Levite's Leaven  #12

     The old saying "...out of the mouths of babes..." certainly holds true when it comes to  authors visiting classrooms, at least for this author (often referred to as "arthur" as in "Are you the arthur?") who gets routinely stumped by kids who are smarter than I. That's why I now begin all my stories about my book The Buffalo in the Mall by writing the following on the board, and you might want to do so also.

karat-gold
caret- ^
carat-diamond
carrot-vegetable

   The reason for needing this explanation of these homonyms can be found on the page in Buffalo where the boy rabbit is playing his violin for the girl rabbit, and we discuss exactly what it is he is offering her which is, of course, a four carrot ring! I was explaining the different spellings for the three words that are pronounced carrot when one little wise-acer piped up, "You're wrong about that, there are four words like that!"

   And indeed, there are. And now you know what they are!