Part 3

Rabbits are very timid animals. Their ears are very long, and their hearing is very keen. They like to live in burrows, which they dig under the ground. Wild rabbits like to run about the fields and woods. Rabbits have a funny hop. When they go from place to place, they leap. They like cabbage, leaves, carrots, beets and clover. They are interesting pets. Sometimes they become tame enough to eat out of our hands.

One rabbit used to like to lie under a chair in the living room. This rabbit would go into the garden, but would always come back to the house.

We do not often let rabbits come into the house.

Little Bunnies

Little bunnies, oh, take care! Beware! See the farmer, with keen eye, Gun on shoulder, passing by; He is fond of rabbit pie! So my bunnies, do take care! Beware!

_Joseph C. Sindelar From Nixie Bunny in Workaday-Land_

My Soldier Rabbits

A soldier once lived at our house. He gave me two rabbits. They came in a box.

This is how it happened: I was playing out-of-doors.

My daddy called me. He said that there was a surprise for me in the house. I went into the house, and looked everywhere. At last I found the box with two rabbits in it which the soldier had given to me. You may be sure that I was glad.

The first thing I did was to thank the soldier for this surprise. My daddy made a house for the rabbits. We kept it in the back yard. We fed the rabbits dandelion and cabbage leaves. We gave them carrots, too. One day one of the rabbits ran away. My mother told me she saw him go under the porch. A friend named Alex crawled under the porch and got the rabbit. Then we put Bunny back into his own house. My rabbits sniff in such a funny way. Now I can sniff like a rabbit too. I call my rabbits “Soldier Rabbits,” because a soldier gave them to me.

The Squirrels and the Gun

Five little squirrels sitting on a tree, This one says, “What do I see?” This one says, “I see a gun!” This one says, “Come, let’s run!” This one says, “Let’s hide in the shade!” This one says, “I’m not afraid!” _Bang!_ goes the gun And all the squirrels run.

Some Squirrels I Watched

One day, when I was playing out-of-doors, I noticed several squirrels. They seemed to be playing “Tag.” They chattered as they played.

They ran up and down the trees. They went around the trees and down to the ground. Then they ran up into a tree.

After a time a dog came. The squirrels crossed over on a telephone wire to another tree. They climbed to the top of this tree.

The dog grew tired of waiting for the squirrels and went away. Then the squirrels came back to the first tree. They stayed there such a long time that I did not see them again.

Eating Nuts

Squirrels are very fond of nuts. One day I saw two squirrels eating some acorns. They found the acorns on the ground. They sat up on their hind legs, and held the nuts with their front paws. They looked as if they were holding the nuts with real hands. One Sunday afternoon I had some nuts. I put the nuts into my pocket and went out-of-doors. I saw a squirrel. I took some nuts from my pocket. Then I tapped on the sidewalk with a nut. The squirrel heard the tapping. When he saw me, I held out my hand. After some coaxing, the squirrel came up and took the nut. He came up several times. I fed him the nuts until they were all gone. Another time I saw a squirrel taking nuts from a man’s hand. The squirrel carried the nuts to his hole in the tree. Perhaps he was saving the nuts for winter.

The Lost Nut

Once I saw a squirrel with a nut in his mouth. He carried the nut to a tree, and put it into a hollow. He wanted to save the nut. After he had put the nut away, he went down to the ground and up another tree. He stayed for some time, and then came back to the first tree. He looked for the nut, but he couldn’t find it. Do you know what had happened? Another squirrel had found the nut and carried it away. I saw the second squirrel take the nut. I felt sorry for the little squirrel that lost the nut he had tried to save. Don’t you feel sorry, too?

The Squirrel’s Arithmetic

High on the branch of a walnut tree A bright-eyed squirrel sat. What was he thinking so earnestly? And what was he looking at?

The forest was green around him, The sky blue over his head; His nest was in a hollow limb, And his children snug in bed.

He was doing a problem o’er and o’er, Busily thinking was he; How many nuts for this winter’s store He could hide in the hollow tree.

He sat so still on the swaying bough You might have thought him asleep. Oh, no; he was trying to reckon now The nuts the babies could eat.

Then suddenly he frisked about, And down the tree he ran. “The best way to do, without a doubt, Is to gather all I can.”

_Annie Douglas Bell_

Whisky Frisky

Whisky Frisky, hippity hop, Up he goes to the tree-top. Whirly twirly, round and round, Down he scampers to the ground.

Come, My Children

Come, my children, come away, For the sun shines bright to-day; Little children, come with me, Birds and brooks and flowers to see.

See the little lambs at play In the meadows bright and gay; How they leap and skip and run, Full of frolic, full of fun!

Bring the hoop and bring the ball; Come, with happy faces all. Let us make a merry ring, Talk and dance and laugh and sing.

A Pet Goat

Lottie has a pet goat. She keeps it in the woodshed. Lottie’s goat has two horns which bend backward. He has a bearded chin, too. This goat is playful and quite tame. Sometimes the goat likes to be petted. At other times he doesn’t want to be touched at all. Sometimes Lottie’s goat is very friendly. But oftentimes he is ugly and cross. His actions are different at different times. He walks, stops short, runs or leaps. Sometimes he comes to you and sometimes he runs away from you. Lottie enjoys her goat, and thinks that he is an interesting pet.

The Sheep

“Lazy sheep, pray tell me why In the pleasant field you lie, Eating grass and daisies white, From the morning till the night; Everything can something do, But what kind of use are you?”

“Nay, my little master, nay, Do not serve me so, I pray. Don’t you see the wool that grows On my back to make your clothes? Cold, ah, very cold you’d be, If you had not wool from me.”

_Ann Taylor_

Mary’s Lamb

Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow; And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. He followed her to school one day— That was against the rule. It made the children laugh and play, To see a lamb at school. And so the teacher turned him out, But still he lingered near, And waited patiently about, Till Mary did appear. And then he ran to her, and laid His head upon her arm, As if he said, “I’m not afraid— You’ll keep me from all harm.”

“What makes the lamb love Mary so?” The eager children cry. “Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” The teacher did reply.

The Cow

The friendly cow all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with apple tart.

She wanders lowing here and there, And yet she cannot stray, All in the pleasant open air, The pleasant light of day.

And blown by all the winds that pass, And wet with all the showers, She walks among the meadow grass, And eats the meadow flowers.

_Robert Louis Stevenson_

In the Meadow

Over in the meadow, Where the brook runs blue, The sheep says, “Baa!” And the cow says, “Moo!”

My Father’s Fox

My father had a fox. The fox came from Michigan. My uncle gave the fox to my father. When we got him, he was just a month old.

He was brown in color. We kept him in a big cage down by the barn. He slept in a little box that I got for him.

He used to try to get out of the cage. Sometimes he tumbled over. The fox never bit us. We kept him for some time. Later my father sold him. I do not know how much money father got for this pet fox. I suppose the new owner wanted the fox for his beautiful fur.

The Little Foxes

Among my tender vines I spy A little fox named “By-and-by.” Then set upon him quick, I say, The swift young hunter “Right-away.” Around each tender vine I plant, I find the little fox “I can’t.” Then, fast as ever hunter ran, Chase him with bold and brave “I can.”

Our Monkey

Now, instead of a fox, we have a monkey. We have a trapeze for him. He climbs up this trapeze. He swings himself by his tail.

We feed the monkey bread. He likes peanuts too.

Sometimes he shakes hands with us. We talk to him. He seems to understand what we say to him. He acts just like a little old man.

The Monkey and the Hand-Organ Man

When my mother was a little girl, a hand-organ man sometimes came to our city. His pet monkey would sit on top of the hand-organ.

This monkey wore a green cap, a bright red jacket, and little black trousers.

Sometimes he lifted his cap, as if he were saying, “How do you do!”

After the hand-organ man had played some lively music, the monkey collected pennies from the people who were listening. He always brought the pennies to his master.

The monkey did many tricks.

My mother and her playmates were always sorry when the hand-organ man went away. I wish I could see a hand-organ man and a monkey sometime soon again.

The Monkey Man

The sun in winter goes away And makes you light the light, But in the summer time it’s day All day until it’s night. So we just play until at last We don’t know what to do. And then the monkey man comes past And brings the monkey, too.

_Edmund Vance Cooke from Cheerful Children_

Our White Mice

We had some white mice for pets. We kept them in a wire cage. The white mice ran round and round the cage.

They liked to ride on the merry-go-round that was in the cage. They worked the merry-go-round, and made it go round and round.

One day we went away. We forgot to fasten the door of the cage. The white mice got out.

When we came back, we looked for them. But we never found them again.

You may be sure that we were sorry to lose them. Next time I shall be more careful with my pets.

A Little Mouse

Ding dong! ding dong! I’ll sing you a song. ’Tis about a little mouse. He looked very cunning As I saw him running About my father’s house.

_Eliza Lee Follen_

My Uncle’s White Mice

My uncle had some white mice. One day he brought them into the room.

One mouse crawled up my uncle’s sleeve. My uncle felt the tickling on his arm. So he pulled the mouse out of his sleeve.

The other white mouse crawled upon me. I became frightened, and screamed and ran around the room.

My uncle had to take the mice away. He put them into the cage. I enjoy watching them, but I don’t like to have them running around the room.

The Mice

The little mice stay in their holes And hide themselves by day; But when the house is still at night They all come out to play. They climb upon the pantry shelf, And taste of all they please; They drink the milk that’s set for cream, And nibble bread and cheese.

The Two Gold Fishes

I have two gold fishes that Aunt Ruth gave me for a birthday present.

I keep them in a large bowl on a table near a south window. The fishes seem so happy as they dart quickly back and forth in the water.

They are golden in color, and look like twins. I call them Golden and Sunny.

But I don’t know which one is Golden nor which one is Sunny.

Once a week I put fresh water into the glass bowl. Every day I feed the fish some fish food which I buy downtown. I give them seaweed, too.

I have had the fishes for three months. I am going to try to take such good care of them that my fishes may live for a long time.

Aunt Minnie’s Gold Fish

Last spring Aunt Minnie had a lily pond made in her lawn. The pond is four feet deep and is filled with city water. The sides of the pond are made of cement.

Beautiful water lilies grow in this pond. Some of the lilies are pure white, others are rose colored.

There are also many buds that will soon open and become lovely water lilies.

Fifteen fat gold fish have their home in this beautiful place. Some of the gold fish have black spots on their tails. They seem so happy, living among the water lilies.

They like the oatmeal that my aunt feeds them. I think it is the oatmeal that makes them so fat.

When the cold days of autumn come, my aunt puts the gold fish in a large tub. She keeps the tub in the cellar. Once a week she changes the water.

The fish are comfortable even in the winter time. But I believe that the fish like their lily-pond home better than their tub home in a dark cellar.

Where the Stream Runs Blue

Over in the meadow, Where the stream runs blue, Lived an old mother fish And her little fishes two. “Swim,” said the mother; “We swim,” said the two— So they swam and they leaped Where the stream runs blue.

_Olive A. Wadsworth_

Frogs at School

Twenty froggies went to school Down beside a rushy pool. Twenty little coats of green, Twenty vests all white, and clean. “We must be in time,” said they; “First we study, then we play; That is how we keep the rule, When we froggies go to school.”

Twenty froggies grew up fast; Bullfrogs they became at last. Not one dunce among the lot, Not one lesson they forgot. Polished in a high degree, As each froggie ought to be, Now they sit on other logs, Teaching other little frogs.

_George Cooper_

About the Book

_A Pet Reader_ is an outgrowth of group and individual oral composition work in a primary classroom. The stories, based upon suggestions from children and upon fact and observation, have been adapted to the child’s interests and mental capacity. The book will commend itself to teachers for several reasons.

1. As the vocabulary in large measure is already a part of the child’s oral expression, it will, with economy of time and effort, increase his reading equipment.

2. Because, with few exceptions, the sentences are comparatively short, this reader will have a tendency to increase fluency, and facilitate thought-getting.

3. The theme is one of universal interest to child life, therefore, _A Pet Reader_ will entertain as well as instruct, primary children. A teacher sometimes has to inspire an interest in the subject. But the interest in pets does not have to be created—it is already present.

4. The reading material is fresh and attractive—a merit that will be appreciated, since so many books offer only repetition of folk and fairy tales. While commendable in themselves, these prove tiresome to the children because of sameness of content.

5. Little rhymes and bits of verse, supplementing the stories, increase the attractiveness of the reading matter. All rhymes are intended to be read by the teacher to and with the pupils.

It is hoped that the book may be a source of pleasure and profit to teachers and pupils everywhere.

EDITH WILHELMINA LAWSON