Pablo’s Dream
What lessons did he learn from his dream?
Goal:
Goal:
Abraham Lincoln was a great lover of books. He learned many lessons from books and stories. These lessons shaped him into the caring and smart leader he would become as an adult. Listen and read along with his story on the slides below.
“Pablo!” his mother called from the kitchen. “It’s past your bedtime. Why are you still awake?”
“I’m not!” Pablo called back. He quickly realized his mistake when his mom replied, “You must be awake, or you wouldn’t have answered.” He heard footsteps outside his bedroom door.
“You’re reading again?” his mother asked. “You know I’m so happy that you enjoy reading, but you also need your sleep.”
“I’m sorry, Mama,” he said. “It’s just that I have about one chapter left in this book about Abraham Lincoln, and I wanted to finish before I go to sleep.” His mother took the book and saw that Pablo only had a few pages left to read.
“I would feel better if you went to bed now. I’ll get you up early tomorrow so that you can finish.”
“Okay,” Pablo said. He could feel his eyes starting to close. “I am kind of tired.” His mom gave him a kiss on the forehead and left the room, closing the door on her way out.
Pablo fell asleep quickly. He was awakened soon after by someone shaking his shoulder gently. “Is it morning already, Mama?” he said.
“Not yet, Pablo,” said a man’s voice. Pablo sat up quickly. Who was in his room? What was happening?
“Who are you?” he asked into the darkness.
“My name is Abe,” said the stranger. “Abe Lincoln.”
“What? How? You were alive a long time ago!” Pablo told the man. “How can you be here now?”
“I am here because you are dreaming about me,” the man told him.
Pablo relaxed a little. If he was really was talking to Abe Lincoln, he did not want to waste time! “Okay, let’s say I believe you,” Pablo said. “Why are you here?”
“I want to talk to you about books,” Abe said.
“Oh, yes,” Pablo remembered, “I know you loved to read when you were a little boy.”
“Yes,” Abe said. “In fact, I loved reading when I was an adult, too. I even wrote some books. But you might not be interested in those until you are older. Almost everything I learned about being a lawyer and a president I learned from books, not from school.”
Pablo’s eyes widened. “Wow! I didn’t know that.”
“When I was young, most children didn’t go to school,” Abe told him. “We had too many things to do at home to help our families survive. School was a luxury.”
“Oh, I know that word! A luxury is something special that not everyone can have.”
“Yes,” Abe replied. “And my father didn’t think I needed that luxury. But even though I only went to school for a year, I found other ways to learn. My mother would tell me stories. That’s one way I learned about how people should treat each other. When I got older, I had a book of fables. Fables are stories that have a moral. That means a lesson about life.”
“Do you mean Aesop’s Fables?” Pablo asked. “I’ve seen that book before. It looks so old and boring, but maybe I’ll give it another look.”
“I think you might like it,” Abe told him. “The stories are about animals. They are very interesting, and they are not very long.”
“My friends don’t understand why I like to read so much,” Pablo said. “They always want me to play, but I’d rather read.”
“Well,” Abe said, “play is one thing I didn’t get to do much as a kid. Between working with my father and doing chores in the barn, there was not much time to play.”
“Wow,” said Pablo. “My only chores are to keep my room clean, walk the dog, and help Mama put the garbage outside.”
“It sounds like you could make some time to play with your friends,” Abe said. “Reading is good for your brain, but playing ball or riding your bike is good for your body.”
“That’s true,” Pablo said. “Maybe I’ll ride my bike this weekend.”
“I like that plan,” Abe said. “Another thing you should do is get enough sleep.”
Pablo looked at him with surprise. “How did you know I don’t sleep a lot?”
“The same way I knew everything else about you,” Abe told him. “This is YOUR dream, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Pablo said. “I forgot. It feels so real.”
“That’s because readers have great imaginations,” Abe said. “Reading a lot helps you draw pictures in your head. And readers often make up stories of their own.”
Abe stood and stretched his legs. “Well, Pablo, I’m going to have to leave now.”
“Will you come back?” Pablo asked him.
“You never know,” Abe answered. “Dreams are strange like that. Good night, Pablo,” Abe said.
“Good night, Mr. Lincoln,” Pablo replied.
“You can call me Abe,” Abe told him. “I think we’re friends. After all, we both love books. That means we have a lot in common.”
“Okay. Good night, Abe,” Pablo said. And with that, the room was silent again.
The next morning, Pablo’s mother went in to wake him up early, but he was already awake. “You’ll never believe the dream I had!” Pablo told her. “And can we go to the library tonight?”
“Maybe. Do you already need another book about Lincoln?”
“Actually, my friend Abe recommended something different,” Pablo said.
“Your friend Abe?” his mom questioned. “I didn’t know you had a friend by that name.”
“Yes, and he’s a really good friend,” Pablo told her. “Oh, I almost forgot. Can we take my bike to get air in the tires? I want to ride it this weekend.”
“You haven’t done that in a long time!” his mom said.
“I know. My friend Abe reminded me that reading is awesome, but that I should always find time to play. Oh, and he said I need to get enough sleep.”
“I think I like this friend,” Mama said. “When can I meet him?”
“I’m not sure when I will see him again,” Pablo said, smiling.
Question
What did Abe and Pablo have in common?
They both love books.