Hello everyone!
It is your English reading coach, Minhee Teacher.
Welcome back to our final adventure with our favorite pig, Mercy
Watson!
Today, we are looking at the very end of Mercy Watson to the
Rescue, which is Part Six, titled A Toast to Mercy.
Can you believe we have reached the end of the book?
You have done such an amazing job reading along.
Grab your director chair, because today, we are going to look at
this ending like a movie director finishing a beautiful,
heartwarming film.
As the director of this final scene, let us look at the big
picture first.
We have two simple scenes.
First, picture the cozy Watson kitchen.
The wild chase is over, the firemen are there, the neighbors are
there, and everyone is sitting around the kitchen table.
It is breakfast time!
Second, look out the window.
The dark, scary night is gone, and the warm morning sun is
rising.
Everyone is laughing, eating, and singing.
It feels just like the cozy beginning of our story, but this
time, the whole neighborhood is sharing the warmth.
Now, let us zoom in our camera on Mercy.
Mercy is sitting in the seat of honor.
How does she feel?
Well, she is not thinking about the scary falling ceiling
anymore.
She is staring at a giant, warm stack of hot buttered toast.
Her eyes are sparkling!
And then, Mr.
Watson raises his glass and says, A toast to Mercy!
This is a wonderful, funny moment.
When we say a toast, it means we raise our glasses to celebrate
someone.
But for Mercy, toast also means her favorite food!
It is a clever play on words.
Mercy feels like the most loved pig in the world because she has
her favorite people and her favorite food right in front of her.
Why does the author end the story this way?
Let us explain this simply.
Good stories are often like a circle.
They start in one place, go on a big adventure, and then come
back to the same place, but with a happy change.
At the very beginning of the book, Mercy wanted warmth and
toast.
But she was alone in her bed, feeling cold and scared.
Now, at the end, she has that warmth and toast, but she is
surrounded by a big, happy community.
The toast on the table is not just food anymore.
It is a symbol.
A symbol is an object that stands for a big idea.
Here, the toast stands for love, safety, and belonging.
Mercy is home, and she is safe.
Before we practice speaking, let us learn five important
director words from this scene.
Our first word is toast.
It has two meanings here.
It can mean crispy, warm bread, or it can mean a short speech to
celebrate someone.
Think of clinking glasses and eating warm bread at the same
time!
Our second word is honor.
Honor means special respect.
When you get the seat of honor, you get the best seat in the
house because you did something great.
Our third word is hero.
A hero is someone who saves the day or helps others.
Even though Mercy just wanted toast, everyone treats her like a
brave hero.
Our fourth word is rise.
To rise means to go up.
In our scene, the bright yellow sun rises in the sky, bringing
warmth to the morning.
Our fifth word is nap.
A nap is a very short sleep during the day.
After eating all that heavy, buttered toast, Mercy is ready to
close her eyes and take a cozy nap.
Now, let us practice speaking like actors in our movie!
I will say a sentence, and I want you to repeat it right after
me with feeling.
Ready?
Here is the first one.
Everyone sits at the kitchen table.
Now, your turn!
Excellent.
Let us do the second one.
Mercy has the seat of honor.
Great job.
Here is the third one, remember the deeper meaning.
The toast is a symbol of comfort.
Beautiful!
Now, the fourth one, feel the morning light.
The morning sun rises.
And our final sentence, bringing the circle together.
The story ends where it began: with warmth.
Fantastic speaking!
You sound just like professional actors.
To wrap up our lesson today, I want to ask you one final
reflection question.
Think about your own life.
What object, food, or song makes you feel completely safe and at
home?
Is it a warm bowl of soup, a special blanket, or a song your
parents sing?
Think about why that object is your own symbol of comfort.
Thank you for reading Mercy Watson to the Rescue with me.
You did an incredible job finishing this book.
Keep reading, keep shining, and I will see you in our next book
adventure.
Bye-bye!