you have fun at the library today?” my mom asks, as we are on our way home.

“Yes, I did,” I reply in a small, quiet voice. “I learned to whisper.”

“You learned to whisper,” Mom says. “Why do you need to whisper?” she asks.

“So others can hear a story or read a book,” I answer. “I need to use my inside voice at the library,” I tell her.

“Preston, you need to use your inside voice at home too,” my mom replies. “Your dad and I like to be quiet at times, too.”

“Okay, Mom, I can do that,” I answer. “Whispering is not so bad. I always whisper when telling a secret to a friend,” I add.

“Preston, I think you learned something good today,” mom answers.

The library is not such a bad place, I think to myself. I actually enjoyed the puppet show. It was so much better because everyone learned to whisper. When everyone whispers, we can all hear. It’s okay to shout when calling to a friend on the playground, but not in the library. The library is a place for whispering, and whispering can be fun.