Part 1
Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_
A PET READER
_by_
EDITH WILHELMINA LAWSON, A.B.
_Primary Teacher, Rockford (Ill.) Public Schools Author of Better Health for Little Americans_
_Illustrated by_ Ludwig and Regina _and_ Leone Schwem
BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY CHICAGO
Copyright, 1926 _By_ Beckley-Cardy Company All rights reserved
_Printed in the United States of America_
THE STORIES
Kindness to Animals 7
Our Pets 9
Dogs and Puppies
A Little Dog 12
My Dog 13
Other Dogs 14
A True Dog Story 15
My Uncle’s Dog 16
A Little Doggy 17
Harriet and the Dog 18
Ben 19
Donald’s Pet Dog 21
A Brave Dog 23
Pal 24
“Doggy, You Must Promise” 25
A Queer Mother Dog 26
One Little Dog 28
Spot 29
A Loving Friend 30
The Dog and the Frog 31
The Story of a Dog and a Cat 33
The Dog’s Food 35
Kittens and Cats
Willing to Help 38
How My Kitten Plays 39
Ding Dong! 41
What Kittens Do 42
The Pussy Cat 44
The Kitten’s Food 45
Two Friends 47
The Kitten at Play 49
The Kitten and the Falling Leaves 50
Keeping Clean 51
The Cat and the Rat 52
The Ways of a Cat 53
The Cat and the Dog 54
Hens and Chickens
How to Get Breakfast 56
Our Chickens 57
The Clucking Hen 59
My Pet Hen 60
Cock-A-Doodle-Doo 61
Grandmother’s Chickens 62
A Queer Hen 65
Canary Birds
Sing, Little Bird 68
Buttercup 69
How We Care for Our Canary 71
The Little Bird 72
The Bird’s Bath 73
Cleaning the Canary’s Cage 74
My Grandmother’s Canary 76
Wild Birds
Bird Trades 78
Mother Robin 79
The Bird with a Broken Wing 81
The Sparrow 83
A Bird House 84
The Woodpecker’s Nest 85
The Building of the Nest 87
How We Help the Birds 88
Carrier Pigeons 90
The Pigeons 91
The Swallow 92
A Song 92
More Feathered Pets
Why Some Birds Hop and Others Walk 94
Ducks on A Farm 95
Quack, Quack 96
Polly 97
Doves 100
The Turtle Doves’ Nest 101
Our Dove 102
A Turkey Story 103
The Turkey Gobbler 104
Horses and Ponies
Dobbin 106
A Gentle Horse 107
Horses 109
My Pony 111
My Cousin’s Pony 112
Jean’s Riding Horse 114
“A Farmer Went Trotting” 116
Rabbits
The Rabbits 118
Rabbits 119
Little Bunnies 121
My Soldier Rabbits 122
Squirrels
The Squirrels and the Gun 126
Some Squirrels I Watched 127
Eating Nuts 129
The Lost Nut 131
The Squirrel’s Arithmetic 133
Whisky Frisky 134
Other Pets
Come, My Children 136
A Pet Goat 137
The Sheep 139
Mary’s Lamb 140
The Cow 142
In the Meadow 143
My Father’s Fox 144
The Little Foxes 145
Our Monkey 146
The Monkey and the Hand-Organ Man 147
The Monkey Man 149
Our White Mice 150
A Little Mouse 151
My Uncle’s White Mice 152
The Mice 153
The Two Gold Fishes 154
Aunt Minnie’s Gold Fish 156
Where the Stream Runs Blue 158
Frogs at School 159
About the Book 160
Kindness to Animals
Little children, never give Pain to things that feel and live. Let the gentle robin come For the crumbs you save at home. As his meat you throw along, He’ll repay you with a song.
Never hurt the timid hare, Peeping from her green grass lair; Let her come and sport and play On the lawn at close of day.
The little lark goes soaring high To the bright windows of the sky, Singing as if ’twere always spring And fluttering on an untired wing. Oh! let him sing his happy song, Nor do these gentle creatures wrong.
Our Pets
Boys and girls, do you like pets? Have you any pets?
Thirteen children in our room have pets.
Marion has a little kitten. Fred has a cat, a little dog, and eight puppies. A little puppy is Helen’s pet.
Edwin has a mother cat and a baby kitten. Leslie’s father has a fox and a little rabbit. Frances has a pet chicken. Edna has a little billy goat. Norman has a pet cat.
Eight little chickens are Lucile’s pets.
The children love their pets. They try to take good care of their pets.
We are going to tell you about our pets. We shall tell you about other pets, too.
We hope that you will enjoy reading about them.
A Little Dog
I have a little dog, With soft, long hair that curls, And bright, black, sparkling eyes— And he loves little girls.
He never barks or bites, His temper is so mild, And he dearly loves to play With every little child.
My Dog
My dog plays with me. He plays with the grass, too. Sometimes he barks at me.
My dog licks my hand. That is the way he tells me that he likes me.
Once, when I went to school, my puppy ran after me. He tore my dress.
When I play with my jacks, my puppy takes them.
My dog is a very good playmate.
Other Dogs
I like my own dog, but I like other dogs, too. I know one dog that carries a package of meat in his mouth. Another dog tries to catch a ball. When a boy throws a ball, the puppy runs after it. One naughty dog chases rabbits and squirrels. Spot pulls a little wagon. Pet likes to cuddle down in the clothes basket. Lassie digs holes in the garden. Dogs and puppies do many interesting things.
A True Dog Story
This is a true story. My mother told it to me. When Earl was a little baby, his father had a dog. Earl used to run away from home. One day he went down to the railroad tracks. The dog saw him and followed. Later, the dog walked ahead of Earl. Earl did not know the way home. So the dog showed him the way home. Earl followed the dog and so found the way home again.
My Uncle’s Dog
My Uncle Frank was a soldier. He had an army dog. The dog’s name was Buster. Buster learned how to do many things. He knew how to mind quickly. When Uncle told him to pick up a stick, he did it at once. He would pick up a bat, too. My uncle had the dog for a long time.
A Little Doggy
I had a little doggy That used to sit and beg; But doggy tumbled down the stairs And broke his little leg. Oh! doggy, I will nurse you, And try to make you well, And you shall have a collar With a little silver bell.
Harriet and the Dog
Harriet is little girl two years old. One day in June her mother was giving her a ride in the carriage. Harriet saw a little dog. The dog ran after the automobiles and tried to catch them. When Harriet saw this, she turned to her mother and said, “Dog chase car.” The dog chased other cars, too. Harriet thought it was great fun to watch the dog do this. She enjoyed watching the dog chase the cars. The dog, too, had a good time.
Ben
Ben is a little pet dog. He lives in a brick house near our school.
One day the man who owned him was out in the yard. He had a big football. A leather strap was fastened to this ball.
The man threw the ball. He said, “Ben, get the ball.” Ben ran and got the ball. He carried the ball by the leather strap. He brought it back to his master.
One time the ball hit the dog on the head. Then the dog rolled over on the ground.
He ran after the ball many, many times. But after a while the man said, “This is the last time.”
He took the ball and went into the house. He said, “Come on, Ben.” The dog obeyed his master and followed him into the house.
I wish that I had a dog like that. Do you?
Donald’s Pet Dog
Donald had a pet dog. His name was Ted.
One day Ted ran away. He stayed away for a long time. Then one day he came back. He was glad to be home again. But Donald was afraid that Ted might run away again. So, at first, he tied him to a long clothes line. Soon he noticed that the dog was panting. Then he took him to the garden. He filled a pail with fresh water. Ted was very thirsty. He drank and drank. Ted was grateful to his master for the cool drink of water. He looked up at Donald and wagged his tail as if he were saying, “Thank you.”
A Brave Dog
I read this story in a newspaper. It was midnight. The people were all fast asleep. The house was burning. A pet dog saw the smoke, and knew there was a fire. The dog barked and barked, until he awoke all the people. He saved the lives of all the people. He saved the life of a baby, too. But the dog himself was so badly burned that he died. The people buried him in a little grave in a back yard. They will never forget this brave dog.
Pal
One day in April we drove to a farmhouse.
The farmer had a little puppy only three weeks old. He was brown and white.
We bought the dog for ten dollars. We brought him home in a little basket. Now he lives at our house. We feed him toast and milk.
He is still a puppy. Sometimes he is very naughty. He even goes into our beautiful pansy bed. But he is slowly learning how to behave.
His name is Pal. When he grows up, he will be a big, beautiful collie.
“Doggy, You Must Promise”
Oh, doggy, you must promise (And mind your word you keep), Not once to tease the little lambs, Or run among the sheep; And then the little yellow chicks That play upon the grass, You must not even wag your tail To scare them as you pass.
A Queer Mother Dog
I live on a farm, and own a dog named Happy. One summer day I missed Happy. I looked for her near the farmhouse, but could not find her. Then I went out into the field.
Suddenly I came upon Happy. I was so surprised when I found her. She was playing “Mother.”
Guess who her children were! They were not little puppies at all. They were little rabbits.
I do not know where the mother rabbit was. I never saw her. But every day Happy would go into the field.
She watched to see that no harm should come to the little rabbits. One day I heard Happy barking in the field.
When I came near, I found that she was barking because the rabbits had disappeared.
Happy missed them very much, and for many days she seemed lonesome without her baby rabbits.
Now, was not Happy a queer mother dog?
One Little Dog
Four little doggies sit in a row— Bow-wow, bow-wow-wow, all of them go. Three little dogs can add to the fun, Two little dogs are better than one, But one little dog is better than none.
Spot
When I go to school, my dog Spot follows me.
I try to get him to go back home. I say to him, “Spot, go home!” But he wants to say “Good-by” to me. He lifts his paw as if he wished to shake hands and say “Good-by.” I shake his paw and then Spot goes home.
When he sees my mother, he barks. I think he wants to tell my mother that I have gone to school.
When my sister and I come home from school, Spot is so glad that he runs to meet us.
When my father comes home, Spot says “Bow, wow!” That is his way of saying “Hello.”
A Loving Friend
Ah! doggy, don’t you think That you should very faithful be, For having such a loving friend To comfort you as me? And when the school is over, And we can run and play, We’ll have a scamper in the fields And see them making hay.
The Dog and the Frog
One day my dog Jip went out into the garden. A frog came into the garden, too. Jip had never seen a frog. Perhaps the frog had never seen a dog. So Jip and the frog were both surprised. Of course the frog was much smaller than Jip. I thought that the frog would be frightened. But he didn’t seem to be. He just looked at Jip and blinked his eyes. Jip looked at the frog, too. He really wanted to touch the frog. But Jip was afraid of the little frog, and ran back to the house. I didn’t believe that Jip would be such a coward. I was ashamed of him.
The Story of a Dog and a Cat
One day I was out in our back yard. I was making a bird house.
While I was working, I noticed a dog and a cat. The dog started to chase the cat. The cat put up her back, and ran away quickly. At first she ran in a zigzag way. Then she got on a fence. Next she jumped upon the barn near the fence.
The dog barked and barked. The cat was badly frightened. She almost fell off the barn roof. She slid part way down, but caught herself on a shingle.
The dog walked round and round. He must have wanted to make the cat dizzy. After a while, the dog gave up trying to make the cat come down. He went away.
Then the cat came down. I picked up the poor kitty and petted her until she went to sleep on my lap. Why can not dogs and cats be friends like little boys and girls? Kitty didn’t know—neither did I.
The Dog’s Food
I feed my dog. After we have eaten our meal, we give doggy the food that is left. We always put his food on a saucer. Then doggy eats the food.
Dogs like meat and bones. Our dog drinks milk, too. My puppy is fond of bread and milk.
I saw one dog eat some salmon. A dog named Sport eats potatoes. Another dog, Skip, eats candy. He likes candy as well as I like it. One dog eats oatmeal.
I think he knows that oatmeal is good for him. Still another dog likes apples. My sister’s dog eats cornflakes.
One dog even likes beans. Once we saw a dog eating popcorn. Some dogs have to hunt their own food. But most dogs are fed by people who give them good food. All dogs should have water to drink and good food to eat.
We take good care of our pet dogs. We feed them every day.
Willing to Help
Six little mice sat down to spin, Pussy passed by, and she peeped in.
“What are you at, my little men?” “Making coats for gentlemen.”
“Shall I come in and bite off your threads?” “No, no, Miss Pussy, you’ll snip off our heads.”
“Oh, no, I’ll not, I’ll help you to spin.” “That may be so, but you don’t come in!”
How My Kitten Plays
My kitten plays with a string. I hold the string in my hand. I drag the string on the ground. Then I run as fast as I can.
The kitten tries to catch the string with her paw. Sometimes she catches the string. Then she puts it into her mouth and runs away.
Sometimes, when she runs after me, she stumbles and falls. The kitten can not always get the string. Sometimes I run too fast for her. Then she can not catch the string.
I like to play with my kitten. I jerk the string quickly. Then kitty jumps. But she can not get the string.
Sometimes I use a tape measure instead of a string. Kitty tries to get it. I often tie a spool to the string. Kitty tries to get the spool.
I think it is fun to play with my kitten. The kitten likes to play, too.
Ding Dong!
Ding dong! ding dong! I’ll sing you a song. ’Tis about my little kitty. She’s speckled all over, And I know you’ll love her, For she is very pretty.
_Eliza Lee Follen_
What Kittens Do
Our kitten plays with me. Sometimes she is cross. Then she scratches my arm.
If we are unkind to kitty, she may scratch us.
My little kitten plays with her mother’s tail. Sometimes she rolls on the grass. When the kitten falls, she says “Meow!”
I used to have a kitten that would chase her own tail.
Harry’s kitten plays with a shoe string. Marion’s kitten plays with her toes. Another kitten plays with a ball. My aunt has a kitten. I touched his whiskers. He turned his head and tried to bite me.
Next time I am not going to touch his whiskers. I like to watch the kittens. They do so many interesting things.
The Pussy Cat
A pussy cat came to our door, That we had never seen before. He was all cold and wet and thin, So Mother went and brought him in. And now he lives with us, and he Is just as happy as can be— All round, and warm, and smooth, and fat. I love that little pussy cat.
_Edith Ballinger Price_
The Kitten’s Food
All kittens must have milk to drink. I know one kitty that eats fish. Another one likes salmon.
John’s kitten eats potatoes and gravy. One pet kitten eats oatmeal. A kitten named Teddy likes ice cream.
My kitten likes bread and milk. She likes meat very much. We put the meat on an old plate. Then kitty holds the meat with her paws and eats it. When she smells the meat, my kitten always purrs.
My kitten drinks milk, too. We put the milk into a little saucer. Then the kitten laps the milk from the saucer.
When my kitten wants something to eat, she says “Meow.” Then I give her some food.
Our kitten eats after we have eaten. She eats the food that is left over.
Food makes the little kitten grow. I always try to give my kitten good food.
Two Friends
My grandmother has a pet dog and a pet cat. They are the best of friends.
Sometimes both kitty and doggy lie down on the same rug in front of the fireplace. They eat from the same dish, and drink from the same pan.
They both lie down in the same old armchair. They are good pals.
Grandmother says that she likes both the dog and the cat. She is glad that they are good friends.
If they were enemies, she wouldn’t know what to do with them.
The Kitten at Play
I visited a friend’s home. They had a kitten. The kitten was black and white. He was a pretty kitten.
It was the fall of the year. The dead leaves were on the ground. The kitten saw a pile of leaves in the yard. The wind blew the leaves. The leaves whirled round and round.
The kitten ran after the leaves. He could not catch the leaves. One leaf stopped. The kitten thought it was a mouse. So he put the leaf into his mouth.
When he found it was not a mouse, he dropped the leaf. But the kitten still chases leaves. I like to watch him play.
The Kitten and the Falling Leaves
See the kitten on the wall, Sporting with the leaves that fall, Withered leaves—one—two— and three— From the lofty elder tree! Through the calm and frosty air Of this morning bright and fair.
_William Wordsworth_
Keeping Clean