A Funny Thing
by Monika Kessler

A funny thing happened to me at Christmas Eve. Can you imagine, I broke my front tooth, actually it was my cap. I looked like a witch and did not know what to do. All the dentist's offices were closed. I told my sister that we would come to her place as always on Christmas Day. But how could I go when I looked like that? I phoned her and asked what to do. She said not to worry, but to come and bring with me what I could save from my tooth. She glued it together and cemented it in the best she could. Now I was happy. I had my front tooth again. As I listened to the radio I heard the song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth". I could identify with that kid whole heartedly.

Background Information

Talk about something funny or embarrassing that has happened to you. What did you do? Should you let something embarrassing stop you from doing something you want to do?

Questions

1. What happened to Monika on Christmas Eve?

2. What is a cap in this story?

3. Why were all the dentist's offices closed?

4. How did Monika's sister fix her tooth?

5. What word is phone short for?

6. Which tooth did Monika break?

7. What does a witch look like?

8. Use the word identify in a sentence.

9. Do you think Monika would have stayed home if her sister couldn't fix her tooth?

10. Why did the song mean something to Monika?