今晚准备和娃儿一起共读的就是这本《The Magic Melon》，它是一个非常古老的中国民间故事。
This story is about lazy Lee,a kind old man,a magic melon and a magic melon seed.
这是一个关于懒人李，一个慈祥的老爷爷，神奇甜瓜以及神奇甜瓜种子的故事。
Lee hated working.He liked snoozing much better.李讨厌干农活，他更喜欢打盹儿。
"Will you help us grow the rice?" "No!" "Will you help us cook the rice?" "No!"
“你愿意帮助我们种庄稼吗？”“不！”“你愿意帮我们煮饭吗？”“不！”
"Can I help eat the rice?" "No!" Soon, Lee was very hungry.
“可以给我一些米饭吃吗？”“没门！”很快，李饿到不行。
Then he saw an old man with a melon. "This is a magic melon," said the man.
这时，他看见了一位老爷爷捧着一个甜瓜。“这是一个神奇的甜瓜。”老爷爷说道。
"What do you want for dinner?" "Fried rice," sighed Lee.The man tapped the melon.
Tap tap tapPing! There was a bowl of tasty rice.
“你晚餐想要吃什么？”“炒饭。”李叹气道。老人轻拍着甜瓜。弹弹弹，呯！出现了一碗美味的米饭。
Lee ate and ate. "I wish I had a magic melon!" "You can grow one," said the man.
"But it's hard work!"
李吃得意犹未尽。“我真希望我也有个神奇甜瓜！”“你可以种一个呀，”老人说。
“但是这可是一个苦活！”
"Here is a seed. Plant it carefully." "You must water it three times a day."
“这儿有一颗种子。要精心栽培他哦。” “一定要每天浇三次水。”
At first, Lee did as he was told. But not for long...
最开始，李按照老人嘱咐的话做。但是没过多久….
The melon grew bigger...and bigger. One day, Lee picked it.
甜瓜越长越大。一天，李摘下了它。
He licked his lips and wished for dinner. "Mmm, fried rice please."
Tap tap tap Ping! There was a lump of dry bread.
"Oh no!"
他舔了舔嘴巴祈求着晚餐。“请给我炒饭。”
弹弹弹，呯！出现了一块干面包。“噢不！”
Someone laughed. It was the old man."You didn't look after it, did you?"
"You cheated the melon," he said, "Now the melon is cheating you!"
有人在大笑。正是那位老爷爷。“你根本没有呵护它，对吗？”
“你欺骗了甜瓜，”他说道。“现在轮到甜瓜来欺骗你了！”
从这则故事中，你能想出什么寓意和道理吗？快跟家里的宝贝讨论讨论吧！
