The script of the radio play students heard on audiotape and read in their assessment booklets is shown below.
You can listen to the radio play by clicking the 'play' button on the control strip above. Note: if you are not using QuickTime version 3 or later, please upgrade to the most recent version.
Certain bugs always think they've got to make everybody happy. Phillip was just such a bug. You see, Phillip was a little caterpillar and he felt that he was ugly. And he thought that making other bugs happy would help him to forget about how ugly he thought he was. I suppose he just didn't feel good enough about himself, and making other bugs happy just made him feel better. So the other bugs took advantage of Phillip. They all knew that Phillip would do anything to make any bug happy.
So the grasshopper whose name was Lenny would ask, "Phillip, would you get me some fresh green leaves? I'm tired and I've been hopping like crazy all day, and, please Phillip."
"Sure Lenny, right away Lenny," he'd reply.
Now it would have been much easier for Lenny to take a couple of hops to the flower bed to eat his leaves. But no. Phillip slowly but surely brought a tasty green leaf back to the greedy awaiting Lenny.
"Oh Phillip," beckoned Snedly Snail, "do be a dear and fetch me one or possibly two of the most ruby red rose petals you can find. I do have a desperate need you know for something tasty."
And Phillip, you understand, is quite exhausted from carrying the leaves for Lenny and he's worked up a fair appetite himself. Nonetheless he proceeds to fetch the rose petals for Snedly.
That night, Phillip spent a good deal of time with his little legs in a bucket of warm water. He was pretty tired, and this all in the name of bug pleasing he thought. There had to be another way. And he looked at his weary face in his mirror and sighed, "Ah me, I'm such a sight. Why can't I be beautiful like the meadowlark or graceful like the butterfly?"
As he spoke a strange sensation came over him. He remembered the words of his mother.
"You will be the envy of the all the bugs in bugland. Your beauty will go unnoticed for a long, long time until they will finally realize how beautiful you really are."
Phillip grew tired, but the words of his mother ran in his ear and the strange feeling lingered. Phillip before going to sleep did something he'd never done before. He worked long and hard at covering himself in a blanket. This was a blanket that closed around his body tight like a glove. And for a long time he slept and for a long time he dreamt.
"Oh Phillip," called Snedly, "I could sure do with something tasty."
"Could you help me get some leaves, Phillip? You know I'm really bushed," Lenny implored.
But Phillip couldn't help them. Phillip was far away and fast asleep. He dreamt that he didn't have to please any bug anymore. He dreamt that he was beautiful. But more than anything he dreamt that he liked himself. He liked himself more than Lenny or Snedly or any of the others that he tried to help out. And as he dreamed he knew that it's good to be nice to bugs. Yes it is. But he realized that it was just as important to be nice to himself. Because in spending his time making sure that everyone liked him, he didn't really have any friends, not really. They appreciated his favors, yes, but he couldn't honestly call them friends.
He kept dreaming until all of a sudden he awoke and felt he had to get out from under the covers. He just had to get out. He liked himself. He knew he was a good bug. He never lied, never cheated, always wanted the best for every bug, and he broke free from his covers. He was so blinded by the daylight that he had to rest for a while. Just rest for a while. Breathe deeply. He was feeling quite different. He turned his head towards the sky and two of the most beautiful wings he had ever seen were silently coming together and apart as he breathed--up and down, up and down. And as they dried he heard his mother's words once again.
"You will be the envy of all the bugs."
With a thrust from his tiny feet, he swooped down on Lenny, then fluttered high above his head. And Lenny hopped as he yelled, "Hey, look at you! Who are you?"
But Phillip just batted his wings at Lenny.
Snedly slowly turned his long snail eyes up toward this breathtaking splash of color that fluttered over his head and exclaimed, "What a magnificent creature you are."
Phillip's understanding was now complete. He understood that from the moment he thought he was a beautiful and good bug every other bug would think so too. Now, he felt that he was the most beautiful of all insects. Now, he was a butterfly.
