201. A Quiet Pet.

 Lisa liked to visit her friends. All her friends had pets. Her friends had dogs. Her friends had cats. Her friends had birds. Lisa didn't have any pets. She didn't have a dog. She didn't have a cat. She didn't have a bird. "Can I have a dog, Daddy?" Lisa asked. Daddy said no. He said a dog barked too much. "Can I have a cat, Daddy?" Lisa asked. Daddy said no. He said a cat meowed too much. "Can I have a bird, Daddy?" Lisa asked. Daddy said no. He said a bird sang too much. "All my friends have pets. Can't I have just one pet?" she asked. "Okay," Daddy said. "But it must be a quiet pet. I'll buy you a quiet pet". He went to the pet store. He bought a pet. He gave Lisa her new pet. "Daddy, it's a goldfish!" Lisa said.

 202. School Starts.

 It was the first day of school. Pete was in the first grade. He got on the school bus. It was a big yellow school bus. He did not know the kids on the bus. The kids on the bus did not know him. Many kids were talking. They were talking with one another. Pete sat in a seat by himself. He sat alone. He looked out the window. His mom was standing outside the window. He waved goodbye to his mom. She waved goodbye to him. The bus took off. The bus was going to school. Another boy sat down next to Pete. He said hello to Pete. Pete said hello to him. The boy's name was Eddie. He was in the first grade. He said he was a new student. He didn't know anyone. Pete said he was a new student, too. He didn't know anyone, either.

 203. Go to the Park.

 Chuck wanted to go to the park after dinner. His mom wanted him to stay home after dinner. She didn't want him to go to the park. She said it was dark at the park. But Chuck said it wasn't dark at the park. "There are lights at the park, Mom," he said. But she said there were only a few lights at the park. She said there were many dark places in the park. "Bad people go to the park at night," she said. "Bad people do bad things. They do bad things to good people. You are a good person. I don't want something bad to happen to you". Chuck said, "Nothing bad will happen to me. I will go with my two friends. We will be together. All three of us will be together. We will stay away from the dark places. We will stay under the lights."

 204. A Good Meal.

 The children were hungry. They looked out the window. Where was their mother? She walked into the house. The children ran over to her. "Mama, we're so hungry," they both said. She said lunch was coming. She walked into the kitchen. She opened a can of chicken soup. She poured the soup into a pot. She added water. She put the pot on the stove. She made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She sliced an apple. The soup was hot. She poured it into two bowls. She put the sandwiches on two plates. She put apple slices on each plate. She put the bowls and plates on the table. The children ran to the table. "Thank you, mommy!" they said. Then they started eating. The cat and the dog watched them eat.

 205. Birds and a Baby.

 The baby was lying on her back. A blue bird flew in through the window. The blue bird had blue eyes. It sat on the baby's crib. The bird had a bell around its neck. The bell rang. The baby smiled. The baby reached for the bell. The bird shook its head. The bell fell off the bird's neck. It fell next to the baby. The baby picked up the bell. The baby rang the bell. Another blue bird flew in through the window. This blue bird also had blue eyes. The baby had brown eyes. The birds looked at the baby. The baby looked at the birds. The baby rang the bell again. Both birds flew away. The baby started to cry. His mama came into the room. The baby smiled. Mama saw the bell. She asked the baby where the bell came from. The baby pointed at the window.

 206. Her 10th Birthday.

 It was Emily's 10th birthday. She was 10 years old. She was so happy. "I'm so happy," she said. "I'm finally 10. Ten is two numbers. Ten is an adult number. Ten is a grown-up number. I'm an adult now. I'm a grown-up. I used to be nine. Nine is a kid number. Nine is for kids. I'm not a kid anymore". Her sister Irene said, "Of course you're still a kid. Teenagers are kids. You're not even a teenager yet. You're in fifth grade. Fifth grade is for kids. Twelfth grade is for kids, too. When you are 18, you will be in twelfth grade. You will still be a kid. You will be a kid for eight more years". Emily said, "No, you're a kid. You're only seven. Seven is a kid". Irene said she wasn't seven. She said she was seven and a half.

 207. Dinner Chores.

 "Annie, set the table, please," said Mom. "It's time for dinner". Annie said it wasn't her week to set the table. It was her week to clear the table. She said it was Lisa's week to set the table. Lisa was in the living room. Lisa was playing with the dog in the living room. Lisa was having fun with the dog. "Lisa," Mom said, "come here and set the table. It's dinner time". Lisa said it wasn't her week to set the table. It was Mark's week to set the table. It was Lisa's week to feed the dog. "Where is Mark?" Mom asked. Lisa said, "He's riding his bike". Mark was outside riding his bike. Mom asked Annie, "Do you want extra dessert tonight?" Annie said yes. "What do I have to do?" she asked. Her mom said all she had to do was set the table.

 208. Who Sits in the Front?

 The boys were going to the beach. Dad was going to drive them to the beach. The drive to the beach would take an hour. Dave and Dick loved the beach. They also loved the drive to the beach. They loved to look out the window. They loved to stick their heads and arms out the window and feel the breeze. They also loved to be in the front seat. They both preferred the front seat. They both hated the back seat. "Let's go, boys," Dad said. "Let's go to the beach". Both boys ran out of the house. They ran straight to the front door of the car. Dave got there first. Dick got there second. Dave pulled the door open. Dick fell to the ground. Dave got into the front seat and shut the door. "Guess what? You can sit in the back seat," he said to Dick.

 209. Walk the Dog.

 "Tommy, the dog is scratching at the door," his mom yelled. "Take him for a walk. Make sure you take a plastic bag with you". Tommy said he didn't hear the dog scratching. He said the dog did not need to go for a walk. He said there were no plastic bags in the house. His mom said, "Take the dog for a walk right now, please". Tommy got the dog leash, a plastic bag, and a little plastic shovel. "How can I finish my homework when I have to walk the dog?" he asked his mom. "You can finish your homework when you get back," his mom said. He put the leash around the dog's neck and walked outside. It was cold outside. The dog walked to a tree. It pooped. Tommy put the poop into the plastic bag. "Yuck," he said. "This is worse than doing homework."

 210. In the Garden.

 Mama was in the garden. "What are you doing?" Johnny asked. She said she was planting roses. Roses are flowers. They are very pretty. They are usually red. Roses have thorns. His mama said, "Thorns will stick you. Be careful around thorns". Johnny went to the front yard. His dog Rex was waiting for him. Johnny picked up a stick and threw it. Rex chased the stick. He brought the stick back. Johnny ran around the house. Rex chased him. Johnny ran through the garden. Rex ran through the garden. Mom yelled at Johnny and Rex. She told them to play somewhere else. She told them to stay out of the garden. Johnny apologized to his mom. He went to the garage and got his bike. He went for a bike ride. Rex ran next to the bike.

 211. Her Meow Book.

 Lulu couldn't find her favorite book. Her favorite book was about a cat. The name of the cat was Meow. The name of the book was "How Is Meow?" Lulu asked her mom, "Mommy, where is my Meow book? Where is ‘How Is Meow?'" Her mom didn't know. "Where did you leave it? Do you remember where you left it?" Lulu didn't remember. "I don't remember," she said. They looked in the kitchen. They looked in the living room. They looked in the bedroom. They couldn't find her favorite book. That night Lulu got ready for bed. She brushed her teeth. She put on her pajamas. She got into bed. She put her hand under her pillow. She felt something under her pillow. "Mommy," she yelled. "I found my book. I found ‘How Is Meow?'" It was under my pillow. Come read it to me, please."

 212. Cross the Street.

 Jimmy wanted to cross the street. He was on the south side of the street. He wanted to get to the north side of the street. He was in the middle of the block. His father always told him to cross at an intersection. His father always said never cross in the middle of the block. Jimmy walked to the intersection. There was a traffic light at the intersection. It had three colors red, green, and yellow. Red was at the top. Green was at the bottom. Yellow was in the middle. He looked at the crosswalk sign. It was red. It was a red hand. The red hand meant Don't Walk. He waited for the red hand to change. It changed to a white figure walking. The white figure walking meant Walk. Jimmy looked both ways. Then he walked across the street. He walked in the crosswalk.

 213. A Cat and a Dog.

 The black cat jumped up onto the chair. It looked down at the white dog. The dog was chewing on a bone. The cat jumped onto the dog. The dog kept chewing the bone. The cat played with the dog's tail. The dog kept chewing the bone. The cat jumped back onto the chair. It started licking its paws. The dog stood up. It looked at the cat. It licked the cat's fur. The cat licked the dog's nose. The dog went back to its bone. A boy ran through the room. He was wearing a yellow shirt. He almost ran into the chair. The cat jumped off the chair. The cat jumped onto the sofa. The chair fell onto the floor next to the dog. The dog stopped chewing the bone. The dog chased the boy. The boy ran out to the street. He threw a stick. The dog chased the stick. The dog lay down. It chewed on the stick.

 214. A Cat and a Squirrel.

 Evelyn had a cat. Her cat's name was Red. Red was a red cat. Red liked to chase things. He chased balls. He chased butterflies. He chased squirrels. Evelyn had a yard. A tree was in the middle of her yard. A squirrel lived in the tree. Red climbed the tree. He saw the squirrel. The squirrel saw Red. The squirrel raised its tail. It chattered at Red. It said, "Click, click, click". It told Red to go away. "This is my tree," the squirrel said. "Get out of my tree". Red didn't understand the squirrel. Red didn't speak "squirrel". Red was a cat. He spoke "cat". Red said, "Meow, meow, meow". He said, "Let's play. I will chase you. Then you will chase me". The squirrel chattered some more. "Leave me alone, you crazy cat. Go play with the other cats," it said.

 215. The Baby Bear.

 The baby bear followed his mama. Mama bear walked through the woods. She was looking for berries to eat. She found some black berries. She started eating them. The baby started eating them, too. They ate all the berries. Baby bear was full. Mama bear was still hungry. She started walking again. She wanted to find more berries to eat. Baby bear lay down. He was full. He wanted to take a nap. But mama bear came back. She growled at baby bear. He understood mama's growl. When mama growled, he obeyed. He got up and followed his mama. Someday he would take a nap after a meal. A squirrel ran up a tree with a nut. It dropped the nut and ran back down to the ground. It picked up the nut and looked at baby bear. Then it ran back up the tree. Baby bear did not like nuts. They were too hard to open.

 216. A Birthday Dress.

 It was Ellen's 12th birthday. Ellen was 12 years old. Her mom took her shopping. They went shopping at the mall. "You can pick out a dress. You can pick out a pretty dress," Mom said. "I will pick out a pretty, blue dress," Ellen said. They went into JC Penney. JC Penney sells lots of dresses. Ellen saw a blue dress that she liked. "I like that dress, Mom," she said. She took the dress into the dressing room. She put on the dress. It fit her well. She walked out of the dressing room. "The dress fits you well," said Mom. "Can I have it?" Ellen asked. "Of course you can have it, dear. It's your birthday present," said Mom. "But it's not on sale," said Ellen. "We always buy everything on sale". "It's your birthday, dear. On your birthday, we can pay full price," said Mom.

 217. Don't Do This, Mommy Says.

 Don't wipe your nose on your sleeve. Don't pick your nose. Don't interrupt me. Don't talk with food in your mouth. Don't go swimming right after eating. Don't forget to feed the dog. Don't forget to take the dog for a walk. Don't hit your sister. Don't make your brother cry. Don't chew with your mouth open. Don't make fun of other people. Don't slam the door. Don't play in the street. Don't be late. Don't bother me now. Don't shout. Don't yell. Don't scream. Don't litter. Don't be rude. Don't drop out of school. Don't talk while you eat. Don't make a mess. Don't talk so loud. Don't fight with your brother. Don't worry. Don't give up. Don't eat that. Don't talk to strangers. Don't play with matches. Don't play with fire.

 218. The Moon and the Sun.

 "How far away is the moon?" Chris asked his dad. His dad said that was a good question. He said the moon was not as far away as the sun. "How far away is the sun?" Chris asked. His dad said that was a good question. He said the sun was farther away than the moon. "Did you have to learn this in school?" Chris asked. Dad said, "Yes, I had to learn this in school". Chris asked, "But you forgot it?" Dad said, "Yes, I forgot it". Chris asked, "Why did you forget it?" Dad said, "I forgot it because it isn't important". Chris asked, "If it isn't important, why are we learning it?" His dad said that was a good question. He said, "You're learning it because your teacher thinks it's important". Chris asked, "Can't you call my teacher? Can't you tell her that this isn't important?"

 219. He Hates Carrots.

 "Eat your vegetables, Mikey," Mom said. "I am eating my vegetables," Mikey said. He was eating the sliced carrots. He was eating the sliced carrots one by one. He was eating them one at a time. He picked up one sliced carrot with his fork. He looked at it. He slowly put it in his mouth. He slowly chewed it. Finally, he swallowed it. Then he drank some water. Then he picked up another sliced carrot with his fork. Mom watched him. "Why do you hate vegetables, Mikey?" He said, "I don't hate vegetables. I hate carrots". "Why do you hate carrots?" Mom asked. "Because they don't taste good," Mikey said. "But they are good for you," Mom said. "They are good for your eyes. They help you to see well. Don't you want to see well?" "Not if I have to see carrots," Mikey said.

 220. Today's Mail.

 The mailman put the mail in the mailbox. Dad went outside. He said hello to the mailman. The mailman said hello. Dad opened the mailbox and took out a magazine and two letters. One letter was from his sister. The other letter was from his brother. The magazine was for his wife. It was a garden magazine. His wife liked to work in the garden. She grew flowers and vegetables in the garden. Dad went back into the house. He opened both letters. His sister invited him to a birthday party. His brother invited him to a wedding. Dad enjoyed reading the letters. He enjoyed getting the invitations. He picked up the phone. He left a message for his sister. He would come to the birthday party. He also called his brother. He said he would come to the wedding.

 221. He Will Go to Heaven.

 Adam was doing his homework. He stopped doing his homework. He was bored. He didn't like homework. "Dad, what happens when we die?" Adam asked. "You will go to heaven," Dad said. "Does everyone go to heaven?" Adam asked. "No, only good people go to heaven," Dad said. "What is heaven like?" Adam asked. "It is a happy place," Dad said. "Everyone is happy. Everyone is your friend. Everyone likes you. You like everyone". He told Adam to be polite. He told Adam to be honest. "If you are polite and honest, you will go to heaven," Dad said. Adam said, "I want to go to heaven. I will be polite and honest". Dad said there was one more thing. Adam had to do one more thing to go to heaven. "What's that?" Adam asked. "If you want to go to heaven, you have to do your homework," Dad said.

 222. The World Map.

 Jerry was looking at a map. It was a map of the world. The map showed many countries. It showed all the countries in the world. All the countries were different colors. There were red countries, green countries, and blue countries. Jerry pointed at one country. "Daddy, why is this country red? Is it on fire? Did someone paint the ground red? Does it have a lot of tomatoes?" Jerry pointed at another country. It was a green country. "Daddy, why is this country green? Does it have a lot of grass? Did someone paint the ground green?" Jerry pointed at another country. It was a blue country. "Daddy, why is this country blue? Is it full of blue water? Does it have a lot of bluebirds? Did someone paint the ground blue?" His daddy said, "No, the colors make the map pretty. They don't mean anything."

 223. School Fight.

 One day at school Harry pushed Scott. Scott pushed Harry back. Harry punched Scott in the face. Scott went home with a bruise on his face. He had a red bruise on his face. His mom said, "Who did this to you? Who hit you?" His dad asked, "Did you hit him back? I hope you hit him back. Don't be a chicken. You must not be a chicken". Scott said he had pushed Harry back. His dad told him to punch Harry next time. Scott went to school the next day. Harry pushed him to the floor. Scott got up and punched Harry in the face. Harry fell down. His nose was bleeding. A teacher walked by. He picked up Harry off the floor. The teacher called Scott's dad. "Scott punched Harry," he said. "Harry's nose is bleeding". Scott's dad said, "That's my boy!"

 224. Drive the Car.

 Charley wanted to drive the car. "Can I drive the car, Dad?" he asked. "You can drive the car," his dad said. Charley followed his dad out to the car. His dad opened the driver's door. "You are the driver," he said. Charley got into the car. His dad closed the driver's door. His dad walked around the car. He opened the passenger door. He sat next to Charley. He gave Charley the key. Charley put the key into the ignition. Charley turned the key. The car started. Charley was so excited. He turned the steering wheel left. He turned the steering wheel right. Left, right, left, right. He honked the horn. He honked the horn again. Honk! Honk! He turned on the left blinker. He turned on the right blinker. Blink! Blink! He asked, "Am I a good driver, Dad?" His dad said, "Son, you're a very good driver."

 225. Easter Eggs.

 It was Easter Sunday. Mom gave a little basket to Michelle. Mom told her to look for Easter eggs. The Easter eggs were in the back yard. "What do Easter eggs look like?" Michelle asked. Mom said, "They look just like regular eggs. But they are colored. They are red. They are blue. They are yellow. They are many different colors". "Why are they red? Do they come from red hens?" Michelle asked. "No," Mom said. "They are red because Daddy and I colored them red. They are blue because we colored them blue. They are yellow because we colored them yellow". Michelle asked, "Why did you color the eggs?" Mom said, "It's an Easter tradition. A tradition is something people do every year". Michelle went into the back yard. She found six Easter eggs. "Next year you can help us color the eggs," Mom said. "Oh, yes!" said Michelle.

 226. The Top Bunk.

 He and his brother slept in a bunk bed. He had the bottom bunk. His brother had the top bunk. The top bunk had a guard rail. The rail kept the sleeper safe. His brother didn't like the rail. He always left it down. One time his brother fell out of the top bunk. He hit the carpet and woke up. He said, "Ouch!" Then he climbed back into the top bunk. When he woke up the next day, his back was sore. Mom took him to see the doctor. The doctor examined him. The doctor said he was okay. He said to keep the guard rail up. His brother said he would do that. That night his brother climbed into the top bunk again. He left the guard rail down. He said the guard rail was like jail. He didn't want to feel like he was in jail. He fell asleep. Then he fell out of the top bunk again.

 227. A Small Apartment.

 The big family lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Their apartment had only one bedroom. Mom and Dad slept in the bedroom. The two babies also slept in the bedroom. Four people slept in the bedroom. Four children slept in the living room. Two sisters slept in the living room. Two brothers slept in the living room. All four of them slept in the living room. They slept on air mattresses. They leaned the air mattresses against the wall in the daytime. They put the air mattresses on the floor in the nighttime. They all liked to sleep on the air mattresses. But the girls didn't like to sleep next to the boys. "Daddy, we don't like to sleep next to the boys. We want our own bedroom. When will we get our own bedroom?" asked one girl. "You'll get your own bedroom when I get a better job," Daddy said.

 228. I Have a Question.

 How high is up? Why is the sky blue? Do fish sleep? Where do babies come from? How do ships float? How do planes stay in the air? Why are you laughing? Why are you crying? Are we there yet? What do I care? Who's there? Who's calling? Who's at the door? Where are you from? Where do you live? Where is my pencil? Who won? Who lost? Who's playing? Do I know you? Have we met? Do you have the time? What time is it? What day is it? What is the date? How are you? How do you do? What do you do? How old are you? How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Are you married? Do you have any children? Do you love me? Can you hear me? Can you see me? What's that smell? What are you cooking? Can I borrow your pencil? Can I borrow $5? What are you watching? What's on TV?

 229. An Impolite Bird.

 A robin is a pretty bird. It has a red breast. It has black wings. It sings a pretty song. A crow is pretty, too. It is completely black. It is shiny black. A crow is a big bird. It is a smart bird. It is a lazy bird. It watches people. People have food. They throw food into a garbage can. The crow flies down to the garbage can. It walks around the edge of the can. It looks for something tasty. It hops into the can. It picks out a potato chip. It flies into a tree. It eats the potato chip. Then it flies back to the garbage can. The robin sees the crow. The robin is hungry. It flies down to the garbage can. The crow yells at the robin. It says, "Get out of here. This can is my can". The robin flies back into the tree. The crow is a greedy bird. It doesn't like to share with others.

 230. Cookies for Students.

 Cindy's teacher was Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones was old. But she didn't walk slow. She walked fast. She didn't have white hair. She had black hair. She wasn't bent over. Her back was straight. All the students liked Mrs. Jones. They especially liked her on Friday. On Friday she brought cookies to class. She gave cookies to all the students. The cookies were delicious. All the students liked the cookies. All the students ate the cookies. Today was Friday. Mrs. Jones gave cookies to all the students. All the students said thank you. Then they ate the cookies. But Cindy didn't eat her cookie. Mrs. Jones asked, "Why aren't you eating your cookie, Cindy?" She said, "I'm not eating my cookie because I will take it home. I will share it at home with my sister". Mrs. Jones said, "You're so sweet. Here's a cookie for your sister."

 231. A Cat Scratch.

 Kenny was crying. "Why are you crying?" Mom asked Kenny. "The cat scratched me," said Kenny. The cat had scratched Kenny on his hand. Kenny showed his hand to his mom. The scratch didn't look too bad. It wasn't a deep scratch. Mom went to the kitchen. Kenny went with her. She turned on the water. She put his hand under the water. She washed the scratch with soap. She rinsed off the soap. She took a Band-Aid out of the kitchen cabinet. She put the Band-Aid on the scratch. She said he would be okay. "Why did the cat scratch you?" she asked. Kenny said he didn't know why the cat scratched him. Just then, Kenny's little sister walked into the kitchen. She knew why the cat scratched Kenny. "I know why Tiger scratched him, Mommy," she said. "He was pulling Tiger's tail!"

 232. Daddy Likes Beer.

 The little girl was thirsty. She wanted something to drink. She opened the refrigerator. She looked inside. She saw milk. She saw soda. She saw orange juice. She saw beer. She wondered what beer tasted like. Her daddy drank beer every day. Beer must be good. If Daddy likes it, it must taste good. She grabbed a can of beer. She opened the beer. She smelled it. She couldn't smell anything. She swallowed some. "Yuck!" she said. The beer was horrible. How could Daddy drink that stuff? She put the can back into the refrigerator. Daddy could finish it when he got home. She grabbed the milk. She poured some into a glass. She added chocolate syrup to the milk. She stirred the milk. Now she had chocolate milk. She loved chocolate milk. Poor Daddy, she thought. He likes beer more than chocolate milk.

 233. Ask Santa.

 It is December. That means it is Christmas time. Christmas time means Santa Claus is coming. Sara and Billy love Christmas. They love Santa Claus. They love the gifts from Santa. Last year they got nice gifts. Sara got a teddy bear and a rubber duck. Billy got a green boat and a rubber duck. The rubber ducks float. When Sara takes a bath, her pink duck floats in the water. When Billy takes a bath, his blue duck floats in the water. One time Billy put a goldfish into the tub. It swam for a while. Then it died. He buried it in the back yard. He was sad. This year Sara and Billy want bicycles. Sara wants a red bike. Billy wants a blue bike. Mama said she would talk to daddy. Sara asked mama, "Why don't you talk to Santa?" Mama said, "That's a good idea. When daddy comes home, he and I will talk to Santa."

 234. A Christmas Present.

 "What do you want for Christmas?" Daddy asked Anthony. Anthony wanted a little brother. "Can I have a little brother for Christmas?" Anthony asked. "Well, I'll have to talk to your mother," said Daddy. "Why do you have to talk to Mommy?" Anthony asked. "Who's going to change the diapers?" Daddy asked. "You're right, Daddy. We need Mommy to change the diapers". Mommy walked into the room. Anthony told Mommy that he wanted a little brother for Christmas. Mommy said, "Well, I'll have to talk to your father". "Why do you have to talk to Daddy?" Anthony asked. "Who's going to pay the doctor?" asked Mommy. "You're right, Mommy. We need Daddy to pay the doctor". Mommy and Daddy walked out of the room. A little later, they came back into the room. Mommy said, "You can't have a little brother for Christmas. But if you can wait, you can have a little brother in April."

 235. An Old Dog.

 "Rex is very sick," Lucy's mom said. "Is he going to die?" Lucy asked. "Yes, I'm afraid so," mom said. "I'm going to take him to the vet". Lucy wanted to go along. "Okay, but try not to cry, okay?" mom asked. Lucy said she wouldn't cry. Mom carried Rex out to the car. She put him in the back seat. He was a little dog. He was 12 years old. He was the same age as Lucy. They drove to the vet. The vet looked at Rex. He said he could not do anything for Rex. "Rex is on his last legs," the vet said. He told mom she could take Rex home and wait for him to die. Or the vet could simply put Rex to sleep. "Let's put him to sleep," Lucy said. "That way he won't suffer". Mom said that was a good idea. They left Rex with the vet. "We can get another dog for you if you want," mom told Lucy on the way home. "Can we get a kitten instead?" Lucy asked.

 236. Hungry Birds...

 The baby bird was in his nest. He was in his nest with his sister. Their nest was high up in the tree. They were waiting for mama bird. Mom always brought them food. They were hungry. When would mom come home? Would she bring them a worm? Would she bring them a fish? Would she bring them a piece of bread? What would mom bring them? They looked at the squirrel. The squirrel looked at them. The squirrel put a nut in their nest. The birds looked at the nut. How could they eat a nut? They didn't have strong teeth. The squirrel has strong teeth. The baby birds had no teeth. They had beaks, but no teeth. They heard mom. They knew her voice. They knew the sound of her wings. She brought them some food. It was still warm. It was delicious. It was pizza. It was pizza with cheese. Baby birds love pizza with cheese. They were so happy. How delicious!

 237. Bears and a Pig.

 The three bears left their cave. They lived in a beautiful cave. The cave was big. The cave was warm in winter. The cave was cool in summer. It was a quiet cave. It was a dark cave. They loved their cave. Today was Sunday. They liked to pick berries on Sunday. So they left their cave. They walked through the woods. They found a field of berries. Mama bear had a basket. They filled the basket with blackberries and blueberries. Then they walked back to their cave. When they got inside the cave, they heard a noise. "Who is that?" papa bear asked. "It's only me," said a pig. "What are you doing here?" asked papa bear. "I'm hiding from the farmer," said the pig. "I think he wants to eat me". Papa bear told the pig he could stay in the cave as long as he wanted. The bears shared their berries with the pig. Then the pig and baby bear took a nap together.

 238. A School Day.

 School starts at 8:00 in the morning. His mom woke him up at 6:30. He yawned and got out of bed. He got dressed. He ate breakfast. He ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast. His favorite cereal was Cheerios. He also ate a banana. Bananas are yellow outside and white inside. He drank a glass of orange juice. Oranges are orange outside and orange inside. He ate a piece of toast with butter on it. Brown toast, yellow butter. He drank a glass of milk. Then he brushed his teeth. He kissed his mom goodbye. He walked outside to the school bus stop. He met his friend Bobby. They talked while they waited for the bus. The bus arrived. He said hello to the bus driver. He and Bobby sat together on the bus. They talked about baseball. The bus ride took 20 minutes. They got to school at 7:30. The bus driver said, "Have fun in school". They always did.

 239. A Pizza.

 "Daddy, let's order a pizza," Billy said. "That sounds like a good idea," said his dad. They looked at a menu they had at home. "What kind do you want?" his dad asked. Billy wanted a large pizza. He wanted a pizza with four toppings. He wanted cheese, pepperoni, ham, and pineapple. His dad said that sounded good. He called the pizza place. "They don't have any pineapple," dad told Billy. "What do you want instead?" Billy wanted sausage instead. His dad ordered sausage instead of pineapple. About 30 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was the pizza man. "Here's your pizza," he told Billy's dad. "That'll be $16". Dad paid the pizza man. He also gave him a tip. Dad took the pizza to the living room. A baseball game was on TV. Billy and his dad started to eat the pizza in the living room. "I hope the Yankees lose," Billy told his dad. "I hope the Yankees lose, too," his dad said.

 240. He Climbs Trees.

 "It's time to go to bed," Danny's mom said. "But I'm not sleepy," Danny complained. He wasn't sleepy because he had taken a nap before dinner. He had slept for almost one hour. Before his nap, he was in the park. He liked to go to the park. The park was full of trees. He loved to climb the trees. His mom told him not to climb the trees. He might fall and hurt himself. He didn't obey his mom. It was fun to climb trees. It was fun to climb higher and higher. It was fun to be taller than adults. It was fun to look down on the adults. One time he found a bird's nest. It was empty. He would visit it again in spring time. Maybe baby birds would be in the nest. Danny always went to the park after school. The trees in the park were like a second home to him. His mom said that maybe he was part monkey. He kissed his mom and said good night. Once in bed, he counted trees so that he could go to sleep.

 241. The Birthday Party.

 It was Susan's birthday party. She was seven years old. She was born July 18. She was in second grade. She had many friends. She had friends in school. She had friends at church. She had friends in swim class. She had friends in dance class. Nancy was her best friend. Nancy and Susan did everything together. Susan invited all her friends to her party. All her friends came to the party. It was a pool party. The pool party was in her back yard. About 30 kids came to her pool party. There was a lot to eat. They had hamburgers and hot dogs. They had oranges, apples, and bananas. They had cake, candy, and marshmallows. They had soda and juice. There was a lot to do. They swam in the pool. They dove off the diving board. They floated on the floats. They played many different games. Everyone had fun. Everyone had a good time. No one wanted to go home.

 242. A Birthday Bike.

 January 7 is Benny's birthday. He will be eight years old. He is in the third grade. He goes to Park Elementary School. An elementary school is for kids. It is only one mile away. He walks to school. It only takes 20 minutes. When it rains, he wears a raincoat. He used to take an umbrella. But he lost the umbrella. His mother gave him another umbrella. He broke that one. His mom said, "You and umbrellas don't get along". For his eighth birthday, Benny wants a bicycle. He can ride the bike to school. After school he can ride with his friends. He can ride the bike to the swimming pool. He can ride the bike to the library. His mom and dad took him to the bike store. They asked him to look at the bikes. He looked at all the bikes. He chose a red bike. He showed his parents. Dad said it cost too much. He told Benny to choose another bike. Benny chose a blue bike. Dad said the blue bike was the right price.

 243. Do This, Daddy Says.

 Look both ways before you cross the street. Wear clean underwear. Do your homework. Be polite. Obey your parents. Go to school. Stay in school. Wash your hands. Wipe your nose. Wipe your feet. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Take the dog for a walk. Be a good boy. Be a good girl. Turn down the TV. Turn off the TV. Stand up straight. Chew with your mouth closed. Close the door. Mind your manners. Be nice to your brother. Be nice to your sister. Watch your brother. Play with your sister. Be patient. Study. Listen to your teachers. Keep trying. Sit down on the bus. Buckle your seat belt. Try this. Try these. Change your clothes. Put on a clean shirt. Get dressed. Go to your room. Clean up your room. Make your bed. Go to bed. Kiss your mommy good night. Say Thank You. Say Please. Say You're Welcome. Say your prayers.

 244. Farm Animals.

 The chicken and the duck were friends. They lived on a farm. They walked around together. They talked about many things. They talked about the cat. They thought the cat was tricky. They thought the cat was dangerous. The cat looked at them a lot. They didn't trust the cat. "We must always keep our eyes open when the cat is around," they both agreed. They talked about the dog. The dog was very friendly. The dog wanted to play. The dog had lots of energy. It barked a lot. It ran around a lot. They both liked the dog. They talked about the farmer. The farmer brought them food. The farmer took care of them. The farmer took care of all the animals. He fed the cow. He fed the pig. He fed the goat. He fed the sheep. He fed the rabbit. They liked the farmer. He took good care of everyone. He was a nice man. "Farmers are good," said the chicken. "We need farmers," said the duck.

 245. She's So Hungry.

 She likes magazines. She likes to look at the pretty photos. Magazines have photos of people. They have photos of animals. They have photos of clothes. They have photos of food. She sees a photo of a hamburger. It looks so delicious. The photo of the hamburger makes her hungry. She goes to the refrigerator. She opens it. She wants a hamburger. But there is no hamburger in the refrigerator. The hamburger is at McDonald's. But she is a little kid. She can't drive to McDonald's. She can't call McDonald's, because they don't deliver. A hamburger place is not like a pizza parlor. A pizza parlor delivers. Her mom was at work. She would have to wait until mom came home. Mom would drive her to McDonald's. She sat down again. She turned the page. There was a photo of chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was in a cone. Oh, what a beautiful photo. She licked her lips. It looked so delicious. Mom, please come home soon, she thought.

 246. New Kittens.

 Mama cat had six new kittens. Three kittens were black, and two were white. One kitten was black, with white feet and a white face. Nancy asked, "Mom, can we keep all the kittens?" Her mom said no. "We can't afford to keep six kittens," she said. "When the kittens are three months old, we will give them away". Nancy asked if she could keep one kitten. Her mom said okay. Nancy decided to keep the kitten with white feet. She called him Boots. When the other five kittens were three months old, Nancy's mom took pictures of them. Nancy took the pictures to school. She showed the pictures to her friends. All her friends wanted a kitten. They came to her house the next day. They took all the kittens except Boots. "Boots is my kitten," Nancy told her friends. Then her mom said, "We have to take mama cat to the cat doctor". Nancy asked why. "We have to fix her," her mom said. "We don't want her to have more kittens. The doctor will fix her."

 247. She Wants to Ride.

 The girl got up on the horse. It was a brown and white horse. It was a big horse. She sat on the horse's back. She was taller than her father. She looked down at her father. "Daddy, you are shorter than me," she said. Her daddy said, "Yes, you are taller than me. You are taller than your mother. You are taller than the horse". The horse started walking around in a circle. The girl held onto the reins. Her daddy held onto the horse. She was having fun. She liked to ride the horse in a circle. Someday she would ride the horse fast. Someday she would ride it straight and far and fast. Her daddy told her to be patient. "You must crawl before you walk. You must walk before you run. First, ride a slow horse. Then, ride a fast horse". She agreed with her daddy. "You are right, daddy," she said. "I will be patient. Today I am riding a slow horse. But someday I will ride a fast horse. I will ride my fast horse all day, every day."

 248. A Bad Boy.

 He was a bad boy. He didn't obey his mother. Once he slapped his mother. Another time he twisted her arm. Another time he pushed her down. She fell to the floor. He was a bad boy. He dropped out of school. He played games on the computer. He played games day and night. He cheered loudly when he won a game. He cursed loudly when he lost a game. He didn't care if his mom was trying to sleep. She asked him to please be quiet. He told her to drop dead. But he loved her cooking. She cooked delicious meals. "Mom, I'm hungry," he said every day. She spent hours every week cooking for him. He never said thank you. He never said the meals were delicious. He finished his meals and went back to his computer. His mom washed the dishes by hand. She took out the garbage. She did all the shopping. She worked, while he played. One day she decided enough was enough. When he was 19 years old, she left her son. She got into her car and drove away.

 249. My Best Friend.

 Laura is my best friend. We are in the third grade. We do everything together. We walk to school together. We eat lunch together at school. Laura's mother gives her tuna sandwiches for lunch. My mother gives me peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We share our sandwiches with each other. Sometimes Laura gets apples for lunch. Sometimes I get peaches. We share our fruit with each other. We help each other with our homework. She helps me with history. I help her with arithmetic. We spend the weekends together. Her parents invite me to their house, or my parents invite her to our house. We sleep over. I spend the night at her house, or she spends the night at my house. We talk about everything. We talk about our brothers. They are so silly. We talk about our teachers and our parents. We love them. We talk about the boys in class. We don't like them. They are so silly. Why in the world do some girls like boys? Boys never grow up. We will never like boys.

 250. Brown and Blue Eyes.

 She had big brown eyes. Her sister had big blue eyes. Her brother had big green eyes. Her mother had a gray eye and a green eye. Her father had black eyes. "Why are our eyes different?" she asked her mom. "Who knows?" said her mom. "Life is strange. It is full of mystery. This is a mystery to all of us". She asked her teacher. She asked the doctor. She asked the nurse. She asked the mailman. Nobody knew why her family had different color eyes. Finally she asked the librarian. A librarian reads a lot. A librarian works in the library. A librarian is surrounded by books. Books have information. Lots of information. The librarian looked in all her books. She called other librarians. They looked in all their books. Still, nobody knew the answer. "I'm sorry, little girl," the librarian said. "Maybe someone will invent a computer someday. Then I will give you an answer. But for now, your big brown eyes and your sister's big blue eyes are a big mystery."

 251. She writes letters.

 She will write a letter to her grandma. She will write about her day at school. She will write about her classmates. She will write about her teacher. She will write about the classroom. She will write about her school bus. She will write about her school bus driver. She won't write about her pets. She won't write about her fat black cat. She won't write about her little red dog. She won't write about her soft white rabbit. She won't write about her big brown horse. That's because she doesn't have a big brown horse. Not yet. She wants a big brown horse for her birthday. She will write a letter to her daddy about the horse. She will ask her daddy for a big brown horse. A big brown horse will be a perfect birthday gift. She will never want another birthday gift. A horse will make her happy forever. The letter to her daddy will ask for a horse. Maybe daddy will give her a horse. Then she will write a new letter to her grandma. She will tell grandma about the new brown horse.

 252. A Hard Head.

 A woodpecker is a bird. It is red, white, and black. It has a long sharp beak. This is a special beak. It is stronger than a tree trunk. The woodpecker makes holes in tree trunks. It hits the tree trunk with its sharp beak, again and again. Peck, peck, peck. It makes a hole in the tree trunk. Then it makes the hole bigger. It makes the hole big enough to sit in. It makes the hole big enough for two birds to sit in. It makes a nest in the hole. It prepares the nest for two baby birds. The mama woodpecker lays two eggs in the nest. She sits on the eggs. Papa woodpecker brings her food. The eggs hatch. Then mama and papa feed the babies. The babies grow up and fly away. Then they find other trees. They make holes in other trees for new baby birds. They make new holes in different trees. Peck, peck, peck. Why don't the woodpeckers get headaches? They hit their beaks against a tree trunk all day long. But you never see a woodpecker take aspirin. They must have very hard beaks. They must have very hard heads.

 253. Boys Will Be Boys.

 The two brothers loved each other. But sometimes they argued with each other. Sometimes they yelled at each other. Sometimes they pushed each other. Sometimes they hit each other. Sometimes they got into a fight with each other. Bobby was the older brother. Billy was the younger brother. Bobby was older than Billy. Billy was younger than Bobby. Bobby climbed into a tree. His kite was in the tree. He could not reach his kite. He fell out of the tree. Billy laughed. He laughed when he saw Bobby fall to the ground. Bobby was not hurt. But he was angry. "Why are you laughing?" he asked Billy. "That was funny!" Billy said. Bobby said it wasn't funny. Billy said it was funny. Bobby pushed Billy. Billy pushed Bobby. Bobby punched Billy in the stomach. Billy punched Bobby in the stomach. They put their arms around each other. They wrestled on the ground. They rolled around and around. Their mom came outside. "What are you two doing?" she asked. She separated them. She said, "You shouldn't hit each other. That's not nice. Wait till your father gets home". She sent them to their rooms.

 254. Daddy Is Watching.

 "Let's go to the beach, Daddy," Susan suggested. "That sounds like a good idea," her daddy replied. It was a hot, sunny day. Susan went into her room. She put on her swimsuit. She grabbed a big beach towel. She put on a hat and grabbed her sunglasses. She put on her flip-flops. "I'm ready, Daddy," she said. "Do you have any sunscreen?" he asked. "No, I forgot. Where is it?" she asked. He told her it was in the top drawer in the bathroom. She went into the bathroom and opened the drawer. "I've got it," she said. They walked outside. The sun was bright. Susan put on her sunglasses. She loved to wear her sunglasses. They made her look like an adult. She gave the beach towel to her dad. She grabbed her dad's hand and they started walking. Ten minutes later they were at the beach. It was crowded. Dad found a spot. He put the beach towel on the sand. Susan took off her hat and sunglasses. She ran into the water. Dad watched her play in the water. She was having fun. Suddenly a wave knocked her over. She went under water. Dad ran into the water. He pulled her up. "Daddy, I almost drowned," Susan said. "No, you didn't," he said. "That wave only knocked you over. Don't worry. I'm watching you."

 255. New to America.

 Nancy was new to America. She came to America speaking only her native language. She brought her 8-year-old son with her. He was all she had in the world.

 They found an apartment in Arcadia. They were there for only two months when a neighbor's dog jumped over the fence. The dog ran toward Nancy's son. Nancy put her body in between the dog and her son. The dog stopped when it saw Nancy screaming at it. She was going to punch it in the nose. The dog turned around.

 Shaking, Nancy took her son upstairs. They stayed in the apartment all weekend. Then Nancy found another apartment, close to the school that her son was going to attend.

 She and her son walked everywhere. One day her son started coughing badly. He had an asthma attack. All the walking was making his asthma worse.

 Nancy knew that she had to buy a car. So she called up the Honda dealer. She talked to a salesman who spoke her language. She told him that she wanted to buy a new car if he could come over to pick her up. The salesman said he would be right over.

 256. A Haircut.

 It was time for a haircut. Lenny didn't even have to look in the mirror. Even though he was going bald, he knew that he needed to cut his hair every two weeks.

 He had a "tongue" of hair on the top of his head. His hair was thinning at the crown. He still had plenty of hair on the sides and back. It was what they call "salt and pepper," a mixture of gray hair and dark brown hair. It was only a few years, he figured, until the salt and pepper became just salt.

 He never let his hair grow for more than two weeks. The longer it got, the worse it looked, he thought.

 He spread a newspaper over the bathroom sink so that no hair went down the drain. He plugged in the clippers and started cutting his hair. He started at the back of his head, went to the sides, and finished on the top. Every minute or so, he had to clean the hair out of the blades with an old toothbrush.

 Finished, he picked up a hand mirror to check out the back of his head. Everything looked okay. He carried the newspaper back out to the kitchen and shook the hair clippings into the trash can.

 Then he took a shower.