Third Grade Read Aloud Banquet



Songs for March

The Three Little Kittens



Billy Pringle



Mrs. Bond



There Was a Lady Loved a Swine




The City Mouse and the Garden Mouse

The city mouse lives in a house—

The garden mouse lives in a bower,

He's friendly with the frogs and toads,

And sees the pretty plants in flower.


The city mouse eats bread and cheese—

The garden mouse eats what he can;

We will not grudge him seeds and stalks,

Poor little timid furry man.


  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 32 Two Visits and What Came of Them from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Henry Plantagenet—The Conquest of Ireland from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Buster Bear Nearly Breaks Up School from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Death of Roland from Stories of Roland Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall A Great Dramatist from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Last Four Kings of Judah and the Weeping Prophet (Part 1 of 2) from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
A Story of Old Rome from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Painted Turtle from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch Lincoln in Public Life from A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston The Goose and the Golden Egg from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter The Oracle from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon The Ants at Home from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Part 1 of 2) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Sea by Barry Cornwall The Schoolboy by William Blake To a Butterfly by William Wordsworth Hiawatha's Childhood by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem by Rachel Field Song for Music by Thomas Hood Very Nearly by Queenie Scott-Hopper
Week 33 A New Chapter about New Things from Heidi by Johanna Spyri The Story of Richard Coeur de Lion from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Buster Bear's Big Cousins from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Return of Charlemagne from Stories of Roland Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Golden Days of Good Queen Bess from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Old Hag of the Forest from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Last Four Kings of Judah and the Weeping Prophet (Part 2 of 2) from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
Saved by a Dolphin from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Cardinal Flowers from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch Something about the Civil War from A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston The Fighting Bulls and the Frog from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
His First Labor: The Lion from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon
The Ants on a Trip from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Part 2 of 2) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Song of Illyrian Peasants by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Fly by William Blake The Dustman by Bliss Carman The Windy Night by Thomas Buchanan Read Poem by Rachel Field Night-Scented Flowers by Felicia Dorothea Hemans Farewell to the Farm by Robert Louis Stevenson
Week 34 Fraulein Rottenmeier Spends an Uncomfortable Day from Heidi by Johanna Spyri The Story of How Blondel Found the King from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Unc' Billy and Old Mrs. Possum from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Coming of the Emir of Babylon from Stories of Roland Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall First Voyage of the East India Company from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Simpleton and His Little Black Hen from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton What Ezekiel Saw in the Valley from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
"Little Brothers of the Air" from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Nim Fay, the Sap Drinker from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch Something about the Spanish War from A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston The Mouse and the Weasel from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter His Second Labor: The Hydra from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon The Farmer Ants from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Toad's Adventures (Part 1 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Kentucky Babe by Richard Henry Buck Laughing Song by William Blake Farm-Yard Song by John Townsend Trowbridge To a Child: Written in Her Album by William Wordsworth Poem by Rachel Field Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson The Swallow by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Week 35 There Is a Great Commotion in the Large House from Heidi by Johanna Spyri John Lackland—The Story of Prince Arthur from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Lightfoot, Blacktail and Forkhorn from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Punishment of Ganelon from Stories of Roland Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Story of Henry Hudson from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Katie Woodencloak from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton Saint Giles from In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
A Clever Slave from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Sandy the Swallow from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch How the Unted States Became Larger (Part 1 of 2) from A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston The Farmer and the Snake from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
His Third Labor: The Stag from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon
Ants and Their Trades from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Toad's Adventures (Part 2 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Chanticleer by Katherine Tynan Hinkson Nurse's Song by William Blake The Swallow by Christina Georgina Rossetti Dirge on the Death of Oberon, the Fairy King by G. W. Thornbury Poem by Rachel Field The Green Gnome by Robert Buchanan The Mountain and the Squirrel by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Week 36 Herr Sesemann Hears of Things That Are New to Him from Heidi by Johanna Spyri John Lackland—The Story of the Great Charter from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Bugler, Flathorns and Wanderhoof from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess How Robin Hood Came To Live in the Green Wood from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall Captain John Smith from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Dwarfs' Tailor from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Jewish Captives in the Court of the King from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Dark Day from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin A Pond‑Lily's Guests from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch How the Unted States Became Larger (Part 2 of 2) from A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston The Sick Stag from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter His Fourth Labor: The Boar from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon The Slave Ants from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Toad's Adventures (Part 3 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Nathan Hale by Francis Miles Finch A Dream by William Blake My Heart's in the Highlands by Robert Burns The Sandpiper by Celia Thaxter Poem by Rachel Field Hunting Song by Sir Walter Scott To Mother Fairie by Alice Cary
Week 37 Another Grandmother from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Henry III of Winchester—Hubert de Burgh from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Thunderfoot, Fleetfoot and Longcoat from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Meeting of Robin Hood and Little John from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Founding of Quebec from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Christmas Cuckoo from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Golden Image and the Fiery Furnace from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Surly Guest from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Dusky Ducks from Holiday Pond by Edith M. Patch Benjamin Franklin (Part 1 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Goatherd and the Wild Goats from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
His Fifth Labor: The Augean Stable from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon
Wonder Ants from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Wayfarers All (Part 1 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
September by Frank Dempster Sherman To Morning by William Blake The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear Allen-a-Dale by Sir Walter Scott Poem by Rachel Field When I Was a Little Boy, Anonymous Young Night-Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson
Week 38 Heidi Gains in One Way and Loses in Another from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Henry III of Winchester—Simon de Montfort from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Two Wonderful Mountain Climbers from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess The Wedding of Allan-a-Dale from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Pilgrim Fathers from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Clever Manka from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Tree That Was Cut Down and Grew Again from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Story of a Great Story from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Signs on the Hill from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Benjamin Franklin (Part 2 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Spendthrift and the Swallow from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter More Labors from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon The Ways of Ants from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Wayfarers All (Part 2 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
De Sheepfol' by Sarah Platt Greene The Fairy by William Blake The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Pebbles by Frank Dempster Sherman Poem by Rachel Field The Windmill by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I Love You, Mother by Joy Allison
Week 39 A Ghost in the House from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Henry III—The Story of the Poisoned Dagger from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Piggy and Hardshell from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess Robin Hood and the Butcher from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall Thirty Years of War from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Susan Walker, What a Talker! from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Writing upon the Wall from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The King and the Page from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Old Boulder from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Benjamin Franklin (Part 3 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Cat and the Birds from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter His Eleventh Labor: The Garden of the Hesperides from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon Mr. Worm and His Family from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright Wayfarers All (Part 3 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Campbells Are Comin', Anonymous The Cloud by Sara Teasdale The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt The Lost Doll by Charles Kingsley Poem by Rachel Field SEPTEMBER POEM The Drum by Eugene Field
Week 40 A Summer Evening on the Mountain from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward I—The Little War of Chalons from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall The Mammals of the Sea from The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess Robin Hood and the Bishop from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Dutch at Sea from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Aschenputtel from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton Daniel in the Den of Lions from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Hunted King from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Heath Bells and Berries from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Benjamin Franklin (Part 4 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Dog and the Oyster from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter His Twelfth Labor: The Descent into Hades from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon Mr. Earth-Worm at Home from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Further Adventures of Toad (Part 1 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Owl by Alfred Lord Tennyson To Autumn by William Blake The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson The Captain Stood on the Carronade by Frederick Marryat Poem by Rachel Field The Sandpiper by Celia Thaxter October's Party by George Cooper
Week 41 Sunday Bells from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward I—The Lawgiver from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall The Ol' Beech Pa'tridge (Part 1 of 2) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long Robin Hood and Maid Marian from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall The Great South Land from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Puss in Boots; or, The Master Cat from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Story of a Joyous Journey from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
"Try, Try Again!" from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Cone Hunt from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Daniel Webster (Part 1 of 5) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Astrologer from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter The Choice of Hercules from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon Mr. Worm at Work from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Further Adventures of Toad (Part 2 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Hag by Robert Herrick The Clod and the Pebble by William Blake To an Autumn Leaf, Anonymous October's Bright Blue Weather by Helen Hunt Jackson Poem by Rachel Field Sir Patrick Spens, Anonymous Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson
Week 42 Preparations for a Journey from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward I—The Hammer of the Scots from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall The Ol' Beech Pa'tridge (Part 2 of 2) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long Robin Hood and the Silver Arrow from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall Van Riebeek's Colony from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Murdoch's Rath from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton Saint Ursula (Part 1 of 2) from In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
Why He Carried the Turkey from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin A Tuft of Evening Primroses from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Daniel Webster (Part 2 of 5) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin Three Bullocks and a Lion from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter The Tunic of Nessus from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon Mr. Worm's Cottage by the Sea from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Further Adventures of Toad (Part 3 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Cavalier's Escape by Walter Thornbury Eternity by William Blake ---OCTOBER--- The Sands of Dee by Charles Kingsley Poem by Rachel Field Auld Daddy Darkness by James Ferguson Robin Redbreast by William Allingham
Week 43 A Visitor from Heidi by Johanna Spyri The Story of King Robert the Bruce and Bohun from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 1 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long Robin Hood and King Richard from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall In the Days of Oliver Cromwell from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Faithful John, the King's Servant from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton Saint Ursula (Part 2 of 2) from In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
The Paddle-Wheel Boat from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin A Strange Cloak from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Daniel Webster (Part 3 of 5) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin Mercury and the Woodman from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter The Apple of Discord from Gods and Heroes by Robert Edward Francillon Mr. Worm at Home from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears" (Part 1 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Lullaby for Titania by William Shakespeare The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake Lord Lovel, Anonymous Friends by L. G. Warner Poem by Rachel Field The Basket-Makers by E. V. Lucas Jack Frost by Gabriel Setoun
Week 44 A Compensation from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Story of the Battle of Bannockburn from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 2 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long The Death of Robin Hood from Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall Two Famous Admirals from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Flax from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The New Temple on Mount Moriah from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Caliph and the Gardener from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Sir Talis from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Daniel Webster (Part 4 of 5) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Frog and the Mouse from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter Daedalus and Icarus from A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price A Look at a House-Fly from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears" (Part 2 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Indian Summer by John Greenleaf Whittier Thoughts by Sara Teasdale Gaelic Lullaby, Anonymous The Frost Spirit by John Greenleaf Whittier Poem by Rachel Field Indian Summer by John Greenleaf Whittier How the Leaves Came Down by Susan Coolidge
Week 45 Winter in Dorfli from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward III of Windsor—The Battle of Sluys from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 3 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long The Early Home of Joan from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe De Ruyter from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Molly Whuppie from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Beautiful Queen of Persia (Part 1 of 2) from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Cowherd Who Became a Poet from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin The Vase and the Plume from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Daniel Webster (Part 5 of 5) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Fox and the Crab from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter Diana and Actaeon from A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price How To Look at a Fly from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears" (Part 3 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Splendor Falls by Alfred Lord Tennyson From Auguries of Innocence by William Blake November by Alice Cary ---NOVEMBER--- Sunday from Poems by Rachel Lyman Field The Tiger by William Blake Jack Frost by Hannah Flagg Gould
Week 46 The Winter Continues from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward III of Windsor—The Battle of Crecy from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 4 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long The First Call from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The Founder of Pennsylvania from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge How One Turned His Trouble to Some Account from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Beautiful Queen of Persia (Part 2 of 2) from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Lover of Men from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Port of Elm from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Abraham Lincoln (Part 1 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Serpent and the Eagle from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter Pegasus and Bellerophon from A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price Mrs. Fly and Her Foes from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Return of Ulysses (Part 1 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
I Live for Those Who Love Me by G. Linnaeus Banks Rain at Night by Sara Teasdale The Pig and the Hen by Alice Cary The Owl by Alfred Lord Tennyson At the Bank from Poems by Rachel Lyman Field Robin Hood and the Ranger, Anonymous Come, Little Leaves by George Cooper
Week 47 News from Distant Friends from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward III of Windsor—The Siege of Calais from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 5 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long The Journey to Chinon from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The Pilgrim's Progress from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge Little Freddy with His Fiddle from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Scribe Who Wrote the Old Testament from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
The Charcoal Man and the King from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Junco from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Abraham Lincoln (Part 2 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun from A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price Of What Use Are Flies from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Return of Ulysses (Part 2 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Ghost Fairies by Frank Dempster Sherman Stars by Sara Teasdale Don't Give Up by Phœbe Cary The Sandman by Margaret Vandegrift Fog from Poems by Rachel Lyman Field Thanksgiving by Amelia Barr Thanksgiving Day by Lydia Maria Child
Week 48 How Life Went On at Grandfather's from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Edward III of Windsor—The Battle of Poitiers from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Following the Deer (Part 6 of 6) from Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long The Siege of Orleans from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The House of Orange from The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge The Wild Swans from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Aboard the Ship by Lisa M. Ripperton The Nobleman Who Built the Wall of Jerusalem from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
Which was the King? from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Little Snowshoes from Holiday Hill by Edith M. Patch Abraham Lincoln (Part 3 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin The Bull and the Goat from The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter Atalanta and Hippomenes from A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price A Swarm of Flies from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Return of Ulysses (Part 3 of 3) from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt To Winter by William Blake A Canadian Folk-Song by William Wilfred Campbell The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell The Elf Tree from Poems by Rachel Lyman Field The Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey King Bruce by Eliza Cook
Week 49 Something Unexpected Happens from Heidi by Johanna Spyri Richard II of Bordeaux—Wat Tyler's Rebellion from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Kringle Valley from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Coronation at Rheims from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe Whitefoot Goes Astray from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Awakening of Tuktu from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Great Mill from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess
The Golden Tripod from Fifty Famous People by James Baldwin Tuktu and Aklak from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess Abraham Lincoln (Part 4 of 4) from Four Great Americans by James Baldwin Tuktu's Soft Heart from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess Lost in the Fog from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess Some Queer Flies from Seaside and Wayside, Book Two by Julia McNair Wright The Good Spirit from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess
Why Does It Snow? by Laura E. Richards For Christmas by Rachel Lyman Field Old Winter by Thomas Noel Ceremonies for Christmas by Robert Herrick City Lights from Poems by Rachel Lyman Field While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night by Nahum Tate Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Week 50 "Good-bye Till We Meet Again" from Heidi by Johanna Spyri How King Richard Lost His Throne from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Tuktu Tells Her Story from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Siege of Paris from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The Deer People from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Wilful Young Deer from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess When the World Was Young from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess
The Chosen Deer from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess Tuktu's Happy Thought from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess How It Happened from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller Christmas on the Prairie from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller The Legend of the Christmas Rose from Legends and Stories of Italy by Amy Steedman A Droll Santa Claus from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller How a Bear Brought Christmas from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller
Christmas Song by Eugene Field How Far Is It to Bethlehem? by Frances Chesterton Bundles by John Farrar The Friendly Beasts, Anonymous A Catch by the Hearth from Poems, Anonymous The Unbroken Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night by Nahum Tate
Week 51 The First Reindeer from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess Henry IV of Bolingbroke—Battle of Shrewsbury from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall Tuktu and Aklak Have a Secret from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Capture of the Maid from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The Round-Up from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Christmas Story from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Great Temptation from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess
Christmas under the Snow from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller Little Spot and Tuktu Dream from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Christmas at Greccio: A Story of St. Francis from Christmas in Legend and Story: A Book for Boys and Girls by Elva S. Smith Carol's Good Will from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller Out of an Ash-Barrel from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller How a Toboggan Brought Fortune from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller The Telltale Tile from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller
An Old Christmas Greeting, Anonymous A Christmas Folk-Song by Lizette Woodworth Reese Cradle Hymn by Martin Luther A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore Bethlehem of Judea from Poems, Anonymous As I Sat Under a Sycamore Tree, Anonymous As Joseph Was A-Walking, Anonymous
Week 52 Attacked by Wolves from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Story of How Prince Hal Was Sent to Prison from Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall The Christmas Invitation from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Martyr Maid of France from The Beautiful Story of Joan of Arc by Viola Ruth Lowe The Christmas Vision from The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. Burgess The Wooden Shoes of Little Wolff from Good Stories for Great Holidays by Frances Jenkins Olcott The Golden Cobwebs from How To Tell Stories to Children and Some Stories To Tell by Sara Cone Bryant
The Birds' Christmas Tree from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller How the Horse Told from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller The Cat's Charm from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller May's Happy Thought from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller The Magic Figure from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller Christmas in the Alley from Kristy's Christmas Surprise by Olive Thorne Miller The Tailor of Gloucester from The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
Santa Claus and the Mouse by Emilie Poulsson Christmas Carol by Sara Teasdale The Holly by Edith King The New Year by Dinah Mulock The Joy of Giving from Poems by John Greenleaf Whittier The Glad New Year by Mary Mapes Dodge Ring Out, Wild Bells by Alfred Lord Tennyson
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READING-LITERATURE: Third Reader  by Harriette Taylor Treadwell

Tom Becomes a Man

Tom was delighted with the home of the water-babies, which was on an island full of caves. There were blue caves and white caves draped with seaweed, purple and crimson, green and brown; and there was soft white sand where the water-babies slept every night. The rocks were covered with ten thousand anemones and corals, which kept the water clean and pure. The fairies dressed them in the most beautiful colors and patterns, till they looked like great flower-beds.

But Tom did not give up teasing the sea creatures. He frightened the crabs to make them hide in the sand and peep out at him. He put stones into the anemones' mouths to make them think their dinner was coming. The other children warned him and said, "Take care what you do. Mrs. Be-done-by-as-you-did is coming." But Tom never heeded them. One Friday morning Mrs. Be-done-by-as-you-did came. She had on a black bonnet and a black shawl, and a pair of large green spectacles. She had a hooked nose, and under her arm she carried a birch rod. She was so ugly that Tom wanted to make faces at her, but he was afraid of the birch rod under her arm.

When the children saw her, they stood in a row, and put their hands behind them. She looked at them one by one and gave them all sorts of nice sea things—sea-cakes, sea-apples and sea-oranges.

Little Tom watched all these sweet things till his mouth watered, and his eyes grew as round as an owl's. He hoped that his turn would come soon, and so it did. The lady called Tom up and held something in her fingers, and popped it into his mouth. But lo and behold, it was a cold, hard pebble!

"You are a cruel woman," said Tom, and he began to cry.

"And you are a cruel boy to put pebbles into the sea-anemones' mouths. As you did to them, so I must do to you."

"Who told you that?" said Tom.

"You did yourself, this very minute."

Tom had never opened his lips, so he was very much surprised.

"Yes, every one tells me exactly what he has done, and that without knowing it. There is no use trying to hide anything from me. Now go, and be a good boy, and I will put no more pebbles into your mouth."

"I did not know there was any harm in it," said Tom.

"Then you know now," said she. "The lobster did not know there was any harm in the lobster pot, but it caught him all the same."

"Dear me," thought Tom, "she knows everything!" And so she did. "Well, you are a little hard on a poor lad," he said.

"Not at all. I am the best friend you ever had in all your life. I only punish people when they do wrong. I like it no more than they do. I am often sorry for them, poor things!" And the strange fairy smiled at Tom and said, "You thought me very ugly just now, did you not?"

Tom hung down his head, and grew very red about the ears.

"I am ugly. I am the ugliest fairy in the world and I shall be, till people behave themselves. Then I shall grow as handsome as my sister, who is the loveliest fairy in the world. Her name is Mrs. Do-as-you-would-be-done-by. She begins where I end and I begin where she ends. Those who will not listen to her, must listen to me, as you will see. And now be a good boy, and do as you would be done by. And when my sister, Mrs. Do-as-you-would-be-done-by, comes, she will take notice of you," and the fairy went away.

One morning Mrs. Do-as-you-would-be-done-by came. All the little children began dancing and clapping their hands, and Tom danced too with all his might. As for the pretty lady, Tom could not tell the color of her hair or her eyes. When he looked at her, he thought she had the sweetest, kindest face he had ever seen. She understood babies and she loved to play with them. When the children saw her, they all caught hold of her, and pulled her till she sat down on a stone. Then they climbed into her lap, and clung round her neck, and caught hold of her hands. Those who could get no nearer, sat on the sand at her feet. Tom stood staring at them, for he could not understand what it was all about.

"Who are you, my little darling?" she asked.

"Oh, this is the new baby!" they all cried, "and he never had any mother."

"Then I will be his mother, and he shall have the best place." So she took Tom into her arms and kissed him, and patted him, and talked to him, and Tom looked up and loved her. Then he fell fast asleep. When he awoke she was telling the children a story.

"Now," said the fairy to Tom, "will you be a good boy and torment no more beasts?"

Tom promised to be a good boy, and he did not tease the sea-beasts after that.

So this fairy taught Tom to do as he would be done by. She taught him to go where he did not like to go, and to help someone that he did not like. This was hard for Tom, and he said, "You want me to go after that horrid old Grimes. I don't like him and, if I find him, he will turn me into a chimney-sweep again."

"Come here, and see what happens to people who do only what is pleasant," said the fairy. She showed a book full of pictures of Do-as-you-likes. They had left the country of Hardwork because they wanted to play all day long, and do only what they liked.

When Tom came to the end of the book he looked sad. The fairy turned to him and said, "My dear, they should have behaved like men, and they should have done what they did not like. The longer they waited and behaved like beasts, the more like them they grew. You came very near being turned into a beast once or twice, little Tom. Indeed, if you had not made up your mind to go to see the world like a man, you might have ended as an elf in a pond."

"Oh, dear me!" said Tom, "sooner than that, I'll go to the end of the world to find Grimes."

"Ah!" said the fairy, "that is a brave, good boy. But you must go further than that if you want to find Mr. Grimes. He is at the Other-end-of-nowhere."

So away Tom went for days and months, asking all he met if they had seen Mr. Grimes. At last he came to the great iron door of a prison. Tom knocked at the door.

"Who is there?" asked a deep voice.

"If you please, sir, I want to see Mr. Grimes."

"Grimes? He is the most hard-hearted fellow I have in charge. He is up chimney number 345. You will have to go to the roof."

As Tom walked along the dirty roof, he was surprised to see that the soot did not stick to his feet or make them dirty. At last he came to chimney number 345. Out of the top of it stuck poor -Mr. Grimes. He was sooty and ugly, and in his mouth was a pipe.

Grimes looked up and said, "Why it's Tom! I suppose, Tom, you have come to laugh at me."

"No," said Tom, "I only want to help you."

"I do not want anything except a light to this pipe, and that, I can't get," said Grimes.

"I'll get you one," said Tom. He took up a live coal and put it to Grimes' pipe, but it went out instantly.

"But can't I help you in any other way? Can't I help you to get out of this chimney?" asked Tom.

"No, it is no use," said Grimes, "I get nothing I ask for. Did I ask to sweep these chimneys? Did I ask to stick fast in the very first chimney because it was so full of soot? Did I ask to stay here a hundred years and never get my pipe nor anything fit for a man?"

"No," answered a voice behind. "Neither did Tom ask it when you behaved to him in the same way."

It was Mrs. Be-done-by-as-you-did. Tom made a low bow.

"Oh, Ma'am," said Tom, "don't think about me. That is all past and gone, but may I not help poor Mr. Grimes? May I try to get some of these bricks away so that he can move his arms?"

"You may try, of course," said the fairy, and she disappeared.

For a long time Tom pulled and tugged at the bricks, but he could not move one. Then he tried to wipe Mr. Grimes' face, but the soot would not come off. "Oh, dear!" he said, "I have come all this way to help you, and now I am of no use after all."

"You had best leave me alone," said Grimes. "You are a forgiving little chap, and that's the truth; but you had better be off. The hail is coming soon and it will beat the eyes out of your little head."

"What hail?" said Tom.

"Hail that falls here every evening. Till it comes close to me it's like warm rain. Then it turns to hail over my head and hits me like small shot. So you go along, you kind little chap, and don't look at a man crying, that's old enough to be your father. I am beat now, and beat I must be. 'Foul I would be and foul I am,' as an Irishwoman said to me once. It is all my own fault, but it is too late." And he cried so bitterly that Tom began crying too.

As poor Grimes cried, his tears washed the soot off his face and off his clothes. Then they washed the mortar away from between the bricks. The chimney crumbled down, and Grimes began to get out of it.

"Will you obey me, if I give you a chance?" asked the fairy, returning suddenly.

"I beg pardon, Ma'am, but I never disobeyed you that I know of. I never had the honor of setting eyes upon you till I came to this place," said Grimes.

"Never saw me? Who said to you, 'Those that will be foul, foul they will be?'"

Grimes looked up, and Tom looked up too. It was the Irishwoman who met them the day they went into the country. "I gave you warning then," said she. "Every bad word that you said, every cruel and mean thing that you did, every time that you got tipsy, every day that you went dirty, you were disobeying me, whether you knew it or not."

"If I had only known, Ma'am!" said Grimes.

"You knew well enough that you were disobeying something. But, come out and take your chance."

So Grimes stepped out of the chimney, and looked as clean as a man need look.

"Take him away;" said she to the keeper, "and give him his ticket-of-leave."

"Now," said the fairy to Tom, "your work here is done. You may as well go back again."

"I should be glad to go," said Tom, "but how am I to get out of this place?"

"I will take you out, but first I must bandage your eyes," she said. So the fairy tied the bandage over his eyes with one hand, and with the other she took it off.

Tom opened his eyes very wide, for he thought he had not moved a single step. He looked around him and the first thing he saw was a lovely little creature looking down from a rock where she was sitting. When he came close to her, she looked up and said, "Why, I know you! You are the little chimney-sweep who came into my room."

"Dear me!" cried Tom, "I know you, too. You are the little lady of the white room. How you have grown!"

"And how you have grown, too!" said she.

Then they heard the fairy say, "Attention, children!" They looked up and there stood the Irishwoman. She looked so beautiful that Tom was delighted. She smiled and turned to the little girl and said, "You may take him home with you, Elsie. He has won his spurs in the great battle because he has done the thing he did not like to do." So Tom went home with Elsie.

Tom is now a great man of science. He can plan railroads, he can make steam engines, he can build electric telegraphs, and he knows everything about everything. All this he learned when he was a water-baby under the sea.

Arranged from Charles Kingsley's "Water Babies."