BROOKS'S READERS

FIRST YEAR

BY
STRATTON D BROOKS

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Children Playing

NEW YORK · CINCINNATI · CHICAGO
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

Copyright, 1906, by
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY.
Copyright, 1907, Tokyo.

BROOKS'S READERS, FIRST YEAR.

CONTENTS

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS |   4
FIRST REVIEW |  59
SECOND REVIEW |  71
THIRD REVIEW |  96
FOURTH REVIEW | 124
WORD LIST | 125
The Stories: |
  A BUSY TIME |  77
  THE COW |  82
  THE RAIN |  84
  THE BROOK |  86
  MY BOX OF SAND |  88
  THE BOAT |  89
  OUR HOME |  90
  THE TREES |  92
  THE SAILOR BOY |  94
  LITTLE BOPEEP |  97
  THE SNOW | 100
  MY SHIP AT SEA | 102
  THE BIRDS IN WINTER | 106
  LITTLE BOY BLUE | 108
  DRIVING THE COWS | 110
  THE BOX OF TOOLS | 112
  SPRING | 114
  THE FIVE GOATS | 116
  MAKING BUTTER | 120
  MARY AND THE BROOK | 122

The sole purpose of this book is to help the children to learn to read. While it may ultimately lead to the acquisition of knowledge concerning many subjects, its present aim is only to make reading easy. The lessons are, therefore, on subjects familiar to every child. The words are such as children habitually use in conversation; they are introduced gradually, and as a rule are repeated many times. Since proficiency in reading is best attained by much practice, care has been taken to present as large an amount as possible of interesting matter which the child can readily master. Every line is for the pupil to read. The stories are so constructed as to encourage and secure naturalness of expression without the intervention of rules or formal drills. The gradation both in thought and in expression is easy and natural.

Although the learning of words by much repetition and familiarity with their forms is an essential feature of this book, its foundation is nevertheless phonetic. Yet, for the sake of leaving it perfectly adaptable to any method of teaching, the phonetic basis has not been emphasized. The systematic introduction of words which may serve as key-words for the acquisition of others containing similar phonetic elements has been carefully observed, and it is believed that this is the natural method untrammeled by any artificial classification.

As further aids toward making the child's first reading lessons easy, the sentences are short. There are no broken lines in the first hundred pages. Indentations help the young reader to keep the place. There are no interfering illustrations in the text. Each story is complete without turning a leaf.

Grateful acknowledgments are extended to Miss Frances Lilian Taylor of Galesburg, Illinois, to Mr. W. J. Button of Chicago, and to Miss Matilda Mitchell, primary teacher, Phillips Brooks School, Boston, for valuable suggestions and assistance.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

As stated on the preceding page, the foundation of this work is phonetic. The author believes that children may profitably learn many words without reference to their phonetic composition, and that among these certain key-words should be selected from which the elementary sounds of the language may be developed. These elements will give the pupils the power of acquiring new words. For example, observe the following key-words and the sounds developed from them:—

Page  5, | flag; | teach f, l, ă, g.
Page  7, | fan; | teach n.
Page  8, | can; | teach c.
Page 10, | has; | teach h, s̝.
Page 10, | get; | teach ĕ, t.
Page 12, | cap; | teach p.
Page 13, | drum; | teach d, r, ŭ.
Page 14, | am; | teach m.
Page 15, | not; | teach ŏ.
Page 15, | big; | teach b, ĭ.
Page 16, | see; | teach s, ē.
Page 17, | ball; | teach a̤.
Page 17, | play; | teach ā.
Page 18, | jump; | teach j.
Page 19, | bird; | teach ĩ.
Page 19, | fly; | teach ȳ = ī.
Page 21, | wall; | teach w.
Page 24, | good; | teach oo.
Page 25, | with; | teach th.
Page 31, | some; | teach ȯ.

Observe the great number of easy and common words that may be developed from the sounds thus learned from the first ten key-words named above. The list includes an, as, ran, had, pan, man, tan, let, met, pet, bet, men, pen, fig, did, bit, little, not, lot, got, hot, log, and a great many more. Similar key-words emphasizing the remaining sounds should be selected as the work proceeds. Teachers preferring to introduce the sounds less rapidly, may teach these first words as words and select others later in the book to serve as key-words. The blackboard should be in constant use, and the pupils' ingenuity in forming new words and new sentences should be tested at every recitation. The few exercises in script given at the beginning of the book are suggestive of the manner in which much additional drill in reading may be presented on the blackboard. The diacritical marks should not be taught to the children.

Stars_And_Stripes

a flag a flag

a flag | Stars_And_Stripes
Boy With Flag | I have a flag I have a flag

Woman With Fan

I have a fan. I see the fan. See the fan. See the fan I have.

I have a fan. I see the fan. See the fan I have.

Boy & Dog

See the flag. I have the fan. I can see the flag. I have a dog. Can the dog have the flag? The dog can see the flag. Can I see the dog? Can I see a fan? Can the dog see the fan?

  can  fan  flag  dog

I see a flag. I see a fan. I see a dog. The dog can see. The dog can have the flag. I can have the fan. I can see the dog.

I see a flag. I see a fan. I see a dog. The dog can see. The dog can have the flag. I can have the flag. I can see the dog.

Boy & Dog With Flag

has  get  boy

See! The dog has the flag. The boy has the dog. Can the boy get the flag? I can get the flag.

I have the dog. I can get the flag.

Girl & Fan

  girl    and

See the girl and the fan.

Boy Girl & Dog

    cap    hat

 cap   hat The boy has a cap. The girl has a hat. I see the girl and the hat. I see the boy and the cap. I have a hat and a cap. Can the dog have the cap? The boy has a cap and a flag.

Boy With Drum & Dog Running

 run    drum  run   drum See the dog run. The boy has a drum. The dog has a hat. Can the boy get the hat? Can the dog get the drum? The girl can run. The girl can get the drum.

Boy With Drum

am    my    little

I am a boy. I am a little boy. See my drum and my cap.

not    big    is

I am a girl. I am not a big girl. I am a little girl. I have a big fan. See the fan I have. The girl is not a big girl. The fan is not a little fan. A little girl can not have a drum. The girl has a cap and a fan. The boy and the girl can run. | Girl & Fan

 cat    you    me    to

I see you. I see you, little cat. Can you not see me? Run, run to me, little cat. The big dog can not get you.

Girl With Cats

I can run to you, little girl. Can you run to me? I am not a big cat. I am a little cat. I see you and I run to you.

 ball    play    catch    it

The ball! Get the ball! Can the girl play ball? Can the boy catch the ball?

Children Playing Catch

Run, little boy, and catch it. See, I can play ball. I have it. I can catch it. You can not get it, little boy. You can not catch a ball. The little girl and I can play ball.

 jump    hop    like

See the big boy and the little boy. Can the little boy jump?

Boys Jumping

Jump, jump, jump! Hop, hop, hop! Can you hop to me, little boy? I can not hop to you. I can jump to you. I like to run and jump. I see you can jump, little boy. You can jump like a big boy.

 bird       fly

I see a little bird. The bird can fly. Fly, little bird, fly. I like to see you fly. Can you fly, little girl? Can you fly like me? I like to fly. I am a bird.

Girl With Bird

The dog and the cat can play. The boy can hop and jump. The little girl can not fly like the bird.

Boy With Bird

 in     tree

I am a bird. I am in a tree. Can you see me, little boy?

Boy With Bird

 nest    by    wall

The bird has a nest. The nest is in the tree. The tree is by the wall. Can you see the bird in the nest? I can see the tree by the wall. I can see the nest in the tree. The bird is not in the nest. Fly to the nest, little bird. Fly to the nest in the tree.

 do    sing    let

I have a bird. My bird can sing to me. Do you see it in the tree? Let it fly and sing. I can sing to you, little boy. Can you sing to me? Sing to me, fly to me. I am in the tree. The tree is by the wall. I can not fly like you, little bird. You can not play like me. Do you like to play? You have a nest and can sing. You can not get me, little boy. The cat can not catch me. I am in my nest in the tree.

Girl With Dogs & Cat

 one    two    bed    dogs

I have two little dogs. I have one cat. Do you see it? My dogs like to run and play. My dogs have a little bed. Do you see the dogs in the bed? I like my dogs and my cat.

Girl With Dogs

 milk    drink    good    for

Run to me, little dogs. Do you like milk? I have a little milk for you. See the milk. Do you like it? Can you drink it? Is it good? I like to drink milk. I like to see you drink it. Milk is good for you.

 doll    pretty    with    here

The little girl has a doll. Is it not a pretty doll?

Girl With Doll

My pretty doll, I like to play with you. You can not run with the dogs. You can not sing with the bird. You can play here with me. I have a pretty bed for you. Here it is. Here is your bed. I like to play with my pretty doll.

Girl With Doll Carriage

 Grace    our    sister    she

The girl with the doll is Grace. She is our little sister. She is a good girl. She likes to play with the doll. She likes to sing to it. She sings about the bird in the tree.

Girls Watching Bird

   will    song

Will you sing to me, Grace? Will you sing me a pretty song? The bird will sing to you, sister. Little bird, pretty bird, Little bird in the tree, Sing a song, little bird, Sing to sister and me.

Rabbit

   this    rabbit    how

See this pretty rabbit, Grace. I like this little rabbit. See how it can jump. Rabbit, run to me. Jump, rabbit. Let me see how you can jump. I like to play with you. I like to see you hop and jump. Do you like milk, little rabbit? Can you drink like my dogs? Do you have a pretty bed like the doll? My dogs will not catch you, rabbit.

Boy With Animals

 Bennie    brother    many

This is Bennie. Bennie is my brother. See the little rabbits with Bennie. How many rabbits do you see? See how the rabbits jump and play.

about    gray

Here is a song I sing about Bennie.

Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, One little rabbit gray. One little, two little, three little rabbits, Four little, five little, six little rabbits, Seven little, eight little, nine little rabbits, Ten little rabbits gray.

Ten Rabbits

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

Boy With Top - Girl With Doll

 look    at    top    spin

Look, look, Grace! Look, sister! Look at my big top. See how I can spin it. Can you spin it, Grace? I can not spin a top, Bennie. I like to play with my doll. Boys like to spin tops. Girls do not like to spin tops.

Mother & Son

 come   book   give   mother   tell

Come here, Bennie, my little boy. Do you see this pretty book? I will give it to a good little boy. Will you give it to me, mother? Am I a good boy? I like a pretty book. I will tell sister Grace about it. Grace will like to look at it.

Children Reading

 picture    some    of

Come here, Grace, and see this book. It is a pretty picture book. Come and look at the pictures with me. I will tell you about some of the pictures. How good mother is! How good she is to give you this book! See this picture of a boy and a girl.

Dog

See! Here is a picture of a dog. It looks like one of my dogs.

Hopping Rabbit

Here is a picture of a rabbit. It is a big gray rabbit.

Boys Playing

Here is a picture of some boys. See the boys run and play.

Girl With doll and Fan.

Here is a picture of a little girl. She has a doll and a fan. She looks like you, Grace.

Girls With Baby

 baby    child    love

This is our baby sister. Is she not a pretty child? I love our baby. Have you a baby sister?

Girls With Baby

 walk    talk    far    your

Can our baby walk? She can walk a little. She can not walk far. See how she can walk. Come, baby, come to your sister. See how far you can walk. The good child can walk to me. She can not talk to me.

 well    call    soon    too

Look, mother, look! Call the baby. See how well she can walk. See how far she can walk. Soon she can run and play. She will soon talk, too. She likes to look at pictures. I will let her look at my book. Come, baby! See this pretty book! I will let you see the pictures. Here is a picture of a flag. Here is a girl with a fan. Here is a dog with a hat. Call the dog, baby. Call the dog. The baby calls. The dog will not come. Our baby sister will soon talk. She will talk to mother and Grace.

 ground    found    round    eggs

Bennie, come here, come here. Look here on the ground. What have you found, Grace? I have found a nest. It has eggs in it. See the eggs. How round they are!

Boy & Girl Watching Nest

 any   oh   no   her   we

Nest With Eggs

How many birds are in this nest? Let me see the pretty nest. I do not see any birds in it. I see some eggs in the nest. How many do you see? Is the nest for me? Oh, no, no, no. Is the nest for you? Oh, no, no, no. The bird made the nest on the ground. The nest is not for me. The nest is not for you. The nest is for the good little bird. We found the nest on the ground. She loves her nest and her round eggs. We will not get any of her eggs.

Three Kittens

    kittens    on    what

Here is a picture of some cats. I see one big cat and two kittens. The mother cat is on some books. She calls the kittens. Come, kittens, come. See what is here. See what I have found. What can the mother cat see?

     under    they    now

The mother cat is on the books. What can she see under the books? Now the kittens come and look. What can they see? They look on the books. They look under the books. They look in one book. What do they see now? Have you a little kitten? What can it do? My kitten plays with a ball. I give it milk to drink. Our brother Bennie has ten gray rabbits. Has he any little kittens? I can not tell you now. I will call Bennie. He can tell.

Boys Flying Kite

 morning    bright    sun    sky

What a bright morning this is! It is a good morning for play. Look at the sun in the sky. Do you like to see the sun? How bright it is this morning!

kite   high   so   as   down

Look at my kite, brother. See how high it can fly. Oh, it is a good kite. It looks like a big bird. It can fly as high as a bird. I will run and it will fly high. See it! See it now! See how high in the sky it is! How bright it looks in the sky! Will it fly to the sun? Oh, no, no! It can not fly so high. The sun is too high. No bird can fly to the sun. Now, let it come down. Do not let it come down in the tree. Oh, how I like my pretty kite!

Bird At Nest

 cradle   may   take   make   name

I see a pretty cradle. The cradle is high in the tree. Tell me about this little cradle. Tell me what is in the cradle. I see some birds in the cradle. One, two, three baby birds. What is your name, little bird? The bird will not tell you. What can you make, little bird? I can make a nest. My nest is high in the tree. It is a cradle for my little birds. Can you make a cradle, little boy? Oh, no, I can not make a cradle. I can not make a nest. May I take your nest? May I take it for our baby? She will like to play with it. No, no, little boy. The nest is not for your baby. It is for my three little birds.

Dog Watching Cradle

Don    care    all    time

Our baby is in her cradle. The cradle is not like the bird's cradle. Our big dog is by the cradle. The dog's name is Don. Can Don take care of the baby? He takes care of her all the time. What a good dog he is!

Girl With Dog

 go    stay    must    side

No, Don, you can not go with me. You must stay here with mother. You must take care of the baby. You must stay by her cradle. Take the baby with you, Grace. She can walk by your side. You may take the dog, too.

Woman And Child With Dog By Brook

 brook    water    sit

Now, baby, come with me. You and Don may walk with me. We will walk down by the brook. I like to see the pretty brook. We will sit here and look at it. How the water runs and runs! It runs all the time.

 fall    into    from    home

Sit here by my side, baby. See all the water in the brook. See how the water runs and runs. You must not fall into it. Water is good to drink. We do not drink it from the brook. The birds drink it. Don drinks it. How do birds drink? How do dogs drink? Soon we must go home. Mother will call and we must go. We can not stay here all the time. The birds sing in the trees by the brook. The rabbits come to see the water. Don must not catch the rabbits.

Man Addressing Children

 yes    sir    school    Marian

Good morning, little girl. What is your name? Good morning, sir. My name is Marian. Do you go to school? Yes, sir, I go with my little brother. Bennie is my brother, too.

 read    father    gave    write

What do you do at school, Marian? Can you read? Can you write? Yes, sir, I can read a little. Here is my book. My father gave it to me. I can write, too. Let me see how you can write.

My name is Marian.

You can write well, little girl. Does your dog go to school with you? Oh, no, no, sir! Dogs do not care for books. They do not read. They do not write. The school is for boys and girls. It is not for dogs.

Girl On Dog-cart

Rose   wagon   horse   fine   that

What little girl is this? Her name is Rose. She is in her little wagon. It is a pretty wagon. See what a fine big horse she has. Oh, that is not a horse. That is a big dog. Well, he looks a little like a horse.

Jo   ho   draw   are   where

The dog's name is Jo. He can draw the wagon for Rose. What a fine horse he is! Where will he go with Rose? He will take her to school.

Now, here we are at school. Ho! ho, Jo! You are a good dog, Jo. You must not go in with me. All the girls say, Good morning, Rose. Good morning, girls. Where will your horse go now? Will he go into school with you? Oh, no, he must go home. Dogs do not go to school.

Two Boys With Wagon

ride   Ned   old   hold   know

See my pretty wagon, Bennie. You may have a ride in it. I will play that I am a horse. Where did you get this wagon, Ned? My father gave it to me this morning. Come, get into it. I will be your horse. I will draw the wagon with you in it. You are a good old horse, Ned. I like to ride in your wagon. You must not run away. Ho! ho! You must hold your horse, Bennie. You must not let him run. I know you will not run away, Ned. You will give me a good ride. Here we are at the old tree. Ho! Now we will go home. You may draw the wagon, Bennie. I will get into it and ride. How do you like to be a horse? I like to play that I am a horse.

Woman And Child With Baby

going    but    day    away

Our little baby boy is going away. Do you know where he is going? Is he going to school, mother? May he go with me in my wagon? Some day he may go with you. But he is not going to school now.

Shut  Eye  Town    sleep    say

Can you tell where the baby is going? Oh, I know, I know. He is going to sleep. He is going to Shut Eye Town. Will you go with him, Marian? Where is Shut Eye Town, mother? Is it far, far away? It is where baby is going. Baby is going to sleep. Now shut your eyes, baby. Shut your bright eyes and go to sleep. Now he is in Shut Eye Town. He will come home in the morning. He will say, Good morning, mother. He will say, Here I am, Marian. I have come home from Shut Eye Town.

Girls Playing

 ring    train    cars    bell

Ring! ring! ring! Do you see our train? We are on the cars. Where is this train going? Is it going to Shut Eye Town? Oh, no! We do not go to that town. Ring the bell, sister. Here we go.

REVIEW

Come here, my good child. Tell me your name. How old are you? Do you go to school? What do you do at school? Have you any books? Do you like to read? Have you a flag at your school? Can you play ball with Bennie? What is your doll's name? How many dogs have you? What can birds do? Do you like to look at pictures? Where is Shut Eye Town? Can you ride to that town? Have you a baby at home? How many little girls do you know?

Children Sheltering From Rain

 rain   cloud   house   black   think

See how black that cloud is. I think it is going to rain. Yes, I see the rain now. We must run to the house. Do you like the rain, Bennie? No, I do not like the rain now. I can not fly my kite in the rain.

 wind   blow   hear   loud   roar

Do you hear the wind, Bennie? Hear it blow! Hear it roar! Yes, I hear it. How loud it blows! It blows and blows. It roars and roars. We can hear the wind roar. But we can not see it. It blows all about the house. It blows the clouds and it blows the trees. It roars on the house top. It roars in the rain. I do not like to hear the wind roar. It blows my kite away. It blows the birds about the trees. Wind, do not blow all day. Let the bright sun shine.

flowers  grow  show   snow   find
blue   red   white   yellow  lily

Ring, ring! Sing, sing! Here come the flowers to town. I have some blue flowers. I have a red, red rose. How pretty they are! Do you know where the flowers grow? Oh, yes, yes! We know. Come with us and we will show you. Show me where the roses grow. Show me where to find blue flowers. Go down by the brook. Go and look, look, look. You will find a white lily. It is as white as snow.

Girls Walking

We found yellow flowers on the ground. We found some roses on the wall. You may find as many. Go and look. Ring, ring! Sing, sing! Here come the flowers to town.

Two Children

  taking    shall

Where are you going, Marian? Are you going far? I am taking a walk. Will you not come with me? Oh, yes, Marian. I like to walk. Where shall we go? Let us look for some flowers. I know where they grow.

them   best   there   cold   which

I see some roses now. Shall I run and get them? Some roses are white, some are red. I like this red rose best. Now we will go down by the brook. We will find white flowers there. I found a white lily there one day. It was white as milk. It was white as snow. Some flowers grow under the snow. How cold they must be! Sing, sing, lily bells ring! Here are yellow, red, and blue flowers. Which do you like best? I like the blue flowers best. I will give them to you.

Man And Girl With Chickens

 chickens   wings   can't   don't

Look, look! Look there, brother! See the pretty little birds, We do not call them birds, Marian. They are little chickens. See them run about on the ground. Have they no wings? Can't they fly? Chickens have wings, but they don't fly.

us   chick   something   count

Let us call the little chickens to us. Chick, chick, chick, chick! Come here, little chickens, come to me. I have something for you. Come and get it. See all the chickens run. They know that you have something. They think you will give it to them. Some of my chickens are white. Some are black, and some are yellow. Which do you like best? I can not tell. I like them all. How many chickens have you? I can't tell how many. They run about so I can't count them. Can you count them, Marian?

Two Boys With Kite

 falling   shine   drive   out

Oh, Ned, the rain is not falling now. I think we may go and play. The clouds are going away. I think the sun will shine soon. Let us go out and see. Yes, there is the sun in the blue sky. It will drive the rain clouds away. Now I can fly my kite.

 sight   light   night   then

See how the sun shines. It drives the black clouds far away. What a pretty sight it is! It shines on the trees and flowers. It shines for the birds and the brook. How bright it is! How high it is! It is high in the sky. My kite can not fly so high. The sun gives us light. It shines all day. By and by it will go down. Then day will go and night will come. We can not see the sun at night. Where shall we go then, Ned? We shall go home to mother. I think we shall go to Shut Eye Town.

owl   says   who   What is this? Do you know? It is an owl. The owl is a bird. See its big eyes. It sits high up in the old tree. It sits there all day. It likes to fly at night. It can not see in the bright light. Do you know what the owl says? It says, Who! who! who! | The Owl

REVIEW

Where do pretty flowers grow? What is as white as snow? Where can the baby go? Who says "Ho! ho!" to our dog Jo? Tell me something that you know. What can little kittens do? What bird is it that says Who! who? Can one boy play as well as two? Where can red roses be found? Does a bird make its nest on the ground? Name something bright and round. Who is going to Shut Eye Town? How many chickens can you count? What bird can fly about at night? What shines bright and gives us light? Tell me what you do at school.

why   said   was   went   did
him   his   guess   shining  fish

One day Ned went down to the brook. No one went with him. The sky was blue. No cloud was in sight. The sun was shining bright. It was a fine day. Why did Ned go to the brook? Did he go to get some flowers? I think not. I will tell you all about it. His mother said to him: "Where are you going, Ned?" "I am going to the brook," said Ned. "What are you going to do there?" "Oh, I am going to catch some fish. I will catch some for you, mother." "Oh, Ned, do not catch all the fish."

Boy With Fishing Pole

Well, Ned, how many fish did you catch? Guess how many, Grace. Let me think. Did you catch ten? Oh, no, not so many as that. Did you catch five fish for mother? Oh, no, not so many as that. Well, then, did you catch one fish for sister? Oh, no, not so many as that.

Girls Playing House

room   chair   box   table   door

Oh, Marian, let us play house. Here we are at home. What a fine, big room we have! This is the door, and this is the table. The big box will do for a table. The little box will do for a chair. We must have two chairs, Grace. I will go and get mother's chair. The round box is the baby's cradle. But the baby can not sit in it. It is too little. Here are the chairs. Come, now, sit down by the table. The baby may sit here by me. What is that, Grace? I hear the door bell. I think some one is at the door. Come in! Come in! Good morning, Ned. Come in and see our fine house.

Mother & Daughter

bee   honey   busy

Oh, mother, do come here! Here is a big fly. It is in this yellow flower. That is not a fly. It is a bee. It gets honey from the flower. Oh, I like honey. Don't you, mother? See how busy the bee is. It is busy all the day.

A BUSY TIME

We are all busy this morning. The boys are playing. The girls are reading. The flowers are growing. The rabbits are jumping. The birds are singing. I am thinking of something. Father is going to town. Mother is counting her chickens. Brother is ringing the bell. Sister is walking to school. Baby is sleeping at home. The sun is shining. The horses are running. Ned is making a wagon for me. We are all having a good time.

Two Girls With Doll

bought   brought   thought   robin

What do you think I have, Grace? I have brought you something. Can you guess what it is? I do not know what it is, Marian. Let me think. I will guess three times. Is it a red rose? Is it a yellow kitten? Is it something you have bought for me?

Yes, Grace, I bought it in town for you. I think you will like it. But you must guess what it is. Is it a book? Is it a picture? Yes, Grace, it is a picture. See! I bought it for you. Don't you think it is pretty? Oh, I thought it was a picture. It is a picture of a bird and a nest. Yes, it is a picture of a robin. The robin is by its nest. The nest is high in a big tree. There are four eggs in the nest. The eggs are blue. They are as blue as the sky. This is a pretty picture, Marian. I am glad you brought it to me.

Bird And Nest

Children Playing

blocks   build   windows   made

Robert has some pretty blocks. His father brought them from town. He can build a house with the blocks. The house will have doors and windows. The little girl is Robert's sister. "You may build a train of cars," he says. Do you see the train she made?

Children And Wall-clock

new   clock   tick-tock   up

We have a new clock at our house. Father bought it for Grace and me. It is by the window in my room. Do you know what a clock does? It tells the time of day. It talks to us. What does the pretty clock say? It says, "Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock." In the morning it says, "Get up, get up." At night it says, "Bed time, bed time."

cow   stand   eats   grass   sets

THE COW

Here is our old cow in the brook. Why does she stand in the water? She drinks the water from the brook. The cow gives milk for us. She eats the grass by the brook. She walks under the trees. She sees many red and yellow flowers. She hears the wind roar in the tree tops. She hears the robin sing. Come here, old cow. Why do you stand in the brook? Why do you walk in the grass? The cow will not tell me. She looks at me. She does not talk.

Cow Standing In Brook

When the sun sets the cows come home. Why do they come home at night? I think Ned will drive them home.

umbrella   sat   stood   ran   leaf

THE RAIN

See, Ned. See the rain. It rains and rains. Who has an umbrella? "I have," said the robin; And he sat under a leaf. "I have," said the bee; And it went into a flower. "I have," said the little yellow chicken; And it ran under its mother's wing. "I have," said the cow; And she stood under a tree. "Who cares for an umbrella," said Ned; And he ran in the rain.

Boy Walking In Rain

o'clock   every   everything

Well, Ned, where are you going now? Are you going to school? Yes, sir, I go to school at nine o'clock. I go to school every day. What do you do at school? Tell me all the things you do. We read and we write. We look at the pretty pictures. We sing about the flowers. Is that all you do, Ned? Oh, no, no. It is not all. I can't tell you everything we do. Every day we play a little. Every day we read something new. At three o'clock we go home.

Babbling Brook

  again   fast   sometimes
always   still   when

THE BROOK

Here we are at the brook again. See how fast the water runs. Stand still and hear the brook sing. I hear it, I hear it. What does it say when it sings? It says: I am a little brook. I run, and I sing as I run. I give water to the trees and the grass. I give water to the pretty white lily. The cows come to see me. I give them water to drink. The robins sing to me every morning. The flowers love me. Why do you run all the time, little brook? Where are you going this fine day? I am running to the sea. I run, and still I am always here. Boys and girls like to play by the brook. They find many pretty things. Can you tell what they find? I think they sometimes find a flower. Sometimes they catch a fish in the brook. Good-by, little brook! We will see you again.

Boy And Sand-box

sand   full   put   live

MY BOX OF SAND

I have a box full of sand. My father made the box. My big brother put the sand in it. I can build a house of sand. I put windows and doors in it. It is not a good house to live in.

Making A Toy Boat

boat   sail   ship   carry

THE BOAT

Will you make me a boat, father? Make a little boat with a sail. Where will you sail your boat, Robert? I will sail it on the brook, father. I will play it is a big, big ship. But I will not let it sail far. The brook shall not carry it away.

House

place   sweet   glad   ever   humble

OUR HOME

Good morning, Bennie. Is Marian at home? Yes, Rose, I think she is in the house. Will you go in? What a pretty home you have! What is Marian doing this morning? She is reading in her new book. She will be glad to see you. I love my home. There is no place like it. Do you know why I think so? Father and mother live here. Sister and brother live here. Our baby lives here. I love them all. They all love me. There is a pretty song about home. We sing it at school. Did you ever hear it? Oh, yes. Shall I sing it to you? "Home, home, sweet, sweet home! Be it ever so humble, There is no place like home." Now, is not that a pretty song? Every child loves to sing it.

wood   branches   tall   small

THE TREES

See all the trees, Robert. Can you count them? No, Ned, there are so many. I can not count them all. I like to walk through the woods. I like to see the tall trees. Some of these trees are large. Some are small. What are trees good for, Robert? Tell me all about them. They are good for wood. We build houses of wood. Oh, yes; I know. Tables and chairs are made of wood.

Forest

The baby's cradle is made of wood. My blocks are made of wood. So is my little wagon. So is the boat my father made for me. The birds like the tall trees. They build nests in the branches. Many flowers grow in the woods. Rabbits live and play there.

Sailor-boy On Beach

Jack   sailor   sea   waves   storm

THE SAILOR BOY

Here is a sailor boy. His name is Jack. Jack's home is by the sea. He loves the sea. He likes to play in the sand. Jack likes to hear the waves. They sing him to sleep at night. Sometimes there is a storm at sea. Then the wind and the waves roar. Jack likes to hear them roar. He likes to see the big waves. Sometimes Jack sails out with his father. They go out in a boat to catch fish. The wind blows the white sails. The boat sails far away. At night they come home. How many fish did you catch, Jack? How far did you go? What did you see? Is not Jack a fine sailor boy?

Row Boat

REVIEW

Where do you live, Grace? I live at home, sir. I live with mother and father. Where do the robins live? They live in the old tree in the woods. The tree is their home. Where do fishes live? Some live in the brook, some in the sea. What has wings but can not fly? I think it must be a little chicken. What can fly but has no wings? I know, I know. It is Ned's kite. What runs all day but has no feet? It must be the clock in our room. I think it is the brook. Oh, no, it is a train of cars.

Bopeep  sheep lambs   back lost | Bopeep & Sheep

LITTLE  BOPEEP

My name is Bopeep. Do you see all my sheep and lambs? I take care of them. I find grass and water for them. One day I lost my pretty sheep. I could not find them any where. How did Bopeep find her sheep? I will tell you how she found them. She looked here, she looked there. She went down to the brook. No sheep were there. She called and called. She stood still to listen. She heard not a sheep. Bopeep sat down on the grass. The birds sang to her. The brook sang to the birds. Then little Bopeep went to sleep. The sheep and lambs came running. They came out of the woods. "Here we are, little Bopeep," they said. "We have come back to you. We have come to live with you again." Little Bopeep looked up. She saw her sheep and lambs. All had come back to her. How glad she was to see them! They drank the water from the brook. They ate the green grass. The lambs played under the trees. "Oh, my pretty lambs!" said little Bopeep.

can | could | hear | heard
find | found | sit | sat
look | looked | sing | sang
play | played | come | came
call | called | see | saw
stand | stood | drink | drank
listen | listened | eat | ate

winter  summer  sleds  bring  were

THE SNOW

One morning in winter Grace heard her mother calling her.
"Come here, Grace! Come here, and look out of the window."
Grace ran to the window and looked out. What do you think she saw?
The snow was falling.
The ground was white with snow.
"Oh, mother," said Grace, "how pretty it is! Everything is white with snow.
Where does the snow come from?"
"It falls from the clouds," said her mother. "In summer the clouds bring rain. In winter they bring snow."

Sleigh Riding

At school the boys and girls were glad.
"It snows! It snows!" they said.
"Now we shall have a fine time.
We can make snowballs.
We can ride on our sleds.
We can play in the snow."

playthings   happy   silk   masts   gold

MY SHIP AT SEA

I will play I have a ship at sea. My ship is sailing. It is sailing on the blue sea. Now it is far, far away. Some day it will come home again. It will come home to baby and me. Many pretty things are in my ship. It is full of bright playthings. They are all for baby and me. Oh, my pretty ship! All its sails are of silk. Its masts are of yellow gold. It sails all day and all night. When it comes back, how happy I shall be. But now it is sailing on the blue sea.

3-masted Sailing Ship

I have a ship a-sailing, A-sailing on the sea, And it is full of pretty things For baby and for me.

There is candy in the cabin, And apples in the hold. The sails are made of silk, And the masts are made of gold.

earth   Christmas   angels   heaven

All the bells on earth shall ring On Christmas day, On Christmas day; All the bells on earth shall ring On Christmas day in the morning.

All the angels in heaven shall sing On Christmas day, On Christmas day; All the angels in heaven shall sing On Christmas day in the morning.

And every one on earth shall sing On Christmas day, On Christmas day; And every one on earth shall sing On Christmas day in the morning.

Angels & Bells

CHRISTMAS BELLS

be     over   spring   mind
frozen   bare   sunny   South

THE BIRDS IN WINTER

One morning Marian looked out of her window. The snow was falling.
"How cold the wind blows," she said.
"The trees are all frozen and bare. The brook is frozen over.
The pretty robin's nest is full of snow.
There are no birds in the woods. Where do the birds go when winter comes?"
"They fly to the sunny South, where the snow does not come," said Robert.
"They will come back to us in the spring. They will sing glad songs and build new nests."

Birds In Winter

Out in the snow a little bird was hopping.
"See, Robert, see!" said Marian.
"That little bird did not fly to the sunny South.
"How cold it must be! Its little feet must be frozen."
"That is a snowbird," said Robert.
"It likes the snow. It does not mind the cold. It stays here all winter."

story   heard   horn   corn   meadow

LITTLE BOY BLUE

"Oh, Ned," said Rose one day, "what do you think I have? It is a new story book.
Father gave it to me this morning. I have been reading in it."
"It is a pretty book," said Ned. "Are there any good stories in it?"
"Oh, yes. One story is about a little boy who went to sleep in the meadow.
I don't know what his name was, but they called him Little Boy Blue.
He took care of the sheep and the cows. He had a horn to blow.
The sheep and the cows would come when they heard the horn."
"Here is the story, now. And here is the picture of Little Boy Blue.

Little Boy Blue

"Little Boy Blue, Come, blow your horn! The sheep are in the meadow, The cows are in the corn. Where, where can the little boy be? Oh, here he is, sleeping, don't you see?"

farm   farmer   helps   been

DRIVING THE COWS

Robert lives on a farm.
His father is a farmer.
Robert helps his father.
He helps take care of the chickens and the lambs.
Sometimes he drives the cows to the meadow.
Sometimes he drives them home at night.
"Where are the cows, Robert?"
"I think they are in the meadow."
"Will you not drive them home? It is time to milk them."
"Yes, father, I will bring them home. I like to drive them.
I will take the dog with me.

Cows Drinking

Come, Don. You know how to drive the cows.
You may come with me.
There they are by the meadow brook.
See, they are drinking from the brook.
Drive them, Don! Drive them home.
There they go! What a fine thing it is to live on a farm!"

Frank   seen   never  would
city   street   river   tools

THE BOX OF TOOLS

Frank lives in the city. He has never seen a farm. He has never seen a brook.
He has never heard the robins singing in the tree tops.
A river runs by the city. Sometimes Frank goes down to the river to see the boats and ships.
Sometimes he plays in the street by his home.
The street is not a good place to play.
Frank has many playthings, and he is as happy as any farmer boy.
He would not be happy on a farm.

Boy With Tools

One day Frank's father gave him a box of tools. Frank made many things with his tools. He made a kite and a little wagon. He made a stand for his mother. He made a cradle for his sister's doll.

Flowers

Spring is the time for flowers. Summer is the time for corn to grow. Autumn is the time for apples to fall. Winter is the time for wind and snow.

seasons   autumn   gone   warm   green

SPRING

Winter has gone. Spring has come.
There is no snow on the ground now.
The days are warm and bright. The sun is high in the sky.
Soon the ground will be green with grass.
There are wild flowers in the woods now.
All the birds have come back from the South.
The robin is here. He is building a nest in the old tree.
Soon there will be some little blue eggs in the nest.
The old owl did not go South. But he is glad that spring has come.

Chasing The Goats

goat
fox
buzz

THE FIVE GOATS

Five goats were in a field.
There they found green grass to eat, and good water to drink.
At night the farmer's boy and his little sister came to drive them home.
One night the goats wanted to stay in the field.
The little girl ran after them. But she could not drive them out.
"Now I will try," said the boy.
So the boy ran after the goats. But they would not go out for him.
Just then a dog came by.
"Let me try," said the dog.
"I have more legs than a boy. I can run faster."
He ran after the goats.
He barked and barked. But the goats would not go out of the field.
Soon a fox came to see what the dog was doing.
"Let me try," he said. "I know more than a dog, and I can run fast."
The fox ran after the goats. But he could not drive them out of the field.
"Let me try," said a horse that was looking on. "I am big and strong."
But the goats would not go out for the horse.
A busy bee came into the field.
"Buzz! buzz!" it said. "I think I can drive them out. Let me try."
"What can you do? You are too little to drive goats," said the boy.
"You are smaller than I am," said the little girl.
"You can not bark," said the dog.
"You don't know much," said the fox.
"You can't run round the field on four feet," said the horse.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" said the bee.
"We will see; we will see;" and away it flew.
It flew by the big goat's ear.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" it said.
The goat looked up. "What is that?" he said; and he ran out of the field.
The little goat looked up. "If you go out, I will go out," he said; and out he ran.
"So will I. So will I. So will I," said the three white goats; and all ran out of the field.
Then the boy and his sister drove the goats home.
"If the bee had not helped us, what could we have done?" they said.

butter   cream   bread   churn

dish    pans   fresh   turns

MAKING BUTTER

Do you know how I make butter? I will tell you.
Every day the cows give us fresh milk.
Ned brings the milk to the house.
I have some large tin pans. At night I put the fresh milk in these pans.
In the morning I find yellow cream on the top of the milk.
Then I take off the cream and put it in my churn.
I churn and churn till the cream turns to butter.
I take the butter out.
I leave the buttermilk in the churn.

Making Butter

Here is one of my butter balls.
It is on a little dish.
Bennie and Marian like butter.
They like bread and milk, too.
All boys and girls eat bread.
Do you like bread and butter?

MARY AND THE BROOK

"Stop, stop, pretty brook!" Said Mary one day, To a bright, happy brook That was running away.

"You run on so fast! I wish you would stay; My boat and my flowers You will carry away.

"But I will run after; Mother says that I may; For I would know where You are running away."

So Mary ran on; But I have heard say, That she never could find Where the brook ran away.

Girl By Stream

REVIEW

Do you live in the city? Have you ever seen a farm? What does a farmer do? Where do the birds go in winter? When does the sun shine? When does the snow fall? What is as white as snow? Why would you like to be a sailor? Why do you love your home? Where do the fishes live? What can Bennie build with sand? How does Robert's mother make butter? What do boys and girls do at school? What does the clock tell Marian? What things are made of wood? What do you do on Christmas day?

WORD LIST

Most of these words are also included in the word lists at the heads of the various Lessons. Some regularly formed derivatives are omitted.

a bout′ | bark | boy | can't | corn
a gain′ | be | branch′es | cap | could
all | bed | bread | care | count
al′ways | bee | bright | car′ry | cow
am | been | bring | cars | cra′dle
an | bell | brook | cat | cream
and | Ben′nie | broth′er | catch |
an′gels | best | brought | chair | day
an′y | big | build | chick | did
are | bird | bus′y | chick′ens | dish
as | black | but | child | do
at | blocks | but′ter | chil′dren | does
ate | blow | but′ter milk | Christ′mas | dog
au′tumn | blue | buzz | churn | doll
a way′ | boat | by | cit′y | Don
| book |  | clock | done
ba′by | Bo peep′ | call | clouds | don't
back | bought | call′ing | cold | door
ball | bow | came | come | down
bare | box | can | com′ing | drank
draw | farm′er | gave | hat | I
drink | fast | get | have | in
drive | fa′ther | girl | he | in′to
drove | feet | give | hear | is
drum | field | glad | heard | it
| find | go | heav′en |
ear | fine | goat | helps | Jack
earth | fish | go′ing | her | Jo
eat | five | gold | here | jump
eggs | flag | gone | high | just
eight | flow′er | good | him |
ev′er | fly | good-by′ | his | kite
ev′er y | for | Grace | ho | kit′ten
ev′er y- | found | grass | hold | know
 thing | four | gray | home |
eye | fox | green | hon′ey | lambs
| Frank | ground | hop | large
fall | fresh | grow | horn | leaf
fall′ing | from | guess | horse | legs
fan | fro′zen |  | house | let
far | full | hap′py | how | light
farm | fun | has | hum′ble | like
lil′y | must | owl | round | ship
lis′ten | my |  | run | show
lit′tle |  | pan |  | shut
live | name | pic′ture | said | side
look | Ned | place | sail | sight
lost | nest | play | sail′or | silk
loud | nev′er | play′things | sand | sing
love | new | pret′ty | sang | sir
| night | put | sat | sis′ter
made | nine |  | saw | sit
make | no | rab′bit | say | six
man′y | not | rain | says | sky
Mar′i an | now | ran | school | sled
Ma′ry |  | read | sea | sleep
mast | o'clock′ | red | seasons | small
may | of | ride | see | snow
me | oh | ring | seen | so
mead′ow | old | riv′er | set | some
milk | on | roar | sev′en | some′thing
mind | one | Rob′ert | shall | some′times
more | our | rob′in | she | song
morn′ing | out | room | sheep | soon
moth′er | o′ver | rose | shine | south
spin | talk | time | wag′on | why
spring | tall | tin | walk | will
stand | tell | to | wall | wind
stay | ten | too | warm | win′dow
still | that | tools | was | wings
stood | the | top | wa′ter | win′ter
storm | their | town | waves | with
sto′ry | them | train | we | wood
street | then | tree | well | would
sum′mer | there | try | went | write
sun | they | turns | were |
sun′ny | thing | two | what | yel′low
sweet | think |  | when | yes
| this | um brel′la | where | you
ta′ble | thought | un′der | which | your
take | three | up | white |
tak′ing | tick-tock | us | who |