The 4th Reading Series

But Pat said, “Something is wrong!
Why did your rocket come down?
Why is nothing here?
Why? Why? Why?
Why is it pink?
Something made the rocket come down>
What was it? I don’t like it here!”

Then Mr. Mugs shouted.
He jumped up and down.
“Pat! Pat! I have it!
I have it!
I think we are the first ones
to come here!
I think we’re on a pink planet!
Think, Pat!
This is our PINK PLANET!”

“Our planet? Our planet?” asked Pat.
“A planet like Earth or Mars?”
Is this pink thing a planet?
Is it ours?”

“Yes! Yes!” laughed Mr. Mugs.
“This is our Pink Popcorn Planet!”
Now you can see why our pink rocket
wanted to come here!
A pink rocket and a pink planet!
It’s ours! It’s ours!
THE PINK POPCORN PLANET IS OURS!”

A Pink Popcorn Party

Pat and Mr. Mugs looked at the planet.
The pink popcorn looked pretty.
“look how soft it is,” said Pat.
“It’s like a soft bed.”

Mr. Mugs said, “I like something soft.
I want to sleep on something soft.
Will you sleep her with me, Pat?
We can go back to Earth when we get up.”

“no,” said Pat. “The bed in the rocket
is soft. I’ll sleep on it. Have a good sleep.”
* * *
When Pat got up he looked out.
What he saw frightened him.

Something was wrong on the pink planet.
Someone was on it!
What looked like pink popcorn
was something else.

“Who are they?” Pat asked in surprise.
“Why are they fighting?
What are they doing to Mr. Mugs?
How can I help him?”

Pat was frightened, but he wanted
to help Mr. Mugs.

Pat looked around in the rocket.
He saw something.

“I have it!” he said. This will work!
This space gun will blast the pink things
off the planet!
Here we go! BLAST OFF!”

W-H-O-O-O-S-H!

It blasted the pink things away out
into space.
Pat laughed and laughed.
It looked like someone was popping corn
on the pink planet!
It looked like a pink popcorn party!

Pat and Mr. Mugs got into
the pink rocket.
It blasted off to Earth.

T
H
E
N…

“Pat! Pat!” called Mrs. Cook.
“Will you come down to Earth?”

Chapter 14: Such Lovely Things to Hear and See

Such lovely things
to hear and see
Belong to you,
belong to me!
The sun. the trees,
the grass, the sky,
the silver moon
that’s sailing by.

Soft whispering winds,
the birds that sing,
Bright autumn leaves
gay flowers of spring,
The rain and dew
and snowflakes white,
The sparkling waves,
the stars of night.

Frances G. Disser

Let’s Make Sure

Can You Make

1. A Rocket blasting off
   out into space?
2. The Pink Popcorn Planet or
   a space station?
3. What you think it’s like
   on the moon or on Mars?
4. Something you like that
   is on Earth?
5. You in a space suit?

Think!

1. Where did Mr. Mugs and Pat go first?
2. Why did the pink things fight Mr. Mugs?
3. Where did the pink rocket come down?
4. Why was Pat frightened
   on the Pink Popcorn Planet?
5. What was the soft, pink popcorn?
6. Did they go to Mars or to the moon?
7. Why did Mr. Mugs make his rocket pink?
8. Why did Mr. Mugs think it was
   a pink planet?
9. Why did they call it the Pink Popcorn Planet?
10. What is a space station?

The Secret Place

Halfway up a certain tree
There’s a place belongs to me.
Two branches make a little chair
And I like it sitting there.

I like it.
And it’s secret, too.
No grown-up guesses where I go
And if he should, and climbed to it –
He would not fit, he would not fit!

Dorothy Aldis

Mark and Tom have an idea!

B.C.H.

“Hi!” called the boys.
“What are you doing?”

Tom shouted back, “Come and see.
It’s a surprise!”

“What is it?” asked Bill.

“A clubhouse,” said Tom.

“A clubhouse? What’s it for?” Bill asked.

“It’s for our club – a boy’s club. You can be in our club. Come on! You two can help. A clubhouse is fun!”

Some girls saw the clubhouse.
“What’s that?” they asked.

Tom answered, “It’s a clubhouse – for boys.”

“May we look in?” asked the girls.

“No!” answered Mark. “It’s not for girls.”

“Not for girls! Not for girls? Why not? What’s wrong with girls? Why can’t we play in your clubhouse?”

“Girls don’t play in clubhouses,” answered Tom. “That’s why. You can play in the house or you can look at TV.”

The girls didn’t like it.

“I have an idea,” said Tom
“Let’s put up a sign.
I think the girls will come back.
We don’t want girls around here.
This is our clubhouse.
Let’s put up a sign – NOT FOR GIRLS – or something like that.”

“I have a good idea,” said Bill.
“I can make a trap with cans.”

Tom laughed. “A trap? A trap!
When the cans come down,
they’ll think it’s a rocket
blasting off!”

“We should call it something,”
said Bill.

“Let me see… it’s a clubhouse…
Let’s call it BOYS’ CLUB HOUSE,”
said Tom.

“I know! I know what to call it,”
shouted Bill. “Let’s call it the B.C.H.
Then the girls won’t know what it is!”

“Boy! Will they get a surprise!” said Tom.
“They won’t like the signs and
they won’t know what this one is.”

“Don’t forget the trap!” laughed Bill.

Can you act out this story?

A Sad Story

One morning Pat and his friends
played in the clubhouse tree.
Pat liked this tree. It was big and green.

“Look at me!” he shouted
“Can you do this?”

Pat liked to hang upside down.
“I can see the sun,” he laughed.
“Sometimes I can see the moon, too.
Maybe some day I’ll see a space station!”

Pat saw pretty things
up in the clubhouse tree.
He saw a spider’s web.
It looked pretty in the sun.

“Come on!” he shouted
“Look what I can do! Look! No hands!”

Then he saw it.
It was away up in the tree.

He jumped down. “Jim! Bill!”
he shouted. “Do you know what I saw up in that tree?”

“What?” they asked

“A nest!” he shouted.
“A nest! I saw a nest up there!”

“Where, Pat? Where is it?” asked Bill.

The boys looked and looked.
“I see where it is,” said Bill.

Jim saw it, too.
There it was – a good little home for baby birds.

“There it is, answered Pat, “up there.”

“Let’s go up and see what’s in it,” said Pat. “I know how to get up there!”

Bill and Jim wanted to see the nest too.
Pat was ready to go up when Mother called,
“Pat! Come here. Come here, boys!
I want to talk to you.”

Pat ran up to Mother and said,
“There’s a nest up there, Mommy!
It’s a pretty little one.
We want to see what’s in it.”

“Don’t go near the nest,” said Mother.
“The birds won’t like it.
Play in the clubhouse, or play ball,
but don’t go near the nest.”

Then Mother went back into the house.

The boys didn’t like what Mother said.

“Come on, Pat,” said the boys.
“You can go up.
Your mother won’t see you.”

Pat looked around.
Mother was in the house.

“Yes,” said Pat. “We can go up
and come down fast.
I want to see that nest. Let’s go!”

Up the tree he went.

But Mother did see Pat go up.
She was angry.
She called to Pat.

“COME DOWN, PAT!
COME DOWN!
Pat, do you hear me?”

The boys ran home.

Mother talked to Pat
when he got down.
She made Pat go
to his room.
Pat went into the house.
Mr. Mugs saw him go.
He went into the house, too.

Pat Runs Away

Pat was angry. He didn’t want to go to his room. He wanted to see that nest.

Pat thoughts and thought.
Then he got an idea.
“I’ll run away.
I don’t like it here.
You can’t have fun around here.
Let’s go, Mr. Mugs.”

Pat got his things and off they went.

Mother saw Pat go.
She was sad about it.
“He thinks this is a good idea but he’ll be sorry.
I’ll see what he does.”

Pat and Mr. Mugs went away down the street.
“They’ll be sorry tonight when we don’t come home,” thought Pat.



On and on they went.
Pat said nothing.
He thought and thought.

He thought of the nest
away up in the tree.
He thought of Mark and Tom
and of the clubhouse.
Then he thought of Mother.

Something inside Pat made him
want to go home.
He was sorry for going near the nest.
He was sorry he ran away.
He looked around.
He didn’t know what street this was.

“Oh, Mr. Mugs, where are we?
I can’t see the house!” Pat said.
“Let’s go back, Mr. Mugs.
I want to see Mommy!”

Back they went – a sad little boy
and a sad dog.
Mother saw the two up the street.

When Pat and Mr. Mugs got
near the House, Mother went out.
Pat ran to Mother. He cried and cried.

“I’m sorry for going away, Mommy.
I’m sorry for going near the nest.”
Pat cried. He loved Mother
and he wanted to be a good boy.

Mother looked at her little boy.
“Don’t cry,” she said.
“Let’s go inside.
I’m sorry you ran away but
I’m happy you’re back.
I won’t have to punish you
this time, Pat.
You did that for me.
Come into the bedroom, Pat.
I have a story for you.”

Lyo and Bijou

There was a donkey called Lyo
and a goat called Bijou.
Lyo’s and Bijou’s home was
in a beautiful green valley.
But – they didn’t like it there.
They wanted to have some fun!
“Let’s go away somewhere,”
said Lyo. “Let’s go to the town!”
“That’s a good idea,” said Bijou.
“But how can we get there?”
“when we’re told to do something,
let’s not do it,” said Lyo.
“Then our master will get angry.”

And… the master was angry.
“I’ll get Lyo and Bijou a new master,”
he thought.
So Lyo and Bijou got a new master
and away they went to the town.
“How happy we’ll be,” they thought.
But – the new master made Lyo and
Bijou work and
WORK.

Oh, how they wished to be back
in the valley.
One night Lyo said,
“Let’s go and see our old master.
Maybe he’ll let us come back.”
So Lyo and Bijou went back
to the valley.

“Do you think the old master let
them come back, Pat?” asked Mother.
“Oh, I hope so,” answered Pat.
“He did, Pat, for he was
a good man,” said Mother.
Now Lyo and Bijou are sorry
they wanted to go away.
And when they are told to do
something, they do it.
Pat got ready for bed.
He looked out the window.
There was the clubhouse tree.
Somewhere up there was a pretty nest.
He looked around the room.
He thought of Mother and Daddy
and the boys.
“It’s good to be home,” he thought.
He liked his soft bed.
“I’m going to be a good boy…”
Pat was asleep.

Chapter 27: Lost! – A Dog! Part 1

“Mommy! MR. MUGS IS LOST!
HE’S LOST! HE’S LOST!” Pat shouted.

“How do you know he’s lost?” asked Mother.
“Where did you look?”

“I looked around outside and in the rooms!”
Pat answered.
“He’s not here.
I can’t find him!”

“Ask the boys,”
said Mother.
“Maybe they saw him.
Don’t cry, Pat.
Someone will find him.”

Pat told Mark and Tom about Mr. Mugs.
“Don’t cry, Pat,” said Mark.
“He’ll come back.
Let’s go into the clubhouse and think.
I can think inside the clubhouse.”

They thought and thought
about Mr. Mugs. Then Mark said,
“This is what we should do.
Pat, you go and ask Cathy and your friends.
Tom, you go up our street.
That should do it. We’ll find that dog!”

Away they went.

Chapter 27: Lost! – A Dog! Part 1 (continued)

Pat cried when he told Cathy
about Mr. Mugs. He told his friends
about his lost dog.
They looked and looked, up the street and down.

“Did you see Mr. Mugs?”
“No, I didn’t.”

“Did you see Pat’s dog?
He’s lost.”
“No – I don’t think so.”

“Did you see a dog
about this big? He’s ours.
We can’t find him.”
“Sorry! No lost dogs
around here.”

They didn’t find him! He was lost!

Chapter 28: Lost! – A Dog! Part 1 (continued)
That night Pat didn’t want
to go to sleep. He wanted to cry.
He was thinking about Mr. Mugs.

“I have an idea!” said Tom
“Let’s sleep out in the clubhouse tonight.
There’s room for three. It should be fun!”

Pat liked the idea.
“This will be my first time to sleep
in the clubhouse,” he said.
“May we, Mommy?” he asked.

Mother thought this should help
Pat get to sleep. She said yes.
Then the boys got ready.

“This is going to be fun,” Pat thought.
“I’m sorry Mr. Mugs isn’t here.
He loves to have fun.”

It was dark in the clubhouse.
Mark and Tom put Pat on the inside.

Pat liked the clubhouse and
he liked to be out with the boys.
Mark told a funny story
and then Pat went to sleep.

Part 2

Mark thought he heard something near the clubhouse.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered.

“Yes, I heard it,” Tom whispered back. “It’s near the clubhouse.”

“I’m frightened,” whispered Pat. “Let’s run to the house.”

“Sh-!” whispered Mark. “It’ll hear you. I think it’s coming closer.”

“What do you think it is?” whispered Tom.

“I don’t know,” whispered Mark, “but I don’t like it.”

They heard it come closer and closer. “I’m frightened,” whispered Pat.

“SH-” whispered Mark. “I think it’s going away.”

“Yes,” said Tom. “I can’t hear it. We can go back to sleep now.”

“It’s a good thing I’m on the inside,” laughed Pat. “That was a close call.”

“Oh Pat,” answered Tom. “Nothing can get into the B.C.H. Go back to sleep!”

Pat and Mark went off to sleep, but Tom didn’t. He thought about the thing outside the clubhouse.
What was it?

Then he heard something.

“Mark! Mark!” he whispered.
“It’s back! It’s back!
Can you hear it?”

“Yes, I can” whispered Mark.
“What do you think it wants?
What can it be?
What does it sound like to you?”

“It sounds like a big man to me,”
answered Tom.
“SH! The sounds are coming closer!”

“I don’t like this clubhouse,”
Pat whispered. “I don’t like the sounds.”

“SH! SH! Pat!”

It was going around the clubhouse.

Then
C-R-A-S-H! BANG!
“THE TRAP!
THE TRAP!” shouted Mark

The cans made a sound like a rocket
blasting off.

Then they heard nothing –
not a sound –
nothing.

Pat heard a bark.

“It’s MR. MUGS! It’s MR. MUGS!”
shouted Pat. “That’s what it is!
Let me out!
LET ME OUT!”

There was Mr. Mugs!
He did look surprised!

Mother and Daddy heard the cans.

They heard the boys laughing.
“What on earth was that!” shouted Daddy.
“What’s wrong out there?”

“Nothing!” Pat shouted back.
“Mr. Mugs is home! HERE HE IS!”

“Look, boys,” called Mother.
“How about sleeping in the house tonight? I think there’s room for about three boys and one dog!”

“That sounds good to me!” laughed Pat.

Let’s Make Sure

Let’s Think

1. What is the opposite of:

2. Can you make something that is:

thinking?
sleeping?
blasting?
laughing?

Do You Know
1. Why the boys called it the B.C.H.?
2. How Bill made the trap?
3. Why Pat liked the clubhouse tree?
4. Why Mother didn’t punish Pat for going near the nest?

What Do You Think?
1. Why do you think Mother told Pat about Lyo and Bijou?
2. Do you think going away was a good idea? Why or why not?
3. Pat thought Mr. Mugs was lost that day when he went away. Do you think Mr. Mugs was lost?
4. Why did Mother let Pat run away?