Photo by: “Jackie”

You Are Special ~ A heartwarming children’s story about a puppet named Punchinello. Written by Max Lucado and told in ASL by LaRonda Zupp. Modified for deaf children. (Under 10 mins.) Translation written below the video clip for those who do not sign.

Translation:

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a group of puppets made of wood. There were all kinds of puppets. Some had big round cheeks. Some had long narrow heads and chins. Some puppets had pointy, elf-like ears while others had ears that were stubby and small. There were puppets with big, goggle-eyes and others with long, prominent noses. There were puppets of every different kind. There were even puppets who were deaf and puppets who could hear. Some could sign and some could sing. Each of the puppets were different in his or her own way.

Now each puppet had a box. Inside that box they had two kinds of stickers. There were shiny star stickers and round gray dots. Every day, the puppets would go around the village putting stickers on each other. They would decide who got the shining stars and who got the gray dots.

When a puppet was beautiful or handsome, naturally they were given more shiny stars. If a puppet could sing a lovely song that touched the hearts of others, the puppets would bestow many shining stars on them. Those puppets who could jump, dance or twirl around — those who had talents and skills — they would get many star stickers as well.

Now, if there was a puppet with rough wood, he or she was likely to be given some gray dots. If a puppet wasn’t a skilled jumper, but rather, the kind who fell over his or her own strings, he or she too, would be given gray dots.

Now there was one puppet whose name was Punchinello. He, himself, was a deaf puppet. His wood was rough and his paint was starting to peel. Punchinello tried hard to jump like the other puppets did, but he always seemed to fall. Once, he even tried to sing a beautiful song, but he only managed to croak. The other puppets ridiculed him. They thought he was ridiculous and that his voice sounded silly. They gave him more gray dots, rejected him and sent him away.

Punchinello hung his head low and felt very, very sad. Most of the time, Punchinello stayed inside his house, isolated and alone. He would often sit near his window and look down on the other puppets in the village, watching them give each other shining stars or gray dots. As he looked on, Punchinello felt deep down that giving stickers was not right. Something was wrong about it, but he could only let out a heavy sigh.

While he was gazing out of his window, Punchinello happened to notice another puppet, a girl, who had no stars and no dots — why, she had no stickers at all! Punchinello was surprised! He wondered how that was possible! He quickly decided he would go out into the street to talk with her.

As he approached the girl puppet, he signed, “Excuse me. Do you understand sign language?”

“Yes,” the girl puppet answered using signs.

“Wonderful!” Punchinello said. “I’m curious. You have no stars or gray dot stickers. Why? How?”

The girl puppet’s name was Lucia. “Oh that!” Lucia smiled. “Well, the reason I have no star stickers and no gray sticky dots is because stickers won’t stay on me. They just fall off!” she proudly exclaimed.

“Really,” asked the stunned Punchinello? “How?”

“You need to go see the Woodmaker,” Lucia tenderly replied. “He will tell you how. He will explain everything. Now off you go!”

Then Lucia skipped happily off into the village.

Punchinello looked off into the distance and thought, “Hmmmm… the Woodmaker…..” Punchinello thought he wanted to see the Woodmaker, but he wasn’t sure the Woodmaker would want to see him. “I have many gray dots…,” he said to himself. Yet, Punchinello decided to go anyway.

“Yes, I will go see the Woodmaker,” he told himself. “I want to know why Lucia has no stars and dots. Maybe the Woodmaker can help me understand clearly.”

So, Punchinello began his journey to visit the Woodmaker. When he arrived, the Woodmaker’s door was already open. Punchinello slowly peered inside. As he looked around, he felt overwhelmed! The Woodmaker’s world was magnificent and grand! In front of him, he saw a giant workbench. It was a bit daunting and Punchinello began to feel intimidated and scared. He wasn’t sure if he was in the right place and he was tempted to turn and run away.

But before he could run, he felt someone gently stomping on the floor. Punchinello turned and saw, it was the Woodmaker! He was sending him vibrations to get his attention.

“Well, Hello Punchinello!” the Woodmaker joyfully signed. “Come, come closer! I’ve wanted to see you!”

Punchinello looked up in wonder at the Woodmaker and said, “You know my name?”

“Yes, of course I do,” replied the Woodmaker. “It was I who made you.”

Punchinello looked at the Woodmaker and beamed. “Oh…., I see.”

The Woodmaker then picked up the little puppet and set him on the workbench in front of him so he could talk more closely with Punchinello.

“Hello there! Now. Let me have a look at you,” the Woodmaker announced. “Ah…. I see that you have been given many gray dots.”

“I’m sorry,” said Punchinello. “I don’t know why I have those gray dots. I tried to sing like the other puppets, but my voice warbled and cracked. I was no good,” he humbly admitted. “I tried to jump and dance like the others, but I just fell over my own strings and skid across the floor,” he continued. “Those kind of things just happen to me. I’m sorry. I guess I just deserve all those gray dots.”

But the Woodmaker laughed, “Oh enough, my dear Punchinello! YOU are beautiful and wonderful! And YOU are very special!” The Woodmaker waved Punchinello’s thoughts right out of the air.

“Really,” asked Punchinello?

“Yes! Yes, my Punchinello,” affirmed the Woodmaker. “I have waited a long, long time for you to come see me. I have hoped one day you would visit me and now, you are finally here!” the Woodmaker joyfully announced.

“Yes, I have surely come,” declared Punchinello. “It was Lucia who sent me. She told me to come see you.”

“Ah… yes. Yes. I know Lucia,” said the Woodmaker.

Punchinello told the Woodmaker he was curious, and asked, “Why don’t the stars or gray dots stick or stay on Lucia?”

The Woodmaker gently replied, “Ah… well you see, Lucia has decided that the thoughts and opinions of the other puppets about what kind of puppet she is, are not important. Lucia knows that what’s really important is what she believes about herself and what I believe about her.”

“Nor should you worry, dear Punchinello, about what other puppets think of you,” the Woodmaker continued. “The only important thing is what I think about you, and I think you are pretty special!”

“Me? Special?” Punchinello could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“Yes, dear one,” the Woodmaker replied.

“But, I feel wrong. I still have all these gray dots,” Punchinello cried.

“Punchinello!” The Woodmaker smiled and waved, “I don’t make mistakes!”

“Wow,” Punchinello thought in his heart. He was beginning to understand and realized that the Woodmaker really did cherish him.

The Woodmaker smiled at Punchinello and said, “I want you to come to see me every day and let me help remind you how much I love and care for you.”

Punchinello wholeheartedly agreed. “Yes. I will!”

Then, the Woodmaker lifted Punchinello off of the workbench, set him gently onto the ground and sent him on his way.

Punchinello did not stop. As he walked, his heart was full. “Wow,” he thought again. “The Woodmaker truly cherishes me.” And as Punchinello walked proudly onward, holding his head high, and his heart full of love, the gray dots that were stuck onto his clothing slowly began to fall to the ground… one by one.

From then on, Punchinello continued his life journey with a full heart, and awareness that he was truly loved by his maker.

Posted by LaRonda on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 at 6:43 pm.