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Table of contents
For years the most progressive educators have been urging that only good literature should be used in school readers. Some authors of primers have thought it impossible to provide such material with- in the vocabulary that beginners can learn with ease. Others have used a little real literature with a large amount of unrelated and uninteresting material specially prepared for the sake of word repe- tition and phonic drill.
Experience proves that all children are interested in and enjoy the simple folk tales, which are the literary products of many minds and have survived the centuries, because they represent certain uni- versal human experiences and satisfy certain common needs of childhood. Through countless repetitions, from one generation to another, they have assumed a form marked by simplicity and a unique literary charm.
After years of careful work we present some of these tales so as to utilize the child’s love for the stories and make an easy road to reading. Avoiding the long struggle through forced interest, and the devious byways of artificial methods, we start the child at once into the realm of good, appropriate literature.
The Authors
CONTENTS
PAGE
The Little Red Hen 1
The Gingerbread Boy 11
The Old Woman and the Pig 25
The Boy and the Goat 39
The Pancake 51
Chicken Little 65
The Billy Goats Gruff 77
Little Tuppens 89
Little Spider’s First Web 103
TO LITTLE CHILDREN LEARNING TO READ
The Little Red Hen
seed wheat plant
The little red hen found a seed. It was a little seed.
The little red hen found a seed. It was a wheat seed.
The little red hen found a seed. It was a wheat seed.
The little red hen said, “Who will plant the seed?”
pig cat dog
The little red hen said, “Who will plant the seed?”
The pig said, “Not I.” The cat said, “Not I.” The dog said, “Not I.”
The little red hen said, “I will.”
cut then
The little red hen said, “Who will cut the wheat?”
The pig said, “Not I.” The cat said, “Not I.” The dog said, “Not I.”
The little red hen said,
“I will then.” And she did.
thresh
The little red hen said, “Who will thresh the wheat?”
The pig said, “Not I.” The cat said, “Not I.” The dog said, “Not I.”
The little red hen said,
“I will then.” And she did.
grind
The little red hen said, “Who will grind the wheat?”
The pig said, “Not I.” The cat said, “Not I.” The dog said, “Not I.”
The little red hen said,
“I will then.” And she did.
make bread
The little red hen said, “Who will make the bread?”
The pig said, “Not I.” The cat said, “Not I.” The dog said, “Not I.”
The little red hen said,
“I will then.” And she did.
eat
The little red hen said, “Who will eat the bread?”
The pig said, “I will.” The cat said, “I will.” The dog said, “I will.”
The little red hen said,
“You shall not eat the bread.
I will eat it.” And she did.
Review Story
The little red hen found a seed. It was a wheat seed.
She said, “Who will plant the wheat? Who will cut the wheat? Who will thresh the wheat? Who will grind the wheat? Who will make the bread?”
The pig said, “I will not.” The cat said, “I will not.” The dog said, “I will not.”
The little red hen said, “Then you shall not eat the bread.”
The Gingerbread Boy
There was a little old woman. There was a little old man.
The little old woman had a cat. The little old man had a pig.
wanted The little old woman wanted a boy. The little old man wanted a boy. The little old woman said,
“I will make a gingerbread boy.” So she made a gingerbread boy.
The gingerbread boy ran away. He ran away
from the little old woman, He ran away
from the little old man, He ran, and he ran, and he ran.
The gingerbread boy met a cat. He said,
“I am a gingerbread boy,
I am, I am, I am,
I ran away from the little old woman.
I ran away
from the little old man, I can run away from you, I can, I can, I can. ” And he ran, and he ran, and he ran.
The gingerbread boy met a pig.
He said,
“I am a gingerbread boy,
I am, I am, I am.
I ran away from the little old woman,
I ran away from the little old man,
I ran away from the cat,
I can run away from you,
I can, I can, I can.” And he ran, and he ran, and he ran.
The gingerbread boy met a dog.
He said, “I am a gingerbread boy,
I am, I am, I am.
I ran away
from the little old woman,
I ran away
from the little old man, I ran away from the cat, I ran away from the pig, I can run away from you, I can, I can, I can.” And he ran, and he ran, and he ran.
The gingerbread boy met a hen.
He said, “I am a gingerbread boy, I am, I am, I am. I ran away
from the little old woman, I ran away
from the little old man, I ran away from the cat, I ran away from the pig, I ran away from the dog, I can run away from you, I can, I can, I can.”
And he ran, and he ran, and he ran.
The gingerbread boy met a fox.
He said, “I am a gingerbread boy, I am, I am, I am. I ran away from the hen, I ran away from the dog, I ran away from the pig, I ran away from the cat,
I ran away from the little old woman,
I ran away from the little old man,
I can run away from you,
I can, I can, I can.”
And he ran, and he ran, and he ran
The fox said, “You can run away
from the little old woman. You can run away
from the little old man, You can run away from the pig. You can run away from the dog.
You can run away from the cat, You can run away from the hen, But you can not run away from the fox. I shall eat you.” And he did.
There was a little old woman. There was a little old man. The little old woman wanted a boy. The little old man wanted a boy. So she made a gingerbread boy. The gingerbread boy ran away.
He ran away
from the little old woman,
He ran away
from the little old man,
He ran away from the pig. He ran away from the cat. He ran away from the dog. He ran away from the hen. He did not run away from the fox.
The Old Woman and the Pig
An old woman found a sixpence. She wanted a pig. She said,
“I can get a pig.
I can get a pig with the sixpence.” And she did.
The pig came to a stile.
The old woman said, “Pig, pig, get over the stile.”
The pig said,
“I won’t get over the stile.” And he ran away. He ran away
from the old woman.
bite home
The old woman met a dog.
She said, “Dog, dog, bite pig. Pig won’t get over the stile. And I can not get home to-night.”
The dog said,
“I won’t bite pig.”
stick beat
The old woman met a stick.
She said, “Stick, stick, beat dog. Dog won’t bite pig. Pig won’t get over the stile, And I can not get home to-night.’
The stick said, “I won’t beat dog.”
fire bum
The old woman met a fire.
She said,
“Fire, fire, bum stick.
Stick won’t beat dog,
Dog won’t bite pig,
Pig won’t get over the stile,
And I can not get home to-night.”
The fire said,
“I won’t bum stick.”
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water quench
The old woman met some water. She said,
“Water, water, quench fire.
Fire won’t bum stick.
Stick won’t beat dog,
Dog won’t bite pig.
Pig won’t get over the stile.
And I can not get home to-night.”
The water said, “I won’t quench fire.’
ox drink
The old woman met an ox.
She said,
“Ox, ox, drink water. Water won’t quench fire, Fire won’t bum stick, Stick won’t beat dog, Dog won’t bite pig,
Pig won’t get over the stile. And I can not get home to-night.”
The ox said, “I won’t drink water.”
butcher kill
The old woman met a butcher. She said,
“Butcher, butcher, kill ox.
Ox won’t drink water,
Water won’t quench fire,
Fire won’t bum stick,
Stick won’t beat dog.
Dog won’t bite pig.
Pig won’t get over the stile,
And I can not get home to-night.’
The butcher said, “I won’t kill ox.”
rope hang
The old woman met a rope.
She said, “Rope, rope, hang butcher. Butcher won^t kill ox, Ox won^t drink water. Water won’t quench fire, Fire won’t bum stick. Stick won’t beat dog, Dog won’t bite pig. Pig won’t get over the stile. And I can not get home to-night.”
The rope said, “I won’t hang butcher.”
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rat gnaw
The old woman met a rat.
She said, “Rat, rat, gnaw rope. Rope won’t hang butcher, Butcher won’t kill ox, Ox won’t drink water, Water won’t quench fire, Fire won’t bum stick.
stick won’t beat dog,
Dog won’t bite pig,
Pig won’t get over the stile.
And I can not get home to-night.”
The rat said, “Get me some cheese. And I will gnaw the rope.”
The old woman got some cheese. She gave it to the rat.
The rat began to gnaw the rope, The rope began to hang the butcher, The butcher began to kill the ox. The ox began to drink the water, The water began to quench the fire. The fire began to bum the stick, The stick began to beat the dog. The dog began to bite the pig. The pig got over the stile. And the old woman got home that night.
The Boy and the Goat
A little boy had a goat. The goat ran away. He ran into the woods. He found some grass. He wanted to eat the grass.
The little boy wanted to go home. The goat would not go home.
The little boy said, “I can not go home. My goat ran into the woods. He will not go home.”
Then the boy began to cry.
A rabbit came by.
He said, “Why do you cry, little boy?”
The boy said, “I cry because my goat ran away. He ran into the woods. He will not go home.”
after
The rabbit said, “Do not cry, little boy. I can make the goat go home.”
The rabbit ran into the woods. He ran after the goat. The goat would not go home. Then the rabbit began to cry.
squirrel cries
A squirrel came by. He said, “Why do you cry, little rabbit?”
The rabbit said,
“I cry because the little boy cries. The little boy cries
because the goat will not go home.”
The squirrel said, “Do not cry, little boy. I can make the goat go home.”
The squirrel ran into the woods. He ran after the goat. The goat would not go home. Then the squirrel began to cry.
A fox came by. He said,
“Why do you cry, little squirrel?” The squirrel said,
“I cry because the rabbit cries. The rabbit cries
because the boy cries. The boy cries
because the goat will not go home.”
The fox said, “Do not cry, little boy. I can make the goat go home.”
The fox ran into the woods. He ran after the goat. The goat would not go home. Then the fox began to cry.
bee flew
A little bee flew by. It said,
“Why do you cry, little fox?”
The fox said,
“I cry because the squirrel cries. The squirrel cries
because the rabbit cries. The rabbit cries
because the boy cries.
The boy cries
because the goat will not go home.”
laughed
The little bee said, “Do not cry, little boy. I can make the goat go home.”
The fox laughed and said,
“I can not make the goat go home.
Can a little bee make it go home?” Then the fox laughed and laughed.
buzz sting
The little bee flew into the woods. It said, “Buzz, buzz.”
The goat said, “A bee can sting. I will run.”
The goat ran home.
Then the little boy laughed.
He said, “Thank you, little bee.”
The Pancake
An old woman had seven children. She made a big pancake. The children said,
“We want that big pancake.” The pancake heard the children. It said,
“The children shall not eat me.” And it rolled away.
stop rolled
The old woman ran after the pancake. The seven children ran after it. The old woman said,
“Stop, pancake.
My children want to eat you.”
The pancake said,
“I can not stop for you.” And it rolled away.
saw good-day
An old man saw the pancake. He said, “Good-day, pancake.”
“Good-day, old man,” said the pancake.
“Stop,” said the old man. “Do not go so fast. I want to eat you.”
The pancake said, “I did not stop for the old woman, I did not stop for the seven children, I can not stop for you.”
And it rolled away.
It rolled, and it rolled, and it rolled.
A hen saw the pancake.
She said, “Good-day, pancake.”
“Good-day, hen,” said the pancake.
“Stop, pancake,” said the hen. “Do not go so fast. I want to eat you.”
The pancake said, “I did not stop for the old woman, I did not stop
for the seven children, I did not stop for the old man, I can not stop for you.”
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And it rolled away.
It rolled, and it rolled, and it rolled.
cock A cock saw the pancake.
He said, “Good-day to you, pancake.”
“Good-day, cock,” said the pancake.
“Stop,” said the cock. “Do not go so fast. I want to eat you.”
The pancake said, “I did not stop for the old woman, I did not stop
for the seven children, I did not stop for the old man, I did not stop for the hen, I can not stop for you.”
And it rolled away.
It rolled, and it rolled, and it rolled.
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A boy saw the pancake. “Stop, stop,” said the boy.
“You are a big pancake.
I want to eat you.”
The pancake said, “I did not stop for the old woman, I did not stop for the seven children.
I did not stop for the old man, I did not stop for the hen, I did not stop for the cock, I can not stop for you.”
And it rolled away.
It rolled, and it rolled, and it rolled.
A dog saw the pancake. “Stop, stop,” said the dog.
“You are a big pancake. I want to eat you.”
The pancake said, “I did not stop for the old woman, I did not stop
for the seven children, I did not stop for the old man, I did not stop for the cock, I did not stop for the hen, I did not stop for the boy, I can not stop for you.”
And it rolled away.
It rolled, and it rolled, and it rolled.
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woods The pancake came to the woods. A pig saw the pancake. “Good-day to you,” said the pig. “Good-day,” said the pancake. “Do not go so fast,” said the pig. “I will go into the woods with you.”
brook swim
The pancake said, “I thank you.
I will go with you.” So they went into the woods. They came to a brook.
The pig said,
“I can swim over the brook.” “I can not swim,” said the pancake.
“I can not go into the water.”
good snout
The pig said,
“Get on my snout,
And I will swim over with you.” The pancake got on the pig’s snout. The pig said, “Ouf, ouf !
You are a good pancake.” And he ate it up.
Chicken Little
Chicken Little was in the woods. A seed fell on his tail. Chicken Little said,
“The sky is falling.
I will run.”
Henny Penny
Chicken Little met Henny Penny.
He said, “The sky is falling, Henny Penny.”
Henny Penny said, “How do you know. Chicken Little?”
Chicken Little said, “Some of it fell on my tail.”
“We will run,” said Henny Penny. “We will run and tell the king.”
Turkey Lurkey
They met Turkey Lurkey. Henny Penny said, “The sky is falling, Turkey Lurkey.”
“How do you know, Henny Penny?”
“Chicken Little told me.”
“How do you know, Chicken Little?”
“I saw it with my eyes. I heard it with my ears. Some of it fell on my tail.”
Turkey Lurkey said, “We will run. We will run and tell the king.”
Ducky Lucky They met Ducky Lucky.
Turkey Lurkey said, “The sky is falling, Ducky Lucky.”
“How do you know, Turkey Lurkey?”
“Henny Penny told me.”
“How do you know, Henny Penny?”
“Chicken Little told me.”
” How do you know, Chicken Little?”
“I saw it with my eyes. I heard it with my ears.
Some of it fell on my tail. Ducky Lucky said.
“We will run.
We will run and tell the king.”
Goosey Loosey They met Goosey Loosey. Ducky Lucky said, “The sky is falling, Goosey Loosey.”
“How do you know. Ducky Lucky?”
“Turkey Lurkey told me.”
“How do you know, Turkey Lurkey?”
“Henny Penny told me.”
“How do you know, Henny Penny?”
“Chicken Little told me.”
“How do you know, Chicken Little?”
“I saw it with my eyes. I heard it with my ears. Some of it fell on my tail.”
Goosey Loosey said, “We will run. We will run and tell the king.”
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Foxy Loxy
They met Foxy Loxy.
Goosey Loosey said, “The sky is falling, Foxy Loxy.”
“How do you know, Goosey Loosey?’
“Ducky Lucky told me.”
‘How do you know, Ducky Lucky.”
“Turkey Lurkey told me.”.
‘ How do you know, Turkey Lurkey? “
*Henny Penny told me.”
‘How do you know, Henny Penny?”
‘Chicken Little told me.”
‘How do you know, Chicken Little?”
‘ I saw it with my eyes. I heard it with my ears. Some of it fell on my tail.”
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den Foxy Loxy said, “We will run. We will run into niy den, And I will tell the king.” They ran into Foxy Loxy’s den, But they did not come out again.
Review Story
Chicken Little was in the woods.
A seed fell on his tail.
He met Henny Penny and said,
“The sky is falling.
I saw it with my eyes.
I heard it with my ears.
Some of it fell on my tail.” He met Turkey Lurkey, Ducky Lucky,
and Goosey Loosey. They ran to tell the king. They met Foxy Loxy. They ran into his den, And they did not come out again.
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Three Billy Goats Gruff
once great
Once there were three billy goats. There was Little Billy Goat Gruff. There was Big Billy Goat Gruff. And there was
Great Big Billy Goat Gruff.
bridge hillside
The goats’ home was by a bridge. Over the bridge was a hillside. There was grass on the hillside. The billy goats wanted the grass. They wanted to eat it. They wanted to get fat.
Little Billy Goat Gruff said, “I will go over the bridge.”
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troll under
Great Big Billy Goat said, “A big troll is under the bridge. Trolls eat billy goats.”
Little Billy Goat Gruff said, “The troll will not eat me. Trolls do not eat little billy goats.”
went trips
Little Billy Goat Gruff went
on the bridge. The bridge said, “Trip-trip.”
The troll said, “Who trips over my bridge?”
“Little Billy Goat Gruff trips over the bridge.”
“Why do you trip over my bridge?”
“I want to eat the grass on the hillside/^
“You shall not trip over my bridge. I will eat you.”
“Do not eat me. Big Billy Goat Gruff will come. You can eat him.”
“Go on, then,” said the troll.
“Trip-trip, trip-trip, trip-trip.” And little Billy Goat Gruff went to the hillside.
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Big Billy Goat Gruff said, “The troll did not eat little Billy. I will go over the bridge.”
Big Billy Goat Gruff went
on the bridge. “Trip-trip, trip-trip,” said the bridge.
The troll said, “Who trips over my bridge?”
“Big Billy Goat GrufF trips over the bridge.”
“Why do you trip over my bridge?”
“I want to eat the grass on the hillside.”
“You shall not eat the grass. I will eat you.”
“Do not eat me. Great Big Billy Goat Gruft is big, He will come over the bridge. You can eat him.”
“Go on, then,” said the troll.
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“Trip-trip, trip-trip, trip-trip.” And Big Billy Goat Gruff went to the hillside.
Great Big Billy Goat Gruff said, “I will go over the bridge. I can make the troll run.”
horns
Great Big Billy Goat Gruff went on the bridge.
The bridge said, “Trip-trip, trip-trip, trip-trip/’
The troll said, “Who trips over my bridge?”
“Great Big Billy Goat Gruff trips over the bridge.”
“Why do you trip over my bridge?”
“I want to eat the grass on the hillside.”
“You shall not trip over my bridge. I will eat you.”
Great Big Billy Goat Gruff said,
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“Come from under the bridge.
I want to see you.
I want you to see me.
I want you to see my big horns.’
The troll came from under the bridge. He saw Great Big Billy Goat Gruff. He saw his big horns.
Great Big Billy Goat Gruff ran at the troll with his horns.
The troll fell into the water.
Then Great Big Billy Goat Gruff went to the hillside.
The billy goats ate the grass.
And they got fat.
Little Tuppens
her them
A hen went into the woods. A Uttle chicken went with her. The chicken was little Tuppens. Little Tuppens found some seeds. The old hen said,
“Do not eat the big seeds.” Little Tuppens wanted the big seeds. So he ate them.
spring choking
The hen saw little Tuppens choking. She ran to the spring. She said,
“Please give me some water,
Little Tuppens is choking.” The spring said,
“Get me a cup.
Then I can give you some water.”
oak-tree shake
The old hen ran to the oak-tree.
She said, “Please give me a cup. I want to get some water, Little Tuppens is choking.”
The oak-tree said, “Shake me. Then I can give you a cup.”
shoes The old hen ran to the httle boy. She said,
“Please shake the oak-tree.
I want a cup.
Then I can get some water,
Little Tuppens is choking.”
The little boy said, “Get me some shoes. Then I can shake the oak-tree.”
shoemaker leather
The old hen ran to the shoemaker. She said,
“Please make some shoes.
I want them for the little boy.
Then he will shake the oak-tree,
The oak-tree will give me a cup.
The spring will give me some water.
I want it for little Tuppens.
He is choking.”
The shoemaker said, “Get me some leather. Then I can make some shoes.’
The old hen ran to the cow. She said,
“Please give me some leather.
I want it for the shoemaker.
Then he will make some shoes,
The boy will shake the oak-tree.
The oak-tree will give me a cup, The spring will give me some water. I want it for little Tuppens. He is choking.”
The cow said, “Get me some com. Then I can give you some leather.”
farmer plow
The old hen ran to the farmer.
She said, “Please give me some com. I want it for the cow.
- The cow will give me some leather, The shoemaker will make some shoes. The boy will shake the oak-tree. The oak-tree will give me a cup, The spring will give me some water. I want it for little Tuppens. He is choking.” The farmer said, “Get me a plow. Then I can give you some com.” 97 blacksmith iron
The old hen ran to the blacksmith.
She said, “Please make me a plow. I want it for the farmer. Then he will give me some corn, The cow will give me some leather. The shoemaker will make some shoes, The boy will shake the oak-tree.
The oak-tree will give me a cup, The spring will give me some water. I want it for little Tuppens. He is choking.”
The blacksmith said, “Get me some iron. Then I can make a plow.”
dwarfs The old hen ran to the dwarfs.
She said, “Please give me some iron. I want it for the blacksmith. Then he will make a plow, The farmer will give me some com, The cow will give me some leather. The shoemaker will make some shoes, The boy will shake the oak-tree, The oak-tree will give me a cup.
The spring will give me some water.
I want it for little Tuppens.
He is choking.
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help ground
The dwarfs wanted to help
little Tuppens. They went into the ground. They got the red iron. They gave it to the hen. The hen gave it to the blacksmith. The blacksmith made a plow, The farmer gave some com,
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The cow gave some leather, The shoemaker made some shoes. The boy shook the oak-tree. The oak-tree gave a cup, The spring gave some water. The hen gave the water
to little Tuppens. Then little Tuppens ate little seeds.
Little Spider’s First Web
spinning swing
A big spider saw a little spider. The little spider was spinning a web. It was her first web.
The big spider got on his web. And he began to swing.
fly
buzz
A fly saw the big spider on his web.
He said, “Why do you swing, big spider?”
“I swing because little spider is spinning her first web,
The fly said, “Then I will buzz. I will buzz and buzz.”
ยป
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hum A bee heard the fly buzz. She said, “Why do you buzz, httle fly?”
“I buzz because little spider is spinning her first web.”
The bee said, “Then I will hum. I will hum and hum.”
cricket
chirp
A cricket heard the bee hum.
He said, “Why do you hum, little bee?”
“I hum because little spider is spinning her first web.”
The cricket said, “Then I will chirp. I will chirp and chirp.”
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ant
An ant heard the cricket chirp.
She said, “Why do you chirp, cricket?”
“I chirp because little spider is spinning her first web.”
The ant said, “Then I will run to and fro. I will run and run.”
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butterfly
A butterfly saw the ant run to and fro. She said, “Why do you run to and fro?”
“I run because httle spider is spinning her first web.”
The butterfly said, “Then I will fly. I will fly and fly.”
bird sing
A bird saw the butterfly.
She said, “Why do you fly, butterfly?”
“I fly because httle spider is spinning her first web.”
The bird said, “Then I will sing.
I will sing and sing.
I will make the children happy.”
The children heard the bird sing. They saw the butterfly fly. They saw the ant run to and fro. They heard the cricket chirp. They heard the bee hum.
They heard the fly buzz.
Ill
They saw the big spider swing on his web.
They saw the little spider spinning her first web.
The children were happy.
THE END
