Blood and Plasters

People enjoy wearing badges

and plasters.

Some people like plasters
even better than badges.

But to get plasters,
you have to fall down, or cut your finger,
because that's what plasters are for.

And things like that hurt.

When you put a plaster on,
it keeps the blood from dripping out.
Drips of blood are worrying.

But actually,
everyone has plenty of blood inside them.

There's so much blood inside people,
that some people give it away
to other people who've been ill,
and need extra.

In some countries,
you get money
for giving away your blood.

In some countries,
you only get a cup of tea.

You have to be grown-up
before you're allowed
to give your blood away.

But if you eat apples
and apricots and nuts and honey
(and many other things there isn't room to write)
your blood will get powerful and beautiful,

and by the time you're grown-up,
you'll have plenty to spare,
to give away, if you want to.

And if you don't,
it's perfectly all right
to keep it all to yourself.
It's your blood, and it's good stuff.

© Leila Berg, sample illustrations © Lisa Kopper, pub Methuen 1983
Reproduction of illlustrations online may not do them justice