Selection: B-56

B-56

Grade level: 2

Word count: 965 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: A clever rat finds a way to hide from an angry cat. He cuts the fur from every rats' tail!

Excerpt: "The cat knows my tail is bare," the rat thought. "All the other rats in this village have fur on their tails. The cat can easily spot me." The rat wondered what he should do. But he was a wise rat. He soon had a plan.

Question: In this selection, which character is the wisest?

1. the rat
2. the cat
3. the cook
4. the cook's wife

Selection: B-30

B-30

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1093 words

Author: Adapted from a story by Michael H. Levitt.

Synopsis: The best leader isn't always the biggest or the strongest.

Excerpt: "So you think Dakota's mask is funny," said someone behind them. Everyone turned. It was Maka, the tall village chief.

"No, Maka," the kids said.

Maka added, "All kinds of animals come together. For this one night, they are all friends."

The kids were silent, listening to Maka. "Tonight is the night that animals will come together. We must be ready to help them pick their king. Our village will come together just as the animals do. We will all work and play together."

Question: Which two of the following statements about Maka are correct?

1. He was not happy when the other children made fun of Dakota.
2. He was a tall man who was the village chief.
3. He agreed that Dakota was too small to make a wolf mask.
4. He told Dakota to catch the wolf and bring it to the village.
5. He forced the wolf to become the leader of the animals.

Selection: B-51

B-51

Grade level: 2

Word count: 573 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: There is an important lesson to be learned in a farmer's fields.

Excerpt: The third kind of plant was flax. The farmer's family did not eat it. So why did he plant it? Flax plants grew tall. In the fall, the farmer would cut them. Then the farmer would use dried flax to make nets.

Why did the farmer need nets? He used them to trap birds. During the winter, the farmer's family did not have much food. The farmer used nets to trap birds so his family could eat.

Question: Why did the farmer plant flax seeds?

1. So he would be able to feed his family in the winter.
2. So the birds would have plenty to eat.
3. Because his farm animals needed food to eat.
4. Because they grew faster than other kinds of seeds.

Selection: HiB-20

HiB-20

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1134 words

Author: Frank Scott York

Synopsis: Myles meets a mysterious swimmer while on a camping trip with his friends.

Excerpt: "I thought you'd be out there looking for her," he said, smiling. "No luck today?"

Myles stared at him. "I just left her," he said. "She lives in that big house on the other side of the lake."

The old man's smile faded. "No one has lived in the house across the lake in 10 years, not since the day the girl vanished." He shook his head. "I've been standing here watching you swim alone in the lake," he said. "There was no one else in the water but you."

Myles turned and looked out over the water. The sun was high now, and the girl was gone, somewhere in the brightness of the glittering lake.

Question: There are many ghost stories in cultures all over the world. Many ghost stories have strange things that happen in them, and they often take place in a lonely or quiet area with old buildings nearby. This selection can be called a ghost story because it tells about a

1. girl whom only certain people see, a quiet lake, and an old, empty house.
2. deep forest, a popular general store, and a man who tells stories.
3. young man, a busy vacation spot, and a bad accident.
4. camping trip, a bad decision, and three friends who run out of food.