The 3rd Reading Series

Lakes and rivers
And all that lives in the water
Praise the Lord!

Daniel 3 (adapted)

Grandpa’s Surprise

Come on!
Come on for a ride!
We’ll see something.
It’s something you’ll like.
In you get, Tom.
Come on, Pat and Mark.

This is fun, Grandpa.
We like surprises.
Good-bye, Mom! Good-bye, Dad!
Good-bye, Mr. Mugs!
We’ll see you!

Oh! LOOK!
The surprise is boats!
This is a good surprise, Grandpa!
It’s fun to see the boats
come and go.

A Funny Boat

WOW!
What a big one!
I like to ride on a big boat.

Grandpa, can the boat go fast?
I like fast rides!
Can we go for a ride
on the big boat, Grandpa?

We can’t go on the big boat, Pat.
See this boat?
It’s a funny one!
And see the funny monkey!
We can go on this boat.

This is a good boat, Grandpa.
It’s not a big one.
It’s a funny one!
Thanks for the surprise, Grandpa.

Peanuts

“Here’s the apartment, Grandpa.
  This is fun!” said Pat.
 
“Here’s the elevator.
  Come and get on,” said Tom.

   “Hi, Grandma!” said Mark,
Tom and Pat.
   “Hello,” said Grandma.
   “Come on in.
     See what I made.
     Here’s a surprise for you!”
   “Oh, Grandma,” said Mark.
   “We like this surprise!”
   “M-m-m-m! It looks good!”
said Tom.

   “Grandma, LOOK!” said Pat.
   “Peanuts likes the surprise
you made.
     What a cat!
     Oh, Peanuts! You’ll get it!”
 
“P-E-A-N-U-T-S!
  It’s not for you!
  Out you go!” said Grandma.

Look Out!
I see a fish.
Hello, little fish!
Can you jump, little fish?
Jump and play out here.
Come on! Jump and play out here,
little fish!

Oh, Peanuts, it looks like fun!
It’s not fun for a little fish
in here.
I’ll come out, Peanuts.
Good-bye, little snail.
Out I go.
Here I come, Peanuts!

Hi, Peanuts.
Here’s something for you.
It’s some fish in a dish!
The Goldfish
My darling little goldfish
Hasn’t any toes.
He swims around without a sound
And bumps his hungry nose.
He can’t get out to play with me
Nor I get in to him.
Although I say “Come out to play,”
And he “Come in and swim.”

Dorothy Aldis

Up and Down

“Here’s one you’ll like.
It’s a good one,” said Grandpa.
“You’ll see a frogman go down
and look for something.
See what he will get.”

“Here he is!” said Tom.
“It’s fun to see him swim down.
He looks like a frog!”

“Oh, look!
See him go down!
What will he get?” said Pat.

“He looks like a big fish!” said Mark.
“Look at him swim down
and come up fast.
It looks like fun to go
down and up.”

“Up he comes!” said Grandpa
“Can you see him?”

“He’s up!” said Mark.
“What’s the boat for?” said Pat.
“The boat will go out to get him.
He’ll get into it,” said Mark.
“I see him,” said Pat.
“I see something in the boat.
What is it Grandpa?
It looks pretty!”

“Come on, Pat.
Come on, Mark and Tom,”
said Daddy.

“Okay, Dad.
Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa.
It’s fun to look at a frogman
on TV.
Good-bye!”

Pat Helps

“Look, Mark.
He can’t see!
I’ll help him,” said Pat.

“Come, we can go,” said Pat.
“It’s green.
I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, thank you,” he said.

“Let’s go into the church,”
said Mark.
“Come on. Let’s go in.”

“You can’t come in, Mr. Mugs.
Dogs can’t come into church,”
said Pat.
“A church is God’s house.”

Let’s Pray and Play

Hello God, my Father.
I like to pray to You.
I love You and thank You.
I can see what You made.
Thank You for my eyes.

“Hello, Mark and Cathy.
Hi, Pat and Tom,” said Father.
“Let’s play ball.
Will you play?”
“Do you play ball, Father?”
“I do,” he said.
“Look out, Father!” said Mark.
“Here comes the ball!
Get it, Father! Get it!”
“That’s good, Father. That’s good.
Good for you!”

My Eyes – God’s Gift

Eyes of black,
Eyes of blue,
Green and gray,
Brown eyes, too!
Eyes that wonder,
Eyes that look,
Eyes that blink
Into a book.
Eyes that wink,
Eyes that rest –
What kind of eyes
Do you like best?

Cathy Can Help

“Good-bye, Mommy! ‘Bye, Daddy!
I’ll help Pat’s daddy.”

“Here it is,” said Pat’s daddy.
“O-o-o-h! That’s big!” said Cathy.
“Do we go in here?”
“This is it. Let’s go in.
You can be a big help, Cathy.”

Cathy said, “Oh, that’s pretty!”
Let’s go and see it!”
“Come on, Cathy.
Do you like to ride
on the escalator?
Let’s ride up on it.
On you get,” said Pat’s daddy.

“You can help me, Cathy.
This is a surprise for someone.
Will you try something on?
Try that one on, Cathy.”

“Someone will look good
in this hockey suit,” said Cathy.
“I look funny,” she said.

“Thank you, Cathy.
This is a big help to me.
It will be a good surprise!”

Happy Birthday

“Mommy! Daddy! Here’s Cathy!”
said Pat.
“Happy Birthday, Pat,” said Cathy.
“My little sister can’t come.
This is Mary’s surprise for you.
And here’s my surprise!”
“Oh, thank you,” said Pat.
“Come on in.”

“Look, Pat.
Here’s a surprise,” said Mark.

“A surprise for me?” said Pat.
“Let me see what it is, Mark.
Is it something funny?”
“You’ll see,” said Mark.

“Look out!
Here it comes!”

“What a surprise!” said Pat.
“It’s a good joke on me!”

“Here’s my surprise for you, Pat.
See what it is.” said Daddy.
“Oh Daddy! A hockey suit!
I like it!
Thank you, Daddy!”
“Try it on,” said Grandma.
“Let’s see it on you!”

“Let’s sing Happy Birthday.
Come on. Sing and be happy.”
said Grandma.

“Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday dear Pat,
Happy Birthday to you.”

Down We Go

This is fun!
Come on! Let’s go down!
Don’t play up here.
Let’s go down to play!

I’ll play up here.
I like it here.

Hello! Hello!
Can you see me down here?
I like it here!
Come on! Don’t be frightened!
Come down here and play!
You’ll be happy down here.

What’s this?
Oh! I don’t like it up here!
I’ll try to go down
and not be frightened.
Good-bye…
Good-bye…

I’ll be down in a flash!

WH-E-E-E-E-E!

What a ride!
I like it here!
I look pretty up here,
don’t I?

Happy’s Ride

“Hi, Happy.
Come on out and play.
Don’t play in the house.
It’s fun out here.
Try to get me.
Here I go . . . . . . !”
shouted the snowman.

“Here we come!
Look out! Here we come!
We’ll get you.
You’ll see!”
“Can you do what I do?”
said the snowman.
“I can go fast.
You can’t get me.
I’ll go for a fast ride!
Try to get me! Try!”
he shouted.

“Look out, Happy!
Jump, Happy! JUMP!”
“O-o-o-o-h!
Help me!
Help me get out!”
shouted Happy.
“I can’t get out!
Come back and help me!”

“Come on, Happy.
Jump on my back and
don’t be frightened.
We’ll go for a fast ride!
Down we go!”

“Look out!
Here we come!
I like to ride fast!
WHAT A RIDE! ! !”

What Fun to Be a Snowman
“I’ll have some fun,”
Mr. Snowman said,
“Now that the children
have gone to bed.”
He stretched his arms
And rubbed his nose,
Adjusted his pipe
And stood on his toes.
His eyes soon spied
The children’s sled.
And quick as a wink
Away he sped.
Over the hill
He played in the snow
Until Mr. Sun said,
“Time to go!”
Next morning he laughed
To hear children say
“Poor Mr. Snowman
Never can play!”

The Little One

This is the donkey for you.
You’ll like him.
He’s a big one and
he can run fast!
Do you like him?
Thank you
He looks good to me.
I’ll ride him.

Who will come to get me?
Who will ride me?
Oh! Here’s someone.
Who is that? Who can it be?
Hello, Joseph!
Come on in!
What can I do for you today?
Can I be of some help?

Look at this one, Joseph.
He looks a little frightened.
He’s little.
He can’t go fast.
Do you like him, Joseph?
He looks good to me.
Come, little one, come.
Don’t be frightened.
You’ll make Mary happy.

Come and see the donkey, Mary.
Come out and try to ride
the little one.
Mary looks at the donkey
and likes him.

The donkey looks happy.
Someone loves him at last.

Jesus’ Birthday

Come, Mary. It’s time to go.
Here. I’ll help you get on.

Thank you, Joseph.
I like to ride on the little one.

Here it is, Mary.
I’ll go in here.
Will you let me come in?
Will you let Mary come in?

You can’t come in.
You can’t come in here

Let’s go to this house.
We can go in here, Joseph.
Not here! Not here!
Try down the street.
Look, Joseph.
Here’s one.
Let’s go in here.
This looks good, Mary.
See, this is for little Jesus.
This can go into it.

Go and see.
You will see Jesus.
Jesus is God.
We will go and look for Jesus.
Is Jesus in here?
Come in!
Don’t be frightened.
Jesus is here.

Here is Jesus.
He is God.
I love You, Jesus.
I love You, my God.
Jesus, we love You.
Happy birthday.

Happy Christmas to You

Red is pretty.
This will make pretty shoes.
Someone will get red shoes
for Christmas.

My! What’s this?
This is a surprise!
Who made this?
Look at the pretty shoes!
Someone can make pretty shoes.
Who is it? Who can it be?
I’ll make green shoes today.
Someone will like green shoes
for Christmas.

Who can make shoes like that?
Who is it? Who is it?
Who made the shoes?
Let’s go back here.
We’ll see who makes the shoes.

Happy Christmas to you,
To you,
To you,
Happy Christmas to you,
It’s fun to make a shoe.
Round and round and round we go,
Round we go,
Round we go,
Round and round and round we go,
One, two, three… One, two, three.
I’ll make something.
I’ll make a Christmas surprise
for the elves!

We wish you a Happy Christmas,
We wish you a Happy Christmas,
We wish you a Happy Christmas,
And a Happy New Year!

The Sorry Elf

by Claire Senior Burke

I know the strangest little elf.
He works for Santa Claus.
He sews the ears on teddy bears,
And makes their big soft paws.
He puts the trunk on elephants
And hangs a tail behind.
He really is the strangest elf
That ever you could find.

One day he made the wildest toy,
Dressed like a Mickey Mouse,
Who climbed up all the curtain poles,
And muddled up the house.
And when he was told, he would not stop.
So Santa said, “O-ho!
If you make naughty toys like this,
You can’t work here, you know.”

This made the elf feel very sad.
He began to sob.
“O Santa dear, please let me stay.
Don’t make me lose my job.”
Old Santa wiped his tears away
And took him on his knee –
And ever since, the little elf’
Is good as he can be.

Let’s Go!

“Come on. Let’s go!
Let’s go to the park.
Let’s play football,” said Mark.
“You can come, Mr. Mugs.
Dogs can play in the park,”
said Pat.
“Dogs can play football.”

“Here’s Cathy!” said Tom.
“Come on, Cathy.
Come and play football
in the park.”
“I can’t play football,”
said Cathy.
“Oh, come on,” said Pat.
“Mr. Mugs can play football!
You can play. Come on!”

“Hello, Mark and Cathy.
“Hi, Pat and Tom,” said Grandpa.
“Let’s play football.”
“Do you play football, Grandpa?”
“I do,” he said.
“Look out, Grandpa!” said Mark.
“Here comes the ball!
Get it, Grandpa! Get it!”
“That’s good, Grandpa. That’s good.
Good for you!” said Tom.
“Good for Grandpa and Cathy.”
said Pat.

My Eyes

Eyes of black,
Eyes of blue,
Green and gray,
Brown eyes, too!
Eyes that wonder,
Eyes that look,
Eyes that blink
into a book.
Eyes that wink,
Eyes that rest –
I like most eyes,
But I like mine best!

Calling all Animals

One day, late in the fall, the animals
in the forest heard a bird calling.
He was telling them something very important.

Calling all animals!
Go to the big tree!
Calling all animals!
Go to the big tree!

Hello, animals big and little.
Fall is here and winter will come.
Let’s make plans for the winter.
Here’s my plan.
I’ll eat and eat and eat.
This will make me fat,
and I can sleep all winter.

Where will you sleep?

Oh, I have found a good house . . .
but I’ll not tell where.
What will you do for the winter?
I’ll do what you do.
I’ll eat and eat and sleep all winter.
I have found a good house too.
It’s down in the ground,
but I’ll not tell where.
I plan to sleep up in my tree.
But I’ll not tell you where my tree is.
Croak, croak!
I’ll make my house in the mud.
Ssss, ssss, ssss.
And where will that house in the mud be?
Oh! Oh! I can’t tell you that.
You’ll come and eat me.
Oh, help! Help me!
Ssss. It’s okay, Frog.
I’ll not eat you here.
My winter house is in the rocks
Tell me, Turtle, where will you go?

Snap, snap. I’ll go down in a pond.
But I’ll not tell you where it is.
And you, Rabbit.
What will you do?
I can go out to eat.
No one can see me in the winter.
And I have found a good house
to sleep in.
Where is it?
I’ll not tell you!
O-o-o-o-h!
Come back! Come back here.

Fox and Rabbit came back but this time
Rabbit sat on the other side of the group,
well away from Fox.
Ha, ha, ha! Will my winter be a good one!
I’ll not sleep all winter.
I’ll go out and eat rabbits.
O-o-o-o-o-h! You can’t eat rabbits.
You can’t! You can’t!
The animals talked and talked. At last
Big Bear said:

Okay, okay!
Let’s get back to winter plans.
What plans will you make?
I have found a good house in a tree.
I’ll get nuts for my tree house
good nuts to eat in the winter.
Chip! Chip! Where is that tree?
It’s a good tree and it’s for me.
I’ll not tell where it is.
That’s okay. I have found a good tree too.
I’ll get nuts to eat in the winter.
I’ll curl up like a ball
and go to sleep.
Curl up like a ball?
That’s funny!
Someone will try to bat you!

The animals all laughed, and Chipmunk did too.
He thought the joke on him was funny.
After they all had a good laugh, Big Bear
asked Skunk and Mouse what they were going
to do.
I don’t eat and eat and get fat.
I don’t get nuts for the winter.
I go to the hen house
and get big, fat hens.
Eek! Eek! I like to get things
in the hen house too.
But, oh! That cat!
I have to run back to my house fast!
And I’ll not tell where my house is.
Someone will come and eat me.

And so, the animals made their plans.
Each animal had found a good house, but they
all wanted to keep their houses a secret.
No one would tell anyone else where his
house was.
The meeting ended.

Winter came, and the snow began to fall.
All the animals went to their own special houses.
And . . . what do you think happened?

The Shoemaker and the Elves
performed by David Dingess

A-rap-a-tap-tap, a-rap-a-tap-tap,
Hear the hammer’s tit-tat-tee.
A-rap-a-tap-tap, a-rap-a-tap-tap,
Making shoes for you and me