CHRIS THE BIRD
 
 
Scene 1
Chris the Bird heard his mum getting into her car.
 
It was Saturday, but his mum was going to work. His dad called out to her, ‘Have a good meeting!’
 
(a/w: Dad and Chris the Bird are standing in the front doorway of their house, while Mum waves from the open window of her car. CtB – aged 5 – is wearing some kind of bird costume including a bird head. It is morning.)
 
Scene 2
It was Saturday, but his dad sat at his computer. He started to speak on the phone. Chris the Bird heard his dad say, 'I’ll send you some new pictures as soon as I can.'
 
‘When’s Mum coming back?’ asked Chris the Bird.
 
‘In a few hours,’ said his dad. ‘She has an important meeting.’
 
‘I’m going outside,’ said Chris the Bird.
 
'Have fun with your friends,' his dad said.
 
Chris the Bird took Babbit into the garden.
 
(a/w: Chris leaves through back door of kitchen, into the garden, holding Babbit the toy rabbit by the ears. We can see Dad’s office in the house – it’s quite a mess. There is a small fishpond in the garden. We might be able to see part of the tree house from spread 3 in this spread too.)
 
Scene 3
Chris the Bird saw a squirrel eating a peanut.
 
‘Have a good breakfast,’ Chris the Bird said to the squirrel.
 
‘Have a good … swim,’ he said to the fish in the pond.
 
Chris the Bird climbed up into his tree house.
 
(a/w: A tree house part way up the trunk of a tree in the garden. It’s not too high up – quite easy to get to for a 5 year old. A sign beside it, from a cardboard box, says This Way Up. Show the ‘glass symbol’ too.)
 
Scene 4
Chris the Bird decided to call his friends to an important meeting.
 
He called Shanks, the Roly Pony.
 
He called Purr.
 
Babbit was already in the tree house.
 
(a/w: In the tree house: Sign inside the tree house spells his name as Chris the Brid, with the ‘s’ the wrong way around. This marks his coat-hook. Shanks, Purr and Babbit have smaller coat hooks. There’s a table in the middle of the tree house, with some toy chairs around it. The spread includes a scene of CtB making a phone call on a colourful toy mobile with Babbit beside him, plus 2 vignettes of CtB on phone to each of the other two. CtB is in a different position for each phone call – maybe walking up and down, looking serious?)
 
Scene 5
Shanks and Purr came to the meeting.
 
Babbit was already there.
 
‘Thank you for coming to this meeting,’ said Chris the Bird. ‘It’s very important.’
 
(a/w: CtB carrying Shanks and Purr up to his tree house: maybe one in his arms and the other sticking out of a kind of duffel bag on CtB’s back? Shanks is a little squat toy pony. Purr is a toy cat.)
 
Scene 6
‘Today is Saturday,’ said Chris the Bird. ‘So we have to draw pictures. Shanks, you draw a picture of yourself. You too, Purr. And you, Babbit.’
 
Shanks did not reply. Nor did Purr or Babbit.
 
(a/w: CtB is getting coloured pencils and sheets of paper.)
 
Scene 7
Shanks couldn’t hold the pencils very well, so Chris the Bird helped her a bit.
 
Purr couldn’t draw a picture of herself. Cats are difficult to draw. Chris the Bird helped her.
 
Babbit did a lovely picture. Chris the Bird showed Babbit’s picture to the others.
 
(a/w: CtB holding up a picture of Babbit that he has drawn himself.)
 
Scene 8
Chris the Bird decided to hang the pictures outside the tree house.
 
A voice asked, ‘Who did those?’
 
Chris the Bird saw a face through the fence.
 
‘Who did those pictures?’ said the face. It was a girl’s voice.
 
Chris the Bird looked at Shanks the Pony. Then he looked at Purr, then at Babbit. None of them said a word. Then Chris the Bird looked at the girl.
 
‘They’re nice pictures,’ said the girl.
 
(a/w: The pictures are hanging/pinned up outside the tree house. Mira the girl next door is peering through the garden fence, and talking to Chris the Bird. She is the same age as CtB, and dressed in sarwal khameez. If we can see inside the tree house too, the three toy friends are sitting at the table.)
 
Scene 9
‘Do you live in that house?’ Chris the Bird asked the girl. He looked at the house next door.
 
‘We just moved here,’ said the girl. ‘Do you live in that tree house?’
 
‘Do you want to see it?’ asked Chris the Bird.
 
He showed the girl how to get through the hedge.
 
(a/w: CtB and the girl chat across the fence)
 
Scene 10
The girl climbed into the tree house. ‘Hello, everyone,’ she said. ‘I’m Meena. You must be Shanks. And you’re Purr, and you’re Babbit!’
 
They did not reply. Maybe they were a little shy.
 
Meena looked around the tree house.
 
‘Are you Chris?’ she asked Chris the Bird. ‘Where’s your picture? I can draw a picture of you!’
 
(a/w: Meena is looking at the name ‘Chris the Brid’. The three toy friends are still sitting at the table.)
 
Scene 11
Chris the Bird gave Meena a piece of paper and a pencil. She drew a picture of Chris the Bird. It was not a bad picture.
 
Then Chris started to draw a picture of Meena.
 
Chris the Bird’s dad called from the house, ‘Chris, do you want some milk and biscuits?’
 
(a/w: Chris is about to draw a picture of Meena. We cannot see Meena’s picture of CtB. CtB and Meena are looking up, at the sound of dad’s voice.)
 
Scene 12
Chris the Bird took Meena by the hand. They went down into the garden.
 
Chris the Bird heard his mum’s car stopping outside the house. Then he heard his mum talking to someone.
 
‘That’s my mum,’ said Meena.
 
Chris the Bird took Meena into the kitchen. The milk and biscuits were on the table.
 
(a/w: CtB is walking into the kitchen from the garden, leading Meena by the hand. The table has been set with milk and biscuits for CtB, as well as three extra places of milk and biscuits. Dad’s back is turned.)
 
Scene 13
Chris the Bird’s mum and Meena’s mum came in. Everyone said hello.
 
‘Aren’t your friends coming for milk and biscuits, Chris?’ asked his mum. She sat at the table. Meena’s mum sat at the table too.
 
'No,' said Chris. 'Just Meena and me.'
 
(a/w: CtB and Meena are sitting on their chairs. CtB has removed the bird head from his own head. Chris’ mum and Meena’s mum are about to sit down too. Chris’ dad is in the background, bringing a tray of three mugs of tea and biscuits.)
 
Scene 14 (single page)
(a/w: Meena’s picture of Chris. The name under it simply says ‘Chris’, spelled correctly.)