nAnnabeth Chase 101: How did Donnie learn to read?

SPLINTER:

I've decided to take it into my hands… paws, to answer this one.

To be honest, Donatello, was in fact, as most of you probably have already predicted, the one most interested into books.

But not the way you would think.

When I first started to raise my sons, I needed supplies to help keep us alive. One of the many things I needed to acquire was knowledge. Knowledge comes in many ways, shapes, and forms.

I stumbled upon two old, and very battered library books, but since they were still eligible, I took them quickly back to our new home. The first one I read to them was 'Where the Wild Things Are'. My son's loved this one. The story had a great plot and kept them asking for more and kept them teasing Raphael how the main character, Max, reminded them of him.

They soon, after asking, over and over and over and over….

And over and over… and over to hear the story again, got tired of the book. So I pulled out the second book.

Michelangelo and Raphael quickly disregarded the book; saying that there could be no other better then 'Where the Wild Things Are'.

*Chuckles slightly*

Leonardo and Donatello on the other hand were very excited that I had found another book to fill their minds with great stories.

'They Ugly Duckling'

As soon as I had finished the book, Leonardo nodded in approval, and then left to go and play with the others.

I looked to Donatello, only to find him asleep.

*Smiles*

I moved to get in a better position to pick him up, but only ended up waking him up.

He looked at me, then towards the book, repeating the pattern for a moment, before finally asking why I had stopped reading.

I laughed as I realized he didn't seem to notice he had fallen asleep.

I opened up to the page I believed he had fallen asleep on.

He gave me a confused look as he glanced at the picture on the page.

The picture showed a young swan crying, telling the world that it was lost.

He was supposed to be the 'ugly' duckling, but who am I, a very large mutant rat, to judge?

Donatello pointed to the page and furrowed the ridges on his face that were meant to be eyebrows; asking me way the baby was sad.

I told him that I would read it to him in a minute, when we got to that page.

His filled with wonder, curiosity, and just plain surprise. "What do you mean read? What does reading have to do with anything?"

You should have been there to see how hard it was to hold in my laugh. Donatello had no idea about the words, or what the meant, nor did he care.

All he wanted was the picture.

I explained the concept of books to him and was about to continue when he cut me off and told me HE wanted to read it for himself.

I of course allowed this, and watched as he stuttered with his words and worked his hardest to read each word; with my help every now and then, helping him sound out or what happened to the vowels when that pesky E at the end of the sentence showed up.

Soon he became a natural reader. Enjoying reading and finding out what was the meaning of the picture was.

*Snickers*

You should have seen his face when I showed him picture-less books.

Annabeth Chase 101: How innocent is Mikey?

LEONARDO:
Innocent? Your real question should be 'How UN-innocent is Mikey?!'

MICHELANGELO:

I resent that! I am a perfect little angel who does everything right and only wants to make things right for the world, and children! Word Peace! End world hunger! No more homeless animals, or no more hobbos! Keep the ocean clean! No guacamole hats on poor wonder less souls who have…

*Raphael bursts into the room covered in a blue paint*

RAPHAEL:
*A scowl that would send grown men running is plastered on his face*

MIKEY!

MICHELANGELO:
*eyes go wide*

I DIDN'T DO IT!

*starts running*

DONATELLO:
*Rolls eyes*
Yep, there goes our perfect little angel.