Characters (10) : Narrator(s) , farmer, railroad cars (4), green engine, red engine, lazy engine, little engine

NARRATOR – Once a farmer had some wheat.

FARMER – I shall load the wagon with bags of wheat and take the wheat to the train station.

NARRATOR – When he got to the train station, he loaded the railway cars with the bags of wheat.

FARMER – Please carry my wheat to the city.

RAILROAD CAR 1 – We will be glad to carry your wheat.

RAILROAD CAR 2 – But we cannot move.

RAILROAD CAR 3 – We must have an engine to pull us.

RAILROAD CAR 4 – We need a good engine to pull such a long train to the city.

NARRATOR – There was a big green engine by the station. It had only a few cars to pull.

FARMER – Maybe that engine can pull the cars of wheat. Engine, will you please pull these cars of wheat to the city ?

NARRATOR – The big green engine did not like hard work. Pulling cars of wheat to the city was not easy.

GREEN ENGINE – Noooooooooo! Noooooooo! Noooooooo! That’s too far for me to go.

NARRATOR – The farmer went to a big red engine that stood nearby.

FARMER – You are a large engine. It will be easy for you to pull cars of wheat. The wheat must go to the city to be ground into flour.

NARRATOR – The red engine backed away from the station calling

RED ENGINE – Puff ! Puff ! Puff ! I have worked enough.

NARRATOR – The farmer called to a third engine which was standing near the station.

FARMER – Please pull these cars filled with bags of wheat to the city, The wheat will be ground into flour. The flour will be made into bread.

NARRATOR – This engine was a lazy, lazy engine. It would do only very easy work. The engine took one look at the long train of cars filled with wheat. Then it called out………

LAZY ENGINE – Too long ! Too long ! That train is too long!

FARMER – Oh, dear! Where is an engine that will take the wheat to the city ?

NARRATOR – Just then a squeaky little engine came along the track.

LITTLE ENGINE – I’ll take the bags of wheat to the city.

FARMER – But it won’t be easy for such a little engine to pull such a long train. Are you sure you can do it ?

LITTLE ENGINE – I’m not lazy! I like to work. I have done hard work for years.

NARRATOR – The little engine pulled and pulled. The cars fill with the bags of wheat rolled slowly away from the station. Then the engine came to a high hill.

LITTLE ENGINE – I shall have to work hard to get the cars up that hill.

NARRATOR – The engine puffed and pulled and puffed and pulled harder. As it pulled it sang –

LITTLE ENGINE – I think I can – I think I can – I think I can

NARRATOR – Up, up, up went the little engine, pulling harder and harder.

LITTLE ENGINE – I think I can – I think I can – I think I can.

NARRATOR – Slowly it pulled the cars to the top and then hurried down the other side. Faster and faster it went down the hill. Now it was singing –

LITTLE ENGINE – I thought I could – I thought I could – I thought I could !

NARRATOR – Soon the engine reached the city. The wheat was ground into flour. The flour was made into bread, and people had plenty of bread to eat.