No. 71
Robin
and Wren
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY L. Kate Deal
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Introducing Also Starring Introducing Introducing
Find our other books.
Song to Sing
One morning a hungry cat saw Wee Robin flying from tree to tree.
“Where are you going this cold morning?” asked the cat.
Wee Robin replied, “I am going to the King to sing him a special song.”
“Do not go yet,” said the cat. “First come to the barn and see my precious kittens.”
But Wee Robin said, “No, no, cat. I know your kind. You will not have me for your meal today. I must go to the King without delay.”
Wee Robin flew until he came to a wall where Mr. Owl sat.
“Where are you going this cold morning?” asked the owl.
Wee Robin replied, “I am going to the King to sing him a special song.”
Then Mr. Owl said, “First come here, and I will let you see my pretty wings.”
But Wee Robin said, “No, no, Mr. Owl. You shall not trick me. To the King I will fly, over land and sea.”
Mr. Fox
In a little while, Wee Robin came to some trees.
There stood Mr. Fox. When Mr. Fox saw Wee Robin, he called out to him:
“Stop, Robin! Where are you going this cold morning?”
Wee Robin replied, “I am going to the King to sing him a special song.”
“Do not go yet,” said Mr. Fox. “First come here, and I will show you a white spot at the end of my tail.”
But Wee Robin said, “No, no, Mr. Fox. You will not catch me in your snare."
And with a flap of his wings, he flew high in the air.
He flew for a long time. He grew very tired, but he did not find the castle of the King.
Fly On
Wee Robin flew and flew. He flew over farms and towns.
By and by, Wee Robin saw a little boy near a house. The little boy was eating a piece of bread.
When the boy saw Wee Robin, he called to him:
“Hello, Robin! Where are you going this cold morning?”
Wee Robin replied, “I am going to the King to sing him a special song.”
“Do not go yet,” said the little boy. “I want you to come play with me in my house.”
“No, no,” said Robin. “I would not be happy in a house. I must fly on to sing for my King.”
Away he flew. He flew, and he flew.
Jenny Wren
At long last, Wee Robin came to the castle of the King.
Then he sat in the window and sang his special song for the King and Queen.
The King liked his song, and so did the Queen.
The King said to the Queen, “What shall we give Wee Robin? He came such a long way to sing us a song.”
The Queen thought for a long time.
At last, she said, “Let us give him our bird Jenny Wren for a wife.”
So the King said to Wee Robin, “Will you have Jenny Wren to be your wife?”
“Yes I will,” said Robin, “And love her all my life.”
To Jenny Wren the Queen said, “Will you have him, Jenny, for your husband to be?”
“Yes I will,” said Jenny, “And love him faith-ful-ly.”
And that is how it came to pass, that Wee Robin found his bonny lass.
No. 72
Brown Hen
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY L. Kate Deal
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Brown Hen
Once there was a chicken named Brown Hen. She lived in a quaint house with Big Rooster and Gray Mouse.
The pretty little house sat on a hill. It had a yard full of flowers. It had a garden full of corn.
A sneaky fox lived in the woods. His house was on a hill, too. It was not far from Brown Hen’s house. It did not have a yard. It did not have a garden.
One day, the fox was hungry. “I must find my dinner,” he said with a scowl.
So the fox put a bag on his back. Then he went down the road to find a meal.
Early to Rise
Brown Hen jumped out of bed. She said, “Wake up, Rooster. Get up, Mouse. It is time to make breakfast and clean the house. Early to bed and early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise.”
“Let me sleep,” said Big Rooster.
“I do not want to get up,” said Gray Mouse. Big Rooster and Gray Mouse left their beds, but they were not happy. Brown Hen swept the floor. She made up the beds. Then she said, “I will go gather some corn for us.”
So she ran into the garden. And what did Gray Mouse do? And what did Big Rooster, too? Back to their room they fled, and both went back to bed.
Cheer Up
Soon the fox came to Brown Hen’s house. He peered in through the window. He saw Big Rooster and Gray Mouse fast asleep. The fox quietly made his leap. He grabbed Big Rooster and Gray Mouse and stuffed them in his bag. Brown Hen came in from the garden. The fox put her in his bag, too.
“Oh, dear me!” said Big Rooster. “I wish I had not been asleep.”
Gray Mouse said, “Oh, oh! I wish I had helped Brown Hen. Then I would not have been asleep. Now the fox will eat us.”
"Cheer up,” said Brown Hen. “I have a good plan. We will not end up in the frying pan.”
Hero Hen
Big Rooster and Gray Mouse were moaning and groaning. “The fox will eat us for dinner,” they said.
“Cheer up,” said Brown Hen. “Soon the fox will stop to rest. Just keep quiet, and I’ll do the rest.”
“We can not get out, Brown Hen,” said Big Rooster. “How can you save us?”
Brown Hen said, “Cheer up. I know how we can get away. I will not tell you now. But very soon you will see how.”
By and by, the fox sat down.
“It is such a hot day,” he said. Soon he was fast asleep. Brown Hen had her garden shears with her. She cut a big hole in the bag. The rooster and hen jumped out with the mouse. Oh, how fast they ran back to their house!
Big Rooster and Gray Mouse said to Brown Hen, “For saving us we could not thank you more. From this day on we will help with every chore.”
No. 73 Mouse Tale
BY Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Harold Cue
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Mouse Tale
A cat and a mouse named Jack lived in a fine little house.
One day the cat bit off Jack’s tail.
“Please, Cat, give me back my tail!” cried the mouse.
I will give you back your tail,” said the cat, “if you will get me some milk.”
Then Jack went to the cow to get the milk.
“Oh, cow, I have such a tale of woe. Please, give me some milk. I will give the milk to the cat. Then the cat will give my tail back.”
“I see,” said the cow. “Well that sounds fine with me. I will give you the milk if you will get me fresh hay.”
Jack Mouse went on.
“Oh, what a day,” he thought. “Now I must find the farmer and ask for hay.”
Make Hay
Jack Mouse went to the farmer to get the hay.
“Oh, farmer, I have such a tale of woe. Please, will you give me some hay? I will give the hay to the cow. Then the cow will give me some milk. I will give the milk to the cat. Then I will get my tail back.”
'"I will give you the hay,” said the farmer, “if you will get me some bread."
So Jack went to the baker.
“Oh, baker, I have such a tale of woe,” said the mouse. “Please, will you give me some bread? I will give the bread to the farmer. The farmer will give me some hay. I will give the hay to the cow. The cow will give me some milk. I will give the milk to the cat. Then the cat will give me my tail back.”
“I will give you the bread,” said the baker, “if you will get me some flour.”
“Oh, dear me,” thought the mouse. “Where will I find flour at this late hour?”
Old Mill
The mouse named Jack went to the miller to get the flour.
“Oh, miller, I have such a tale of woe,” said Jack. “Please, will you give me some flour? I will give the flour to the baker to make dough. The baker will bake the dough and give me some
bread. I will give the farmer the bread. The farmer will give me some hay. I will give the hay to the cow. The cow will give me some milk. I will give the milk to the cat. Then the cat will give me my tail back."
“I see,” said the miller. “Well that sounds fine to me. The wind must blow to make the mill go. Then you will have your flour.”
So the mouse waited for the miller.
Cat Tale
The miller gave some flour to the mouse named Jack.
Jack took the flour to the baker, and the baker made the dough and gave the mouse some bread.
The mouse took the bread to the farmer, and the farmer gave Jack some hay.
Jack took the hay to the cow, and the cow gave the mouse some milk.
Then Jack Mouse took the milk to the cat, and said:
“I have been to the miller to get flour for the baker. I have been to the baker to get bread for the farmer. I have been to the farmer to get hay for the cow. And at last I have been to the cow to fetch you some milk. Please cat, give me back my tail.
The cat said:
“You have kept your word, Jack. Now I will give you your tail back.”
And that’s what she did.
No. 74
Goldenhair
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY L. Kate Deal
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Three Bears
Once there were three bears who lived in the woods. One was a big father bear. One was a middle-sized mother bear. One was a wee little baby bear. There were three bowls in the house: a big bowl for father bear, a middlesized bowl for mother bear, and a wee little bowl for baby bear.
Mother bear made some porridge. She put it into the bowls.
Father bear said, “Oh! Oh! My porridge is too hot.”
Mother bear said, “Oh! Oh! My porridge is too hot, too."
Wee little bear said, “Oh! Oh! My porridge is too hot, too.”
Father bear said, “Let us all go for a walk in the woods. We will come back soon and eat the porridge. It will not be so hot then.” So they went for a walk in the woods.
Goldenhair
A little girl named Goldenhair was walking in the woods. She saw the house of the bears.
“Oh, how pretty it is!” she said. She looked into the house.
“No one is at home,” she said. Goldenhair went into the house. She saw the three bowls of porridge.
“I will eat some porridge,” she said. So she tried to eat the porridge in the big bowl.
“Oh, this is too hot,” she said.
Next she tried to eat the porridge in the middle-sized bowl.
“Oh, this is too cold,” she said.
Then she tried to eat the porridge in the wee little bowl.
“Oh, this porridge is just right,” she said. So she ate it all up.
The little girl saw three chairs: a big chair, a middle-sized chair, and a wee little chair.
The little girl wanted to sit down. So she tried father bear's chair.
“This chair is too hard,” she said.
Next she tried mother bear's chair.
“This chair is too soft,” she said.
Then she tried the wee little chair.
“This chair is just right,” she said.
Crash, broke the chair!
Down fell Goldenhair.
Just Right
Goldenhair was sleepy after her fall in the chair.
“I will go upstairs and take a nap,” she thought.
She went upstairs and found three beds.
First, she tried the great big bed.
“This bed is too hard,” she said.
Next she tried the middle-sized bed.
“This bed is too soft,” she said.
Then she tried the wee little bed.
“This bed is just right,” she said.
Soon Goldenhair was fast asleep.
By and by, the bears came home.
Father bear looked at his bowl.
“Oh! Someone has been eating my porridge,” he said.
Mother bear looked at her bowl.
“Oh! Someone has been eating my porridge, too,” she said.
Baby bear looked in his bowl and said, “Someone has been eating my porridge, and they ate it all up! Boo hoo!”
Mother Bear said, “Oh, Baby Bear, don’t despair. Why don’t you go sit in your wee little chair?”
Startled Bears
Then the three bears looked at their chairs.
Father bear said, “Oh! Someone has been sitting in my chair.”
Mother bear said, “Oh! Someone has been sitting in my chair, too.”
Wee little baby bear said, “Someone has been sitting in my chair, and they broke it all to bits!”
Father bear said, “Who could it be that was sitting in our chairs?”
Then the three bears went upstairs.
Father bear said, “Oh! Someone has been lying in my bed.”
Mother bear said, “Oh! Someone has been lying in my bed, too.”
Wee little baby bear said, “Oh! Someone has been lying on my bed, too. And there she is!”
Just then Goldenhair woke up. She sat up in bed and stared.
“Bears!” she cried. “Three bears! A baby bear, a bigger bear, and the biggest bear of all! I must run!”
Goldenhair jumped up and ran down the stairs. She ran far, far away from the startled bears.
No. 75 Chicken Scratch
BY Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Maud and Miska Petersham
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
A Big Seed
Once there was a mother hen. She had one little chicken. He was called Chicken Little. Mother Hen and Chicken Little were in the cabbage patch. Mother Hen was scritching and scratching in the soil for food. Chicken Little was scritching and scratching in the soil too.
Chicken Little saw a big seed. He ran to get it. He tried to eat the seed.
Mother Hen saw the big seed, too. She called to Chicken Little.
“That seed is too big,” she said. “That seed is too hard. Do not eat it, Chicken Little.”
But Chicken Little had eaten the seed. It was too big. It was too hard. It choked Chicken Little. He fell down and lay there in the cabbage patch.
Well Water
Mother Hen ran to get some water from the well.
“Give me some water,” she said.
“Chicken little is choking! He is lying in the cabbage patch. Oh please, give me some water for my little chicken!”
“Do you have a cup?” said the well. "Just get me a cup. Then I will give you some water.”
Mother Hen ran to get a cup. She ran to the oak tree.
“Give me a cup,” she said. “Oh please, give me a cup! I will give the cup to the well. The well will give me some water. I will give the water to Chicken Little. Chicken Little is choking! He is lying in the cabbage patch.”
“Get someone to shake me,” said the oak tree. “Just get someone to shake me, and a cup I will give to thee.”
Shake the Tree
Away ran Mother Hen. She ran to the wind.
“Shake the oak tree for me,” she said. “Do shake the tree for me. The oak tree will give me a cup. I will give the cup to the well. The well will give
me some water. I will give it to Chicken Little. Chicken Little is choking. He is lying in the cabbage patch.”
“Give me a feather,” said the wind. “Just give me a feather. Then I will shake the oak tree.”
Mother Hen had a soft feather. She gave it to the wind.
The wind shook the oak tree. He shook it hard.
The oak tree gave Mother Hen а сuр. It fell down to Mother Hen.
Drink Up
Mother Hen took the cup.
“Thank you, wind,” she said. “Thank you, oak tree.”
Then away she ran to the well.
“Here is the cup,” she said. “The oak tree gave it to me. Now please give me some water.”
The well gave Mother Hen some water in the cup. Mother Hen took the water.
“Thank you, well,” she said. “Thank you for the water.”
Then away she ran to the cabbage patch.
She ran to Chicken Little. She gave Chicken Little the cup. Chicken Little took the cup and drank the water. He drank it all down.
Down went the big seed.
Up jumped Chicken Little.
“Thank you, Mother Hen,” he said. Then away ran Chicken Little to eat more seeds.
Mother Hen warned Chicken Little, “Take care not to bite off more than you can chew. For next time I might not be there to rescue you.”
No. 76 Clever Pig
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Maud and Miska Petersham
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
On my Own
Mother Pig lived in a house in the garden. Her three little pigs lived there with her.
One was called Big Pig. One was called Little Pig. One was called Root.
One day, Big Pig said, “Mother, I do not want to live in the garden. I want to go away and make it on my own.”
But Mother Pig said, “A big wolf lives outside the garden wall. He will eat you up if he can catch you.”
“That wolf will not get me,” said Big Pig. So off he went, dancing a jig.
Then Little Pig and Root said, “Please let us go away too, Mother.”
Mother Pig said, “Oh, my sweet piggies, please don’t go. The big wolf will catch you and eat you up. He lives outside the garden wall.”
But Little Pig said, “That wolf can try to catch me if he can.”
And Root said, “That wolf will not get me. I have a plan.”
So off went Little Pig and Root.
Sticks and Stones
By and by, Big Pig saw a man. The man had some straw. “Please give me some straw,” said Big Pig.
“What do you want with straw?” said the man.
“I want to make a house,” said Big Pig.
So the man gave Big Pig some straw, and Big Pig made a straw house.
Then Little Pig met a man with some sticks. “Please give me some sticks,” said Little Pig.
“What do you want with sticks?” said the man.
“I want to make a house,” said Little Pig.
So the man gave Little Pig some sticks, and Little Pig made a stick house.
Root found a man with some stone.
“Please give me some stone," said Root.
“What do you want with stone?" said the man.
"I want to make a house,” said Root.
So the man gave Root some stone. Then Root made a house of his own.
Huff and Puff
By and By, the wolf came to Big Pig’s straw house. He called to Big Pig, “Big Pig, Big Pig, let me come in.”
Big Pig looked out and saw the wolf.
So he said, “No, no! Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. I cannot let you come in.”
The wolf said, “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew Big Pig’s house in. Then he went in and ate Big Pig.
The next day, the wolf went to Little Pig’s stick house. He called to Little Pig, “Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in.”
Little Pig looked out and saw the wolf. So he said, “No, no! Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. I cannot let you come in.”
The wolf said, “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”
So he huffed, and he puffed, and down fell Little Pig’s stick house. Then the wolf went in and ate Little Pig.
Clever Pig
The next day, the wolf went to Root’s stone house. He called to Root, “Root, Root, let me come in.”
Root looked out and saw the wolf. So he said, “No, no. Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. I will not let you come in.”
The wolf said, “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed.
But he could not blow Root's house down.
This made the wolf very cross. He growled, “Oh wee pig, you think you are cute. Well I’m coming in to eat you, Root!”
But Root was a clever pig. He put a big pot of water on the fire. The wolf crawled up on the roof and went down the chimney. The wolf fell into the pot of boiling water. And that was the end of the wolf.
No. 77
Bluebird
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Mabel Betsy Hill
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Bluebird
Once there was a little girl named Pearl. She lived in a big white house with a pretty garden. A bluebird came to the garden. He sang and sang to Pearl.
One day, he told her an old, old story. This is the story he told:
Once there was a little brown worm who lived in a garden hedge. He crawled from flower to flower. The little worm was not happy. "I don't want to be a brown worm," he said. "I want to be a flower.”
Just then the little worm saw a honey bee. The bee was flying from flower to flower.
The worm said to the bee, "I don't want to be a worm. I want to be a pretty flower. Will you tell me how I can turn into a flower?”
The bee said, "I can not tell you, little worm, because I do not know. Why don't you ask the flowers? Buzz, buzz. Good-bye.”
And into the sky the worm watched him fly.
Pretty Flower
At the other side of the garden, the worm found a big yellow rose. He crawled up the stem of the rose. Then he said, "Pretty rose, I want to be a flower. Can you tell me how to turn into a flower?"
The rose could not tell him, and so he went right down again. He crawled up the stem of a lily, but she could not tell him. He went right down again.
"Oh, dear, oh, dear, what shall I do?" cried the little worm.
Just then the little worm saw a fairy. “Oh, Fairy,” he said, "I want to be a flower. Can you tell me how to turn into a pretty flower?”
The fairy said, "I can not tell you. Go to the fairy of the clovers. She dances in the meadow all day long. I think she has the power to turn you into a pretty flower.”
The little worm said, "Oh, thank you, kind Fairy."
Then he crawled away to the meadow.
Clover Fairy
In the meadow the little worm found the clover fairy. He told her what he wanted.
She said, "I will help you to turn into a pretty flower. First, find a four-leaf clover. Then bring it to me. Then your wish will come true.”
The worm looked and looked. He looked through the hedges and over the hills.
At last, he found a four-leaf clover in a corner of the meadow. He took it to the fairy.
She said, "Little Worm, you must make a bed to sleep in. When it is made, you must go to sleep and dream that you are a bright flower. Then my color fairies will dance around you three times and make some wishes for you. When you wake up you will be fresh and new.”
The little worm worked and worked.
At last his bed was ready, and he went to sleep in it.
The color fairies danced around the little worm three times and made their wishes.
One wished the worm would turn into a flower. One wished he would be a yellow hue. Another wished he would be blue. The last fairy wished he would be brown.
The little worm slept in his bed for a long time.
At last he woke up. Made New
He was not a worm now. He was not a flower, but he was as pretty as a flower. He was yellow and brown and blue. Into the sunshine he flew. He had been made new.
How lovely he was! He was a butterfly.
“And that is the end of my story,” said the bluebird to Pearl.
"It was a good story,"
she said.
"Will you tell me another tale?”
The bluebird said, “I’m afraid I must fly away. But I will return with a new story one day.”
No. 78
Jack-O-Lantern
BY Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY L. Kate Deal
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By
Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Orange Pumpkin
Little Orange Pumpkin felt very sad. The little boys had come to Farmer Brown’s field to choose pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns. They had taken some of the big pumpkins and left Little Orange Pumpkin in the corner. The more Little Orange Pumpkin thought about not being picked, the more unhappy he was.
He twisted around until his stem snapped. He rolled a little way, and then he stopped. "Well, well!" said Little Pumpkin. “Now I am free.”
Then he thought, "Why can’t I just roll along until I find a friend who does want me for a jack-o-lantern?”
So he rolled along through the corn field. He rolled for a long time but did not meet a soul, and so he called out, “Who will come and take me, And a jack-o-lantern make me?
Then I will give you light For Halloween, tonight.”
No one replied, so Little Orange Pumpkin rolled on.
After going a long way, he saw a cottontail rabbit eating his supper. Then the little pumpkin called again,
“Won't you come and take me, And a jack-o-lantern make me?
Then I will give you light
For Halloween, tonight.” The rabbit looked at him and said,
Cottontail
“I do not need any lantern for light. I am going to bed early tonight.”
Little Orange Pumpkin rolled on until he met a field mouse with seven baby mice. He thought Mrs. Mouse would want to make a jack-o-lantern for her children, and so he called out to her,
“Please come here and take me And a jack-o-lantern make me. Then I will give you light For Halloween, tonight.”
But the little mice had never seen a pumpkin rolling along, and they were so afraid that they ran away. Mrs. Mouse said,
"We cannot play with you today. My children have all run away.”
So Little Orange Pumpkin rolled on.
Fairy Folk
Little Orange Pumpkin rolled on, but he was very tired now. It was almost dark, too.
After a long time he came to a big field. He heard sweet, soft music, and he stopped to listen.
Far away he could see some tiny folk who were dancing on the grass.
"Oh, I think I see brownies and fairies," said Little Orange Pumpkin, rolling nearer to the tiny folk.
Just then one of the brownies saw him and cried out,
“See who has come on Halloween! Let's take him to the Fairy Queen.”
Soon the brownies and fairies were rolling him to see the Fairy Queen.
“This is very good luck for me,” thought Little Orange Pumpkin.
Jack-O-Lantern
The Fairy folk brought the pumpkin to their queen, and he said,
“Will you please, please take me, And a jack-o-lantern make me?
Then I will give you light For Halloween, tonight.”
The Fairy Queen smiled and said,
"Yes, let us have him to light our party tonight."
Little Orange Pumpkin had never dreamed that he could be so happy. The brownies made him into a smiling jack-o-lantern and put a candle inside. Then they lit the candle and brought him back to the Fairy Queen. And you can guess how happy he was when they all danced around him, singing,
See our jolly lantern bright, Made to shine for us tonight!
Happy is our Fairy Queen, And happy is this Halloween.
No. 79
Little Girl Blue
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Mabel Betsy Hill
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Level 3 Readers
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
To the Woods
Once, there was a little girl who would not say Please. Her name was Little Girl Blue.
One day, her mother said, “It’s too bad that you choose to be rude. You will have to go to the woods until you learn to say Please. When you learn to say Please, you may come back.” Little Girl Blue went to the woods. She said to herself, “I am not going to say Please. Why should I learn to say it? None of the an-i-mals say it. I will just stay in the woods.”
All at once, Little Girl Blue saw a bird’s nest in a tree. In it were some wee baby birds. They were about to eat some food.
“My darlings wait,” called the mother bird to the baby birds. Then the baby birds in the nest began to sing a song: Hearts, like doors, open with ease To very, very little keys. And don’t forget that two of these Are ‘I thank you’ and ‘If you please.’
Then the little baby birds cried, “Please, may we have some?”
Little Girl Blue jumped up and ran away.
“Oh!” she cried. “Oh, no, no! It’s too bad the birds say Please! I can’t stay where birds are! I don’t want to hear them say it!”
Refined Rabbits
Little Girl Blue ran and ran. All at once she saw something white. She watched from behind a tree. She saw some bunny rabbits. The bunny rabbits were sitting on the grass around some green leaves.
The bunnies looked very hungry. Little Girl Blue watched to see them eat their dinner. But they did not eat it.
Then Little Girl Blue heard the bunny rabbits sing the words of the Please Song: Hearts, like doors, open with ease, To very, very little keys. And don’t forget that two of these Are ‘I thank you’ and ‘If you please.’
“Please, may we have some leaves?” they cried, holding up their paws. They were very polite.
“Oh, no!” she cried. “It’s too bad the bunny rabbits say Please. I don’t want to hear them say it.”
So off she ran through the woods. She ran away from the bunny rabbits that said Please.
Selfless Squirrels
Little Girl Blue ran on and on.
Soon she saw some gray squirrels hiding nuts in a hole in a tree. She watched them from nearby.
“Surely, they don’t know that Please Song,” she said.
Soon the squirrels sat down to dinner. They were a pretty sight. The father squirrel sat at one end. The mother squirrel sat at the other.
Each squirrel had a nut in his paws. Every little squirrel had his own place. Every one had a bib under his chin. The squirrels looked very happy.
Then they started to sing the words of the Please Song: Hearts, like doors, open with ease, To very, very little keys. And don’t forget that two of these Are ‘I thank you’ and ‘If you please.’
“Please, may we have some nuts?” said the little gray squirrels. Poor Little Girl Blue! Off she started again.
Home Again
But no matter where she went she heard the Please Song. The bees sang it to the bugs. The bugs sang it to the bees. The butterflies sang it, too. All the an-i-mals sang it.
All at once Little Girl Blue cried, “Why, I am the only one here who does not say please!” She sat up, and what do you think? She had gone to sleep on the leaves!
Little Girl Blue jumped up from her bed of leaves. She ran home as fast as she could.
“Mother! Mother!” she cried. “Please, may I have some dinner?
The birds say Please.
The rabbits say Please. The squirrels say Please. The butterflies say Please. The bugs and the bees say Please. I will always say Please, too.”
No. 80
Stars in the Sky
BY
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
EDITED
BY
Tyler Jarvis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY L. Kate Deal
Restoration of Original Illustrations
Elizabeth Leigh Scagel
Published By Classical School Solutions
Fort Worth
Starring Introducing
Find our other books.
Chasing Stars
A long, long time ago there was a little lass who wanted to touch the stars in the sky. No one could get the stars for her.
One night, when she was getting very sleepy, she said, "I must go and get the stars myself."
She started off at once to find them. She walked and walked and walked, until by and by she came to a river.
"Good evening to you, River," she said. "I am looking for the stars in the sky
to play with. Have you seen any of them?"
"Oh, yes," said the river. "The stars shine in my face all night. Jump in, and you may find one."
The little lass jumped into the river and swam about and swam about, but never a star could she find. So she got out of the water and started on her way again.
By and by she came to a brook.
“Good evening to you, Brook,” she said. "I am looking and looking for the stars in the sky to play with. Have you seen any of them?”
"Yes, indeed," said the brook. “They shine on me at night. Look about, and you may find one."
The little lass looked about, but never a star did she find.
Fairy Dance
On she went again, and after a while she came to some fairies.
“Good evening to you,” said she. "I am looking for the stars in the sky to play with. Have you seen any of them?"
“Why, yes,” said the fairies. “The stars shine on the grass at night. Dance with us and you may see one.”
The little lass began dancing with the fairies. She danced and danced and danced, but never a star did she see.
"Oh, dear me," she said. "I swam about and I looked about and I danced, but I cannot find a star to play with. Won't you help me, Fairies?"
The fairies talked together. Then one of them came and took her by the hand.
The fairy said, “Go right on down the road. And be sure that you take the first road that turns to the right. On that road you will find Four-Feet. Ask FourFeet to carry you to No-Feet-at-All. Then tell No-Feet-at-All to carry you to the stairs without steps, and if you can climb them—”
“Oh, shall I be among the stars in the sky then?” cried the little lass.
“If you are not there, you will be somewhere else,” said the fairy with a smile.
Four-Feet
The little lass started off. By and by she came to a horse standing by the road.
“Good evening, Horse," she said. “I am looking for the stars in the sky to play with. Will you take me to them?”
“I know nothing of the stars in the sky,”said the horse. “I cannot take you to them. I can only do what the fairies tell me to.”
“I have just come from the fairies,” said the little lass. “They told me to ask
Four-Feet to take me to No-Feet-at-All."
“I see,” said the horse. “Then jump up and ride with me.”
So the little lass jumped upon the horse's back and rode and rode, until at last they came to the sea.
“Now you must get down,” said the horse. “I have brought you to the end of the land, and that is all Four-Feet can do. I must go home to my meadow now.”
“But where is No-Feet-at-All?” asked the lass. “And where are the stairs without steps?”
“I do not know,” said the horse. “Good night to you.” And off he went.
The lass stood still and looked at the water, until a large fish came swimming up to her. Could he help her get to the stars in the sky?
“Good evening to you, Big Fish,” said the lass, “I am looking for the stars in the sky and for the stairs that climb up to them. Will you show me the way?”
The fish replied, “I cannot show you the way unless the fairies sent you.”
“They did send me,” said the little lass. “They said that Four-Feet Would carry me to No-Feet-at-All.”
“Well,” said the fish, “that is all right then. Get on my back, and No-Feet-atAll will carry you to the stairs without steps." No-Feet-at-All
And off the fish went, swimming along a silver path in the water. Soon they came to a place where the lass saw a light going up to the sky.
“Here you are at the stairs without steps," said the fish. "Climb up if you can." And he swam away.
The little lass climbed and climbed. She climbed until she was so tired that she could not walk. Then at last she saw a shooting star and reached for it. She reached and fell off the stairs without steps. Down she came!
When she woke up, she found herself at home in her bed.
“Did I really touch the stars?” she thought. “Or was it just a dream?”
Then she felt something wiggle in her hand. When she looked in her palm a tiny light flashed bright. It was a speck of stardust. She smiled for she knew that her wish had come true.