Rumi and the Sky-High Table

The heading at the top of the first page reads “Rumi and the Sky-High Table.” Rumi is a tiny giant. She is no taller than a spoon, yet she can lift a stone. The first illustration shows her beside a table leg that rises above her head.

Rumi lives in a round house in Cloudberry Town. Her furniture came from a regular-size house, so it looks enormous beside her. The words call one piece a chair, but the picture shows a seat as wide as a boat and a back taller than Rumi.

One bright morning, Rumi planned a welcome tea for her hummingbird neighbors. She wanted to place a berry tart on the sky-high table. “I can do a giant job,” she said, “but I need a safe way up.”

First, Rumi pulled the sturdy chair toward the table. In the next picture, its front legs look like two tall posts, and the seat is still far below the tabletop. Rumi shook her head. The chair would not help.

Then she noticed a tall bench tucked behind a cabinet. The words say, “Rumi finds a bench.” The caption under the picture adds, “A small step can help a big plan.” The illustration shows the bench just high enough for Rumi to reach the table.

Rumi placed the bench beside the table and climbed onto it. She slid the tart across the tabletop, then set down blue cups. The picture shows the tart as a little red hill and Rumi as a dot beside the huge table.

The hummingbirds arrived. They perched on the chair while Rumi welcomed them from the bench. The words tell us the tea was ready; the pictures show why: the bench gave Rumi a safe reach, and the giant furniture made room for every guest.