First Grade Read Aloud Banquet

Songs for June

Tom, the Piper's Son



The Fly and the Humble Bee



Oranges and Lemons



Three Blind Mice

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.


The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.


He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward, you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!


One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 49 Nicholas Loses His Family from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Amelia C. Houghton
Nicholas Makes His First Gift from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Amelia C. Houghton 		The Race for a Sled from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Amelia C. Houghton Why the Evergreen Trees Never Lose Their Leaves from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook How the Fir Tree Became the Christmas Tree from For the Children's Hour by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey The Night before Christmas from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Amelia C. Houghton Christmas at the Hacienda (Part 1 of 2) from The Mexican Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins Saint Nicholas (Part 2 of 2) from In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
Shoe or Stocking by Edith M. Thomas 		From The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
The Robber Kitten, Anonymous 		A Song of the Snow by Madison Cawein An Old Christmas Carol, Anonymous Who Loves the Trees Best?, Anonymous A Christmas Carol by Christina Georgina Rossetti
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The Aesop for Children  by Milo Winter

The Hare and the Tortoise

A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.

"Do you ever get anywhere?" he asked with a mocking laugh.

"Yes," replied the Tortoise, "and I get there sooner than you think. I'll run you a race and prove it."

The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.

The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.

The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.

The race is not always to the swift.


[Illustration]

The Hare and the Tortoise