The 4th Reading Series – Part 2

Fun at School

Off we go…

What Are Long Necks For?

“Here we are! Out you go!
Have a good time!”

One by one the boys and girls
tumbled out. Away they ran
to have a look at what was inside.

“I’ve always wanted to come here,”
said Bill.

“So have I,” answered Jim.
Let’s get up closer. I want to have
a good look.”

“Look at the bears!” shouted Cathy.
“I like bears, don’t you?”






“Are they playing something?” asked Pat.

“I don’t think so, Pat. I think they’re fighting,” answered Cathy.
“Bears always want fish.
Look at that one take a tumble!
I like this!”

“So do I,” said Pat.

Pat heard some chattering nearby and
he went to see what it was.
It was the monkeys –
the chattering monkeys!

Hello, monkeys.
Do you always chatter like that?
What are you chattering about?
It sounds funny.
Look out, monkey! Don’t tumble!
Look where you’re going!
Why are you looking at me like that?
Are you chattering about me?

Pat saw some tigers there too.
When he went by they made some angry sounds.

Don’t look at me like that, Tiger.
Why can’t you be happy?
The chattering monkeys are.
I don’t think you like me!
Are you always so angry?
It’s a good thing you’re on the inside.
Your baby tigers love to tumble and play.
Don’t you? I guess not.
Good-bye. I’m going!

Pat saw
the big giraffe
looking at him.
He liked the big giraffe.

What’s it like away up there?
What a long neck!
What do you do with it, giraffe?
How do you go in and out
of your house?
Is your neck always that long?
With a long neck like that,
what can you do?

Here’s a peanut butter
sandwich. Want it?

Pat was looking up
at the giraffe . . .
and thinking . . .

THEN! . . .

SURPRISE!

The giraffe didn’t want
the peanut butter sandwich.

He wanted something else –
and he got it!

The giraffe was laughing.
“That’s what long necks are for,
little boy!”

Can you tumble like the bears?
Can you chatter like the monkeys?
Can you make angry sounds like the tigers?

An Elephant

An elephant has an awfully long nose
And looks as if he’s slept in his clothes.

Zhenya Gay

Georgie Giraffe

The next day Mrs. Cook told a story
about Georgie Giraffe . . .

Georgie didn’t like being a giraffe.
“My neck!” he cried. “It’s too long.
Who wants a neck like this?
A giraffe’s a funny animal to be.
I’m tired of being a giraffe!
I’m tired of this long neck!”

Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe didn’t like
what they heard.

“We like being giraffes,” they said.

“Your neck isn’t too long. I think
it makes you look pretty,” said Mrs. G.

“But Mother!” Georgie cried.
“Look at my long legs!
I can’t get down fast when I want to.
What good are long legs like this?
I’m tired of being a giraffe, Mother.
I want to be a little animal for a change.
A giraffe’s a funny animal to be.”

Mrs. G. wasn’t happy about this.

Mr. G. thought and then told Georgie,
“You know, Georgie, you can’t change like that.
Your long legs are for running fast.
You can outrun the tiger, the bear,
and the elephant.
With your long neck you can look
away out and up and see things.
Little animals can’t see what you do.”

“Think about that, Georgie.
You are a giraffe.
So you should be a good one.
You won’t be happy trying to be
something you’re not.
You’ll have to change your thinking,
Georgie. You can’t change
what you look like.”

Georgie thought about what Mr. G.
had told him.

One morning Georgie saw something.
“Look! What’s that!” he shouted.
“Look at that color!
It’s red and it’s fast!”

Mr. and Mrs. G. Saw the red color, too.
“I know that color, Georgie,”
said Mr. G. “It’s fire!
Animals are afraid of fire.
The water! The water!
Run for the water!” he shouted.

They ran and ran.
The giraffes told the animals about the fire.
They ran for the water nearby.
Elephants, tigers, bears, and monkeys
ran for the water.

“Run for the water!” shouted Mr. G.
“Run or you’ll be trapped!”

One by one the tired animals
tumbled into the water.
They looked back. The fire
was coming closer and closer.

“It’s good to be in this water,”
said the elephant.

“That was a close call!” said a tired-looking bear.

The elephants and the bears thanked Mr. Giraffe.

“Don’t thank me,” said Mr. G.
“Thank Georgie. He saw it first.”

“It’s a good thing you have a long neck,” chattered the monkeys.

“Yes, you can see things I can’t see,” said the tiger.

“And with your long legs,” shouted the bear, “you can run so fast!
You got to my house in time to get me out.”

“I like being a giraffe now,” Georgie answered.
“It’s a good thing to have a long neck and long legs.
I like being a giraffe and I always want to be one.”

B is for Bear

I like
Bears
And Lions
All right
And
Especially
In their
Cages
But
I like bears
And lions
The most
When
They’re only
Just on
Pages

Lysbeth Boyd Borie

One day the class was talking.
Bill thought it would be a good idea to make
a Guess Who Zoo.

“A Guess Who Zoo? What’s that?”
George wanted to know.

“It’s zoo that we can make here
in class. We can make the animals
and then ask Mrs. Day’s class to come in
and guess. May we do that, Mrs. Cook?”
he asked.

“Yes, that sounds good,” said Mrs. Cook.
“First, let’s talk about the animals
we should have in our zoo. Then,
when we’ve thought about them,
I’ll put down your ideas.”

The class talked and talked.
Mrs. Cook put down the ideas.

Here they are:

Our Guess Who Zoo

“Won’t this be fun!” cried Mary.
I guess Mrs. Day will be surprised.”

“How will we ask Mrs. Day’s class
to come?” Mrs. Cook asked.

“Let’s write a letter,” answered Pat.

“That’s a good idea. What will we put
into the letter? Let’s think about
what Mrs. Day’s class will want to know.”

“I think they’ll want to know
what the surprise is about,” said Cathy.

“And when we’ll have it,” said Mary.

“They’ll have to know what time
it will be, too,” said Claire.

Mrs. Cook helped the class
with the letter.

Dear Mrs. Day,
We are going to have a
surprise in our room.
It will be a Guess Who
Zoo. We have made
some funny zoo animals.
We want you and your
class to come and guess.
The time is next
Monday at two.
You will like it.

Room One

Part 2

All the boys and girls in the class
worked and worked on the Guess Who Zoo.
By Monday morning the animals were ready.

“This giraffe looks like a real one,”
laughed Pat. “Look at that neck!”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Cook. “That does look
like a real one. Who made it?”

“Bill and I did,” answered Pat.

“Look at the ears,”
Bill laughed. “They’re
my good ones!”

Mrs. Cook liked the ears.

The Guess Who Zoo had an elephant,
a tiger, and bears. Some boys and girls
made funny-looking animal faces.

“How do you like my tiger?”
asked Cathy. “He’s tired of yellow.
He wants to change color. So here he is.
His name is Green Tiger.”

The class liked Green Tiger too.