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"The Big Parade"
was created especially for
Kyoko Nakayama
at the age of 7
with love from
Mommy and Daddy
July 10,2002 |
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Kyoko Nakayama sat up wide awake in
her bed. The sun was just coming up
in Kamakura. She could tell that it
was going to be a gorgeous day, She
glanced out her bedroom window. Kyoko
remembered exactly where she was
planning to go today with Haruka-chan. |
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Kyoko had been so excited for the past
week. With Haruka-chan, she had mad a
game of finding the most circus posters
all over town. Today was the big
parade and that meant the start of all
the circus activities. Kyoko had even
tried to go to sleep as fast as she
could last night to make the morning
come more quickly. |
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Kyoko began to think about all the
fantastic fun she would have. Last
year, her favorite act was the clown
with the invisible dog. Kyoko
wondered if the clown would be there
again today. Then Kyoko thought about
the child who would be selected by the
mayor this year to lead the parade.
Who would that lucky person be? |
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Just then the phone rang. "Kyoko
Nakayama, will you lead the big parade
for us this year?" asked the mayor of
Kamakura. "Oh, yes, yes!" exclaimed
Kyoko. "Will I get to ride in the fire
truck?" The mayor chuckled, "You most
certainly will, Kyoko!" |
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Haruka-chan waited with Kyoko while a
huge helicopter landed in her back
yard. It was there to pick up Kyoko.
The helicopter took off minutes later
with Kyoko in the front seat grinning
from ear to ear. After waving goodbye,
Haruka-chan hurried downtown to see the
parade. |
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From the helicopter, Kyoko could see
the circus parade beginning to assemble
at the edge of town. The helicopter
landed and Kyoko ran to the mayor. On
their way to the shiny, red fire truck
at the head of the parade, they walked
past all the practicing performers and
anxious animals that would be following
Kyoko. Kyoko was thrilled. |
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Someone shouted, "Look, Kyoko Nakayama
is leading the parade this year!" At
that very moment, a big drum roll was
heard. Kyoko carefully climbed aboard
the fire truck next to the driver who
was dressed like a clown. Kyoko
enjoyed the marvelous, marching music
played by the band as the fire truck
drove down the main street of
Kamakura. |
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Immediately behind the band was a
beautiful bareback rider. Her two
magnificent, prancing horses were so
well trained that the rider could
balance on both their backs while
standing up. Kyoko imagined that the
fine, fancy feathers on the noble
horses' heads were bobbing to the beat
of the music. She bobbed her head
also. |
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The fire truck turned a corner. Kyoko
saw three small children mimicking the
dancing bear who as dressed in a pink
ballerina costume. The big, brown bear
was very entertaining as she proudly
performed bouncy ballet steps while
balancing on a ball. |
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The circus elephants followed next. As
she watched the playful pranks of the
darling baby elephant, Kyoko daydreamed
about taking him home. When the
elephant fanned his big floppy ears,
Kyoko could almost picture him flying
through the sky with the greatest of
ease. If the baby strayed too far, the
mother elephant would lovingly wrap her
trunk around his. |
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A jolly juggler on a unicycle juggling
five full bottles fascinated
Haruka-chan. He pedaled so fast that
there were times when it was hard to
keep up with him. It was incredible
that he never dropped a bottle, no
matter how fast he pedaled.
Haruka-chan knew it took practice to be
that good. |
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Kyoko was amused by the antics of the
slippery seal. The seal would flip
the ball backwards and then, with his
hind flippers, smack it right back to
the tip of his nose. Everyone loved
watching the seal clap after each
trick he performed. Haruka-chan had
fun imitating his funny, barking
noises. |
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The acrobatic troupe was next. Their
tumbling and flipping routines had the
crowd cheering. Kyoko was enjoying
her place of honor, but was really
tickled when the driver told her she
would have a chance to watch the
entire parade pass before her as each
act entered the big top circus tent. |
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A majestic lion with all his marvelous
mane was in the last wagon. He was
so-o-o-o big, and his roar was so-o-o
loud that Kyoko could hear him from the
very front of the parade. The
mild-mannered monkeys on top of his
cage did not seem at all frightened of
the ferocious feline. |
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The fire truck stopped at the entrance
of the big top circus tent. Kyoko
talked to the circus stars as they
went inside. It made her feel like an
important star to be so close to them.
Then Kyoko joined Haruka-chan in her
special section inside the tent. |
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When the circus was over, Kyoko was
escorted outside by the mayor and the
ringmaster. Kyoko did not want this
special day to end. As she turned to
look one last time, some performers
were waving goodbye. Kyoko waved back
and smiled, for she knew she would
never forget the day she led THE BIG
PARADE! |
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Kyoko Nakayama
In THE BIG PARADE, there were many
different characters. Can you
unscramble the following names?
olin ___________________________________________________
reda_________________________________________
ymnkoe_____________________________________
esorh_______________________________________
lesa_________________________________________
nlwoc_______________________________________
glreguj______________________________________
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