1.     A Baby and a Sock

The mother gave her baby a red apple. The baby tried to eat the apple. His mouth was too small. And he didn’t have any teeth. His brother took the apple. His brother ate the apple. The baby cried. His brother gave the baby a blue ball to play with. The baby smiled. His brother took the ball from the baby. He rolled the ball on the floor. The brown and white dog picked up the ball. The dog chewed on the ball. The baby cried again. His brother picked up the cat. He put the cat on the bed with the baby. The baby pulled the cat’s tail. The cat jumped off the bed. The dog chased the cat. The baby cried again. His brother let the baby hold a sock. The baby played with the sock. The baby was happy.

2. Birds and a Baby

The baby was lying on her back. A blue bird flew in through the window. The blue bird had blue eyes. It sat on the baby’s crib. The bird had a bell around its neck. The bell rang. The baby smiled. The baby reached for the bell. The bird shook its head. The bell fell off the bird’s neck. It fell next to the baby. The baby picked up the bell. The baby rang the bell. Another blue bird flew in through the window. This blue bird also had blue eyes. The baby had brown eyes. The birds looked at the baby. The baby looked at the birds. The baby rang the bell again. Both birds flew away. The baby started to cry. His mama came into the room. The baby smiled. Mama saw the bell. She asked the baby where the bell came from. The baby pointed at the window.

3. A Cat and a Dog

The black cat jumped up onto the chair. It looked down at the white dog. The dog was chewing on a bone. The cat jumped onto the dog. The dog kept chewing the bone. The cat played with the dog’s tail. The dog kept chewing the bone. The cat jumped back onto the chair. It started licking its paws. The dog stood up. It looked at the cat. It licked the cat’s fur. The cat licked the dog’s nose. The dog went back to its bone. A boy ran through the room. He was wearing a yellow shirt. He almost ran into the chair. The cat jumped off the chair. The cat jumped onto the sofa. The chair fell onto the floor next to the dog. The dog stopped chewing the bone. The dog chased the boy. The boy ran out to the street. He threw a stick. The dog chased the stick. The dog lay down. It chewed on the stick.

4. The Baby Bear

The baby bear followed his mama. Mama bear walked through the woods. She was looking for berries to eat. She found some black berries. She started eating them. The baby started eating them, too. They ate all the berries. Baby bear was full. Mama bear was still hungry. She started walking again. She wanted to find more berries to eat. Baby bear lay down. He was full. He wanted to take a nap. But mama bear came back. She growled at baby bear. He understood mama’s growl. When mama growled, he obeyed. He got up and followed his mama. Someday he would take a nap after a meal. A squirrel ran up a tree with a nut. It dropped the nut and ran back down to the ground. It picked up the nut and looked at baby bear. Then it ran back up the tree. Baby bear did not like nuts. They were too hard to open.

5. An Apple Pie

The tree was full of red apples. The farmer was riding his brown horse. He stopped under the tree. He reached out and picked an apple off a branch. He bit into the raw apple. He enjoyed the apple. His horse turned its head to look at him. The farmer picked another apple off the tree. He gave it to the horse. The horse ate the raw apple. The horse enjoyed the apple. The farmer put a dozen apples into a bag. He rode the horse back home. He put the horse in the barn. He walked into his house. The cat rubbed up against his leg. He gave the cat a bowl of warm milk. He sat down on the sofa. He opened a book to read. His wife came home. She cooked the raw apples. She made an apple pie. They ate bread and hot soup for dinner. They enjoyed the bread and soup. They had hot apple pie for dessert. They both enjoyed the apple pie.

6. The Top Bunk

He and his brother slept in a bunk bed. He had the bottom bunk. His brother had the top bunk. The top bunk had a guard rail. The rail kept the sleeper safe. His brother didn’t like the rail. He always left it down. One time his brother fell out of the top bunk. He hit the carpet and woke up. He said, “Ouch!” Then he climbed back into the top bunk. When he woke up the next day, his back was sore. Mom took him to see the doctor. The doctor examined him. The doctor said he was okay. He said to keep the guard rail up. His brother said he would do that. That night his brother climbed into the top bunk again. He left the guard rail down. He said the guard rail was like jail. He didn’t want to feel like he was in jail. He fell asleep. Then he fell out of the top bunk again.

7. Ask Santa

It is December. That means it is Christmas time. Christmas time means Santa Claus is coming. Sara and Billy love Christmas. They love Santa Claus. They love the gifts from Santa. Last year they got nice gifts. Sara got a teddy bear and a rubber duck. Billy got a green boat and a rubber duck. The rubber ducks float. When Sara takes a bath, her pink duck floats in the water. When Billy takes a bath, his blue duck floats in the water. One time Billy put a goldfish into the tub. It swam for a while. Then it died. He buried it in the back yard. He was sad. This year Sara and Billy want bicycles. Sara wants a red bike. Billy wants a blue bike. Mama said she would talk to daddy. Sara asked mama, “Why don’t you talk to Santa?” Mama said, “That’s a good idea. When daddy comes home, he and I will talk to Santa.”

8. A Birthday Bike

January 7 is Benny’s birthday. He will be eight years old. He is in the third grade. He goes to Park Elementary School. An elementary school is for kids. It is only one mile away. He walks to school. It only takes 20 minutes. When it rains, he wears a raincoat. He used to take an umbrella. But he lost the umbrella. His mother gave him another umbrella. He broke that one. His mom said, “You and umbrellas don’t get along.” For his eighth birthday, Benny wants a bicycle. He can ride the bike to school. After school he can ride with his friends. He can ride the bike to the swimming pool. He can ride the bike to the library. His mom and dad took him to the bike store. They asked him to look at the bikes. He looked at all the bikes. He chose a red bike. He showed his parents. Dad said it cost too much. He told Benny to choose another bike. Benny chose a blue bike. Dad said the blue bike was the right price.

9. In the Garden

Mama was in the garden. “What are you doing?” Johnny asked. She said she was planting roses. Roses are flowers. They are very pretty. They are usually red. Roses have thorns. His mama said, “Thorns will stick you. Be careful around thorns.” Johnny went to the front yard. His dog Rex was waiting for him. Johnny picked up a stick and threw it. Rex chased the stick. He brought the stick back. Johnny ran around the house. Rex chased him. Johnny ran through the garden. Rex ran through the garden. Mom yelled at Johnny and Rex. She told them to play somewhere else. She told them to stay out of the garden. Johnny apologized to his mom. He went to the garage and got his bike. He went for a bike ride. Rex ran next to the bike.

10. Today’s Mail

The mailman put the mail in the mailbox. Dad went outside. He said hello to the mailman. The mailman said hello. Dad opened the mailbox and took out a magazine and two letters. One letter was from his sister. The other letter was from his brother. The magazine was for his wife. It was a garden magazine. His wife liked to work in the garden. She grew flowers and vegetables in the garden. Dad went back into the house. He opened both letters. His sister invited him to a birthday party. His brother invited him to a wedding. Dad enjoyed reading the letters. He enjoyed getting the invitations. He picked up the phone. He left a message for his sister. He would come to the birthday party. He also called his brother. He said he would come to the wedding.

11. Boys Will Be Boys

The two brothers loved each other. But sometimes they argued with each other. Sometimes they yelled at each other. Sometimes they pushed each other. Sometimes they hit each other. Sometimes they got into a fight with each other. Bobby was the older brother. Billy was the younger brother. Bobby was older than Billy. Billy was younger than Bobby. Bobby climbed into a tree. His kite was in the tree. He could not reach his kite. He fell out of the tree. Billy laughed. He laughed when he saw Bobby fall to the ground. Bobby was not hurt. But he was angry. “Why are you laughing?” he asked Billy. “That was funny!” Billy said. Bobby said it wasn’t funny. Billy said it was funny. Bobby pushed Billy. Billy pushed Bobby. Bobby punched Billy in the stomach. Billy punched Bobby in the stomach. They put their arms around each other. They wrestled on the ground. They rolled around and around. Their mom came outside. “What are you two doing?” she asked. She separated them. She said, “You shouldn’t hit each other. That’s not nice. Wait till your father gets home.” She sent them to their rooms.

12. A Good Meal

The children were hungry. They looked out the window. Where was their mother? She walked into the house. The children ran over to her. “Mama, we’re so hungry,” they both said. She said lunch was coming. She walked into the kitchen. She opened a can of chicken soup. She poured the soup into a pot. She added water. She put the pot on the stove. She made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She sliced an apple. The soup was hot. She poured it into two bowls. She put the sandwiches on two plates. She put apple slices on each plate. She put the bowls and plates on the table. The children ran to the table. “Thank you, mommy!” they said. Then they started eating. The cat and the dog watched them eat.

13. No Food, No Job

I am an adult. I’m not a kid. I’m a grown-up. I need some money. I have no food. I am hungry. I am not thirsty, because water is everywhere. But water has no taste. I want to drink a soda. I want to drink milk. I want to drink coffee. I want to work. Nobody will hire me. Nobody is hiring anybody. Companies are firing people. Companies are laying off people. Everyone is looking for a job. I cannot pay my rent. I will have to live in my car. I don’t want to live in my car. My car has no bed. Everyone should live in a house or an apartment. Many people don’t have a car. They live on the street. A street has no bed. Nobody should live on the street. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go. Maybe I will go to church. Maybe I will find help there.

14. New Shoes

She is young. Her shoes are old. She wears them to work. She goes to work five days a week. She loves her work. She is a waitress. She works at a restaurant. The restaurant is near her home. She walks to the restaurant. She stands up all day long. She is young and strong. But her shoes are not. They are old. She saw an ad in the paper. All shoes were on sale at the shoe store. She walked into the store. She looked around. She saw some black shoes. They looked good. She tried them on. They were very comfortable. They felt good. They were only $25. She paid cash. She wore them home. She felt good. She was ready for work the next day.

15. No Friends for Me

I am lonely. I am always by myself. I meet people every day. I smile at them. I say hello. I am nice to them. I want to have a friend. But I have no friends. What is wrong with me? I am polite. I am friendly. I am nice. I am kind. Why don’t people like me? All I want is one friend. Everyone has one friend. I always see people with their friends. They laugh with each other. They have fun with each other. They do things with each other. What about me? I am by myself. I watch TV by myself. I go to movies by myself. I go to restaurants by myself. I go to the park by myself. I told my mother that I am lonely. She said it is my fault. “Why?” I asked. She said, “Because you never ask anyone to be with you.” My mom is right. I never ask people to be with me. I am afraid they will say no.

16. Life Is Good

I am happy. I have many friends. I have a large family. I have four brothers and four sisters. I am in the middle. Four brothers are older than me. Four sisters are younger than me. I go to school. I am in the sixth grade. I like my teachers. My teachers like me. I have friends in every class. My favorite class is history. I like to read about history. History is a story about our past. Soon we will all be history. Then kids in school will read about us. I hope they like our stories. My best friend is Bobby. Bobby and I do many things together. We swim together. We play basketball together. We ride our bikes together. I have many other friends. We all go to the mall on weekends. We go to movies. We go to restaurants. We tell jokes. We laugh. We have fun. Life is great.

17. Tell the Truth

She was angry. She was angry at her husband. He lied to her. He lied many times. She was tired of his lies. She said enough was enough. She took off her ring. She dropped it into the toilet. She flushed the toilet. She got into her car. She got on the freeway. She drove the car fast. She was crying. She was very sad. She drove the car faster. She passed many cars. The speed limit was 60 mph. She was going 80 mph. A cop saw her. The cop chased her. The cop turned on his red light. He turned on his siren. She heard the cop car. She saw the flashing light. She drove faster. Now she was going 90 mph. The cop drove faster. It started to rain. She didn’t slow down. She lost control. The car rolled over. It rolled over and over. She died before it came to a stop.

18. Corn for People and Animals

The farmer drives a tractor. The tractor digs up the ground. He plants yellow corn in the ground. He plants the yellow corn in the spring. The corn grows in the summer. The rain helps the corn grow. If there is no rain, the corn dies. If there is a lot of rain, there is a lot of corn. He harvests the yellow corn in late summer. He sells the corn at his vegetable stand. He sells one ear for 25 cents. He sells four ears for $1. He sells all his corn in just one month. The neighbors love his corn. The corn is fresh. It is bright yellow. It is tasty. It is delicious. The birds love his corn, too. They don’t pay for it. They eat it while it is in the field. They don’t cook it. They eat it raw. The farmer doesn’t get angry. Birds have to eat, too. So do cows. The farmer has one cow. He gives his cow fresh corn every summer. The cow loves the corn. It eats a lot of yellow corn in the summer. Sometimes it makes yellow milk.

19. God Loves Babies

The husband and wife wanted to have a baby. They prayed for a baby. God answered their prayers. The doctor said they were going to have a baby. The wife asked, “How many?” The doctor said he didn’t know yet. The husband and wife were very happy. Now they would have a baby. They both wanted to have a baby. They visited the doctor a month later. He examined the wife. He used a special machine. He saw the baby. He saw more than one baby. He saw two babies. He saw more than two babies. He counted the babies. He told the wife, “You will have more than one baby. You will have eight babies.” The wife couldn’t believe it. Her husband couldn’t believe it. Eight babies! “We will have a big family,” said the husband. “We will have a very big family,” said the wife. “But how can we pay for all these babies?” asked the husband. “We can pay for one baby. But eight babies cost a lot of money. How can we pay for eight babies?” The wife said, “We will find a way. God will help us find a way.” They both smiled. They would have a big happy family.

20. Don’t Be Late

He was late. He was always late. Why did time always go so fast? Time always went too fast. He looked at his watch. He looked at the clock on the wall. They both said 6:10. He had to leave in 10 minutes. But first he had to shave. Then he had to brush his teeth. Then he had to get dressed. Shaving took time. Brushing his teeth took time. Getting dressed took time. But he had only 10 minutes. So he turned off the TV. He turned off the radio, too. He turned off the table lamp. He went into the bathroom. He shaved. He brushed his teeth. He went into his bedroom. He got dressed. He looked at his watch. He looked at the clock on the wall. They both said 6:25. He had to hurry. He went out to his car. He drove fast. He slowed down at a stop sign. A cop saw him. The cop wrote him a ticket. “Why didn’t you stop at the stop sign?” the cop asked. “But officer, I was in a hurry,” he said. The cop gave him the ticket. The cop said, “Leave home earlier next time.”

21. A Clean Car

He had a blue car. He loved his blue car. It was dark blue. It had four doors. It was not a new car. It was an old car. But it had new tires. It had new black tires. All four tires were new. He felt safe with his new tires. They would not blow out. He could drive everywhere with his new tires. His car was dirty. He needed to wash it. The windows were dirty. The doors were dirty. The hood was dirty. The trunk was dirty. The bumpers were dirty. The tires weren’t dirty. They were new tires. They were black and shiny. They looked good. He did not have to wash his tires. But he did have to wash his car. He put water into a bucket. He put a sponge into the bucket. He washed his car with the sponge. He dried his car with a towel. His car was shiny blue now. It looked like new. Now his old car was as shiny as his new tires.

22. Just a Cough

The TV reporter coughed. Then she coughed again. The other TV reporter was worried. “Are you okay?” he asked. She couldn’t answer. She continued to cough. She coughed and coughed. The other reporter dialed 911. “What is the emergency?” the 911 person asked. “I think my friend is dying,” said the reporter. “What is your address?” asked the 911 person. “We are at 123 West Hill Street,” said the reporter. “Someone will be right there,” said the 911 person. But then the woman stopped coughing. She said she was fine. She said thanks to the other reporter. He said, “You’re welcome.” He called 911 again. He said the emergency was over. He said his friend was okay. She would not die. She was going to live. The 911 person was glad to hear that.

23. Rain and Hail

Dark clouds were in the sky. The sun went down. The weather got cold. The wind started to blow. Leaves blew off the trees. Paper flew through the air. People buttoned their jackets. The rain started to fall. At first it was quiet. Then it got louder. It was a storm. The rain was very loud. The man couldn’t hear his TV. He turned up the volume. Now he could hear his TV. He looked outside his door. He looked at the rain. It was pouring off his roof. It was a flood. Then he saw lightning. Then he heard thunder. It was a very cold night. The rain changed to hail. The hail was very noisy. He turned up the TV volume again. Now he could hear his TV again. He watched TV for a while. Then he looked outside again. All the cars were white. The street was white. The ground was white. The hail covered everything. The hail looked just like snow. He wanted to make a big snowman. But you can’t make a snowman out of hail. You can only make a snowman out of snow.

24. Hungry Birds

The baby bird was in his nest. He was in his nest with his sister. Their nest was high up in the tree. They were waiting for mama bird. Mom always brought them food. They were hungry. When would mom come home? Would she bring them a worm? Would she bring them a fish? Would she bring them a piece of bread? What would mom bring them? They looked at the squirrel. The squirrel looked at them. The squirrel put a nut in their nest. The birds looked at the nut. How could they eat a nut? They didn’t have strong teeth. The squirrel has strong teeth. The baby birds had no teeth. They had beaks, but no teeth. They heard mom. They knew her voice. They knew the sound of her wings. She brought them some food. It was still warm. It was delicious. It was pizza. It was pizza with cheese. Baby birds love pizza with cheese. They were so happy. How delicious!

25. At the Bus Stop

He looked at his watch. It was time for the bus. Where was the bus? He was at the bus stop. He stood up. He looked down the street. No bus. He looked up the street. No bus. Where in the world was the bus? It was time for the bus to arrive. He sat down on the bench. It was getting cold. The wind was blowing. He didn’t have a jacket. He was wearing shorts. He was wearing flip-flops. His head was cold. His arms were cold. His legs were cold. His feet were cold. His toes were cold. His toes were turning blue. Where was the bus? He stood up again. He looked down the street. He saw the bus! It was coming. In a minute he would be on the warm bus. In a minute his nose would be warm. His hands would be warm. His whole body would be warm. How nice! The bus arrived. But it didn’t stop. It kept going. It was the wrong bus. He looked at his watch again. Where was the bus?

26. Brown and Blue Eyes

She had big brown eyes. Her sister had big blue eyes. Her brother had big green eyes. Her mother had a gray eye and a green eye. Her father had black eyes. “Why are our eyes different?” she asked her mom. “Who knows?” said her mom. “Life is strange. It is full of mystery. This is a mystery to all of us.” She asked her teacher. She asked the doctor. She asked the nurse. She asked the mailman. Nobody knew why her family had different color eyes. Finally she asked the librarian. A librarian reads a lot. A librarian works in the library. A librarian is surrounded by books. Books have information. Lots of information. The librarian looked in all her books. She called other librarians. They looked in all their books. Still, nobody knew the answer. “I’m sorry, little girl,” the librarian said. “Maybe someone will invent a computer someday. Then I will give you an answer. But for now, your big brown eyes and your sister’s big blue eyes are a big mystery.”

27. Farm Animals

The chicken and the duck were friends. They lived on a farm. They walked around together. They swam in the pond together. They talked about many things. They talked about the cat. They thought the cat was tricky. They thought the cat was dangerous. The cat looked at them a lot. They didn’t trust the cat. “We must always keep our eyes open when the cat is around,” they both agreed. They talked about the dog. The dog was very friendly. The dog wanted to play. The dog had lots of energy. It barked a lot. It ran around a lot. They both liked the dog. They talked about the farmer. The farmer brought them food. The farmer took care of them. The farmer took care of all the animals. He fed the cow. He fed the pig. He fed the goat. He fed the sheep. He fed the rabbit. They liked the farmer. He took good care of everyone. He was a nice man. “Farmers are good,” said the chicken. “We need farmers,” said the duck.

28. Wash Your Nose

He wanted to wash his hands. His hands were dirty. They were dirty from the newspaper. All newspapers have black ink. The black ink got on his hands. When he rubbed his nose, he put black ink on his nose. His wife looked at him. She laughed. “Why are you laughing?” he asked. She said his nose was black. She handed him a mirror. He looked in the mirror. He said, “Yes, you’re right. I have black ink on my nose. I look a little bit funny.” “No, you look very funny,” his wife said. She laughed again. He went into the bathroom. He turned on the water. He picked up the bar of soap. He rubbed the soap between his hands. He washed his face. He rinsed his face with water. He looked in the bathroom mirror. His nose was clean. There was no ink on his nose. He walked out of the bathroom. He wanted to show his wife his new nose.

29. Catch Some Fish

“Let’s go fishing,” said the father. “That’s a good idea,” said the mother. They put the kids into the car. They put the fishing rods into the car. They put the jar of worms into the car. They drove to the lake. The lake was huge. The name of the lake was Yellow Lake. It had yellow sand all around it. The sand looked like gold. But it wasn’t gold. It was only sand. They parked the car. They got out of the car. They sat down on the sand. They put the worms on the hooks. They put the hooks into the water. They waited for the fish to bite the bait. They waited 30 minutes. Then one of the kids caught a fish. It was a trout. It was a rainbow trout. It had many colors, like a rainbow. But its belly was white. They took the trout off the hook. They put the trout into a bucket of water. The trout swam around in tiny circles. It was confused. Where did the big lake go? They caught three more trout. Then they went home. They had delicious fried fish for dinner. “Can we go fishing every day?” the kids asked their parents.

30. An Impolite Bird

A robin is a pretty bird. It has a red breast. It has black wings. It sings a pretty song. A crow is pretty, too. It is completely black. It is shiny black. A crow is a big bird. It is a smart bird. It is a lazy bird. It watches people. People have food. They throw food into a garbage can. The crow flies down to the garbage can. It walks around the edge of the can. It looks for something tasty. It hops into the can. It picks out a potato chip. It flies into a tree. It eats the potato chip. Then it flies back to the garbage can. The robin sees the crow. The robin is hungry. It flies down to the garbage can. The crow yells at the robin. It says, “Get out of here. This can is my can.” The robin flies back into the tree. The crow is a greedy bird. It doesn’t like to share with others.

31. Daddy Likes Beer

The little girl was thirsty. She wanted something to drink. She opened the refrigerator. She looked inside. She saw milk. She saw soda. She saw orange juice. She saw beer. She wondered what beer tasted like. Her daddy drank beer every day. Beer must be good. If Daddy likes it, it must taste good. She grabbed a can of beer. She opened the beer. She smelled it. She couldn’t smell anything. She swallowed some. “Yuck!” she said. The beer was horrible. How could Daddy drink that stuff? She put the can back into the refrigerator. Daddy could finish it when he got home. She grabbed the milk. She poured some into a glass. She added chocolate syrup to the milk. She stirred the milk. Now she had chocolate milk. She loved chocolate milk. Poor Daddy, she thought. He likes beer more than chocolate milk.

32. Bears and a Pig

The three bears left their cave. They lived in a beautiful cave. The cave was big. The cave was warm in winter. The cave was cool in summer. It was a quiet cave. It was a dark cave. They loved their cave. Today was Sunday. They liked to pick berries on Sunday. So they left their cave. They walked through the woods. They found a field of berries. Mama bear had a basket. They filled the basket with blackberries and blueberries. Then they walked back to their cave. When they got inside the cave, they heard a noise. “Who is that?” papa bear asked. “It’s only me,” said a pig. “What are you doing here?” asked papa bear. “I’m hiding from the farmer,” said the pig. “I think he wants to eat me.” Papa bear told the pig he could stay in the cave as long as he wanted. The bears shared their berries with the pig. Then the pig and baby bear took a nap together.

33. She Wants to Ride

The girl got up on the horse. It was a brown and white horse. It was a big horse. She sat on the horse’s back. She was taller than her father. She looked down at her father. “Daddy, you are shorter than me,” she said. Her daddy said, “Yes, you are taller than me. You are taller than your mother. You are taller than the horse.” The horse started walking around in a circle. The girl held onto the reins. Her daddy held onto the horse. She was having fun. She liked to ride the horse in a circle. Someday she would ride the horse fast. Someday she would ride it straight and far and fast. Her daddy told her to be patient. “You must crawl before you walk. You must walk before you run. First, ride a slow horse. Then, ride a fast horse. ” She agreed with her daddy. “You are right, daddy, “she said. “I will be patient. Today I am riding a slow horse. But someday I will ride a fast horse. I will ride my fast horse all day, every day.”

34. A Second Job

“We are running out of money,” Dad said. “I must find another job.” Mom was a teacher. Dad was a teacher. They had four children. The baby had a rare disease. She was always sick. They had to take her to the doctor often. The doctor was expensive. But he took good care of the baby. He said she would be healthy in a few years. But Dad owed the doctor a lot of money. He looked in the paper for another job. He asked his friends about another job. Finally he found another job. He became a taxi driver. After he taught school, he ate dinner. Then he went to the taxi company. He drove the taxi to the airport. He picked up people at the airport. He dropped off people at the airport. Some people gave him big tips. Some people gave him small tips. Some people gave him no tips. He drove the taxi for eight hours. Then he went home. He was tired. He went straight to sleep. Every night he had a dream. Every night it was the same dream. Every night he dreamed about money. Every night the money was on fire.

35. A Short Plane Ride

The pilot and the passenger got into the plane. It was a small plane. It had one engine. It was an old plane. The pilot started the engine. “Are you okay?” he asked the passenger. She said she was okay. They were flying to an island. The island was only 30 minutes away. It would be a short flight. She was a nurse. Her husband was a doctor. The doctor was on the island. The doctor needed some medicine. She had the medicine in her bag. The medicine would save a young boy. The young boy was very sick. The plane took off. The engine sounded funny. The pilot frowned. “Is everything okay?” the passenger asked. “I’m afraid not,” said the pilot. “There’s something wrong with the engine. We have to land.” He landed the plane. The nurse got out of the plane. She looked around the airport. She saw another plane. This plane had two engines. She walked over to the plane. “Is this a new plane or an old plane?” she asked the pilot. The pilot said it was a new plane. “Good,” she said. “Please take me to the island.”

36. A Windy Day

It’s a windy day. The wind is blowing hard. Paper is blowing everywhere. The wind blew the man’s hat off. It blew the woman’s hat off. It blew a bird off the telephone wire. The other birds laughed. The wind keeps blowing. The trees are bending over. The people outside are bending over. The wind makes it hard to walk. The wind makes it hard to drive. The big trucks have to pull over. They have to stop on the side of the freeway. One driver did not stop. He was in a hurry. The wind blew his truck over. The big truck is on its side. The wheels are spinning in the wind. The driver was not hurt. He is waiting for a crane. The crane will pick up the truck. The crane will put the truck on its wheels again. The driver learned his lesson. He will never drive in the wind again. The wind makes it hard to fly, too. Pilots know the wind is dangerous. They do not fly their small planes in windy weather. They do not want to crash into the ground. A crash will kill them. They sit at the airport. They drink coffee. They wait for the wind to die down.

37. Snowed In

More than 100 passengers got on the plane. It was a winter day. It was January. The weather was very cold. It was snowing. Ice was on the roads. But the airport was open. The big jets were flying. A little snow never stopped a big jet. Big jets fly all the time. They rarely crash in bad weather. They rarely crash in good weather. Big jets are very safe. The passengers got on the plane. It was 7 a.m. The plane was supposed to take off at 7:30 a.m. It did not take off at 7:30 a.m. It did not take off all morning. It did not take off all afternoon. The plane sat on the runway until 6:30 p.m. The passengers sat in the plane all day. The plane could not take off. The pilot could not see the runway. He could not see anything. The only thing he could see was his two hands. A little snow was okay. But this was a lot of snow. This was too much snow. But maybe the snow would stop. Then they could take off. So the pilot waited. The passengers waited. At 6:30 p.m., the pilot told the passengers to get off the plane. Everyone was happy to leave the plane. They went back into the airport. They waited for the snow to stop. But it didn’t stop. It snowed for two more days.

38. Try to Tell the Truth

Your grandma told you not to lie. Your grandpa told you not to lie. Your mother said to tell the truth. Your father said to tell the truth. You try to tell the truth. You try to tell the truth all the time. But you cannot tell the truth all the time. No one can tell the truth all the time. Everyone lies sometimes. Your mother lies sometimes. Your father lies sometimes. Your teacher lies sometimes. You lie sometimes. You lie to be polite. You lie to protect someone you love. You lie to protect yourself. You lie when you get caught. You lie to get something you want. You lie to be popular. You lie to avoid work. You lie to your family. You lie to your friends. You lie to strangers. It’s normal to lie. Some people say that lying is bad. They say that lying is evil. They say that they never lie. That is a big lie. Of course they lie sometimes! Everyone lies sometimes. Lying is like laughing; it is part of life.

39. A Bad Economy

The economy is bad. People are out of work. People are losing their jobs. People are getting laid off. People are getting fired. People want to work. But nobody is hiring workers. Nobody needs workers. Everyone has less money. Everyone is spending less. Everyone is buying less. Consumers are not buying anything extra. They are buying only what they need. They are not buying new cars. They are keeping their old cars. They are not buying new homes. They are staying in their old homes. They are not buying new clothes. They are wearing their old clothes. They are not taking vacations. They are staying home. They are not going to restaurants. They are doing things that are cheap. They go to the library. They go to the park. They go to the museum. They go to the beach. They stay home and watch TV. Life is hard. Life is tough. Everyone hopes the economy will get better soon. They hope the bad times will go away soon.

40. The Birthday Party

It was Susan’s birthday party. She was seven years old. She was born July 18. She was in second grade. She had many friends. She had friends in school. She had friends at church. She had friends in swim class. She had friends in dance class. Nancy was her best friend. Nancy and Susan did everything together. Susan invited all her friends to her party. All her friends came to the party. It was a pool party. The pool party was in her back yard. About 30 kids came to her pool party. There was a lot to eat. They had hamburgers and hot dogs. They had oranges, apples, and bananas. They had cake, candy, and marshmallows. They had soda and juice. There was a lot to do. They swam in the pool. They dove off the diving board. They floated on the floats. They played many different games. Everyone had fun. Everyone had a good time. No one wanted to go home. No one could wait until Susan turned eight.

41. Plants Need Water

He loved his plants. His plants were in pots. There were 10 pots in back of the house. There were eight pots in front of the house. There was a different plant in every pot. No plants were the same. They were all different. They were all beautiful. It was Friday. It was time to water the plants. He watered the plants once a week. He went outside. He grabbed the hose. It was green and long. It was about 40 feet long. He turned on the water. Water came out of the end of the hose. He watered each plant in back of the house. He watered each plant until the soil was dark and wet. He watered each plant until the soil was soft. Then he went out front. The hose out front was also green. It was 30 feet long. He watered all the plants out front. Puddles of water were around each pot. There were 8 puddles of water out front. Butterflies and bees visited the wet plants. He watched for a while. Then he went back inside. Next week he would water the plants again.

42. Life Will Be Better

He was poor. He needed more money. He needed a good job. He had a job. But it wasn’t a good job. It was a bad job. He was a waiter. He worked in a restaurant. It was a cheap restaurant. The meals were cheap. The customers were cheap. They usually gave him quarters for tips. Sometimes they gave him a dollar. Sometimes they gave him nothing. That made him angry. Why did they give him nothing? He was polite. He was helpful. Yet they gave him nothing. He wanted to kick those customers. But then he would go to jail. He didn’t want to go to jail. So he went to school. School was free. He wanted to be a mechanic. He liked to fix things. He wanted to fix cars. He wanted to own a car shop. He would make money. He would hire other mechanics. They would work for him. He would buy a house. He would get married. He would have a family. Life would be good. Right now life was bad. But he would make it better.

43. A Lucky Day

Today was her lucky day. She was late for the bus. But the bus was late, too. So she didn’t miss her bus. She was late for work. But her boss was late, too. So her boss didn’t know that she was late. She didn’t have any cash for lunch. But her friend had a two-for-one lunch coupon. So she got a free lunch. Her boss was feeling a little sick. He told everyone to take the afternoon off. She went to the park. A green piece of paper was under the park bench. She picked it up. It was a $5 bill. She looked around. Where did the money come from? There was no one around. She was the only one in the park. There were some birds and squirrels in the park. But this was not their money. This was her money. It was her lucky money. She went across the street to the liquor store. The lottery jackpot was worth $10 million. She bought five lottery tickets. She knew that one of them would be lucky. This was her lucky day.

44. My Family’s House

We have a nice house. It has three bedrooms. It has three bathrooms. It is a one-story house. It doesn’t have any stairs. It doesn’t have a second floor. It doesn’t have a basement. It does have an attic. It has a chimney and a fireplace. It has a kitchen. It has a dining room. It has a living room. The living room has a big sofa and a big TV. Our living room is our family room. We watch TV together. We play games together. We play games like Scrabble and Monopoly. We enjoy those games. They are fun to play. We have a small front yard. We have a big back yard. We don’t have a swimming pool. We don’t have a garden. We have a two-car garage. My mom has a blue Cadillac. My dad has a red Honda. I have a bicycle and a skateboard. My sister does, too. She’s a good skateboarder, for a girl. We live on a quiet street. We never hear police sirens or fire sirens. I go to a nice school. Someday I will get married. I will own a nice house on a quiet street. And I will have a swimming pool in the back yard.

45. Wash Your Hands

Wash your hands. Wash your hands often. Wash your hands ten times a day. Clean hands fight germs. Clean hands look good. Clean hands smell good. Everything you touch has germs. Money has germs. Germs live on money for days. Paper money is dirty. Metal money is dirty. Folding money is dirty. Coins are dirty. Everyone touches money. Sick people touch money. Wash your hands after you touch money. Door handles are dirty. Germs live on door handles for weeks. Germs love door handles. Everyone touches door handles. Sick people touch door handles. Wash your hands after you touch door handles. People are dirty. People have germs. Germs love people. Germs live on people for months. Wash your hands after you touch other people. Wash your hands after you hug other people. Wash your hands after you shake hands with other people. Wash your hands, and wash some more. You can’t wash your hands too often.

46. She Writes Letters

She will write a letter to her grandma. She will write about her day at school. She will write about her classmates. She will write about her teacher. She will write about the classroom. She will write about her school bus. She will write about her school bus driver. She won’t write about her pets. She won’t write about her fat black cat. She won’t write about her little red dog. She won’t write about her soft white rabbit. She won’t write about her big brown horse. That’s because she doesn’t have a big brown horse. Not yet. She wants a big brown horse for her birthday. She will write a letter to her daddy about the horse. She will ask her daddy for a big brown horse. A big brown horse will be a perfect birthday gift. She will never want another birthday gift. A horse will make her happy forever. The letter to her daddy will ask for a horse. Maybe daddy will give her a horse. Then she will write a new letter to her grandma. She will tell grandma about the new brown horse.

47. A Bus Accident

There was a bus accident. The bus accident was near a dam. The bus ran off the road. The bus tipped over. Two people died. Eight people were hurt. The bus driver was going too fast. The road is a two-lane road. It is a narrow road. It isn’t a wide road. The road is not straight. It bends a lot. It curves a lot. The road looks like a snake. The speed limit is 25 mph. The bus was going 50 mph. The passengers were afraid. The bus ran into a guard rail. Then the bus tipped over. Passengers yelled. Passengers screamed. Passengers fell down. Passengers fell on other passengers. Luggage flew through the air. Luggage hit people. Luggage hit people in the face. Luggage hit people in the head. The windows broke. The windshield broke. Glass was everywhere. Bodies were everywhere. Luggage was everywhere. The ambulances came. They took people to the hospital. The police came. They took the driver to jail.

48. A Headache

He has a headache. His headache started an hour ago. His head feels like it will explode. Of course, his head wouldn’t explode. It just feels that way. The headache is in the back of his head. That is where his headaches usually are. Sometimes he has headaches on the top of his head. Sometimes he has headaches in the front of his head. Sometimes his headaches are between his eyes. Sometimes his whole head hurts. But usually the back of his head hurts. His headache started while he was reading. Reading causes headaches for him. He hates his headaches, but he loves to read. He reads for only 15 minutes. Then he stops reading. He takes a break. If he reads for 16 minutes, he’ll get a headache. So he tries to take a break every 15 minutes. But sometimes he forgets to take his break. Today he forgot to take a break. Now he must wait until the headache goes away. It will take an hour or two. Then he can read again. But right now he must live with the pain.

49. She’s So Hungry

She likes magazines. She likes to look at the pretty photos. Magazines have photos of people. They have photos of animals. They have photos of clothes. They have photos of food. She sees a photo of a hamburger. It looks so delicious. The photo of the hamburger makes her hungry. She goes to the refrigerator. She opens it. She wants a hamburger. But there is no hamburger in the refrigerator. The hamburger is at McDonald’s. But she is a little kid. She can’t drive to McDonald’s. She can’t call McDonald’s, because they don’t deliver. A hamburger place is not like a pizza parlor. A pizza parlor delivers. Her mom was at work. She would have to wait until mom came home. Mom would drive her to McDonald’s. She sat down again. She turned the page. There was a photo of chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was in a cone. Oh, what a beautiful photo. She licked her lips. It looked so delicious. Mom, please come home soon, she thought.

50. Basketball in LA

Many people love to watch basketball. The Lakers are a great basketball team. The Clippers are a terrible basketball team. Both teams call Los Angeles their home. They play at the Staples Center. The Staples Center is new. It is a shiny new arena. It is in downtown Los Angeles. It is next to two freeways. It is next to the 110 freeway. It is next to the 10 freeway. The 110 goes north and south. The 10 goes east and west. Many basketball fans take the freeways to Staples Center. They drive their cars on the crowded freeways. The crowded freeways have too many cars. The fans park their cars in the huge parking lot. Parking is not cheap. It is $22. The fans walk to the arena from the parking lot. They buy their tickets. The cheap tickets are $10. The expensive tickets are $2,600. Rich people buy the expensive tickets. Poor people buy the cheap tickets. The rich people sit very close to the basketball court. They talk to the players. The poor people sit far away from the basketball court. They talk to each other.

51. A Hard Head

A woodpecker is a bird. It is red, white, and black. It has a long sharp beak. This is a special beak. It is stronger than a tree trunk. The woodpecker makes holes in tree trunks. It hits the tree trunk with its sharp beak, again and again. Peck, peck, peck. Peck, peck, peck. It makes a hole in the tree trunk. Then it makes the hole bigger. It makes the hole big enough to sit in. It makes the hole big enough for two birds to sit in. It makes a nest in the hole. It prepares the nest for two baby birds. The mama woodpecker lays two eggs in the nest. She sits on the eggs. Papa woodpecker brings her food. The eggs hatch. Then mama and papa feed the babies. The babies grow up and fly away. Then they find other trees. They make holes in other trees for new baby birds. They make new holes in different trees. Peck, peck, peck. Peck, peck, peck. Why don’t the woodpeckers get headaches? They hit their beaks against a tree trunk all day long. But you never see a woodpecker take aspirin. They must have very hard beaks. They must have very hard heads.

52. Homeless People

Los Angeles is a big city. There are millions of people here. But thousands of people have no home. They are homeless people. They live on the sidewalks. They sleep on the sidewalks. They are called street people. They don’t have cars. They have shopping carts. They fill the carts with their belongings. They put their extra clothes into the carts. They put their blankets into the carts. Many homeless people live downtown. They live near the newspaper building. They live near the courthouse. They live near fancy condos. They have no money. They sit on the sidewalk all day. People walk by them. They ask people for money. People say they don’t have any money. There are missions downtown. These missions feed homeless people. They give them free lunches. They feed them every day. Some missions have beds. Homeless people sleep in these beds. But there are more homeless people than beds. There are not enough beds for the homeless people. So most homeless people sleep on the sidewalk. They sleep next to their shopping carts.

53. A Day at the Beach

She was new in town. The town was near the ocean. She wanted to visit the beach. She had a new friend. She asked her new friend to take her to the beach. Her friend said okay. They went to the beach. It was a hot sunny day. The beach was crowded. They put a big towel on the sand. They walked down to the water. They stepped into the water. They got their feet wet. They went back to their towel. They sat on the towel. They looked at the boats and surfers. They looked at the seagulls. They saw some dolphins. A lifeguard walked by. He said hello. He talked to them for a minute. They stayed at the beach all afternoon. They talked with each other. They watched many people having fun. They watched the sun go down. It was huge and orange. It sank into the ocean. They shook the sand out of the towel. They folded the towel and walked back to the car. “That was wonderful,” she told her friend. “I like the beach. Thank you for taking me to the beach today.”

54. Thank You, Mom

I love my mom. She took care of me when I was very young. She took care of me when I was sick. She taught me how to read. She taught me how to get dressed. She taught me how to button my shirt. She taught me how to tie my shoes. She taught me how to brush my teeth. She taught me to be kind to others. She taught me to tell the truth. She taught me to be polite. She took me to school on my first day of school. She held my hand. She helped me with my homework. She was nice to all my friends. She always cheered me up. Next year I will graduate from high school. I will go to college. I will do well in college. I will do well after college. My mom has taught me well.

55. The Check for Rent

He is looking at the calendar. Today is January 30. It is Friday. Tomorrow will be Saturday. Tomorrow will be the last day of the month. Sunday will be the first day of next month. Sunday will be the first day of February. He must pay his rent on the first day. He will write a check tonight. He will take the check to his landlord on Sunday. The landlord will be happy to get the check on time. The landlord will be angry if the check is late. The landlord will kick him out if the check is late. He doesn’t care why a check is late. Late is late. The landlord does not accept excuses. No excuse will please the landlord. All excuses are bad excuses. A late check is like bad news. Nobody likes bad news. The landlord will tell him, “Goodbye. Go find another apartment. Have a nice life in your new apartment. You can’t live here anymore. Your check was late.”

56. At the Casino

She went to the casino. A casino is a gambling house. People gamble in a casino. They take a chance with their money. They hope they will win. Sometimes they do. But usually they lose. It was her birthday. She took $100 to the casino. She went to the change booth. She got change for her money. She got 400 quarters for her $100. The quarters were in paper rolls. Forty quarters were in each roll. She put the rolls into a plastic bucket. She carried the bucket over to a slot machine. She loved slot machines. She opened a roll of quarters. She put a quarter in the machine. She pulled down on the handle. She looked at the screen. Give me three cherries, she thought. Or give me three bananas. Or give me three apples. Three of anything is a winner. Two cherries, or one cherry, is a loser. She played for several hours. Sometimes she won. She felt good when she won. But usually she lost. Finally, she lost all her quarters. She went home. She spent $100, but she had fun. I will play again on my next birthday, she thought.

57. Life is a Rainbow

We do not live in a black and white world. We live in a rainbow world. Colors are everywhere. Colors are beautiful. A toilet bowl is white. A panda is white and black. A crow is black. The sky and the ocean are blue. An apple is red or green. An orange is always orange, but the sun is sometimes orange. A stop light is red, yellow, and green. A lemon is yellow. People are white, brown, or black. Fishes and birds are many different colors. Hair is white, gray, brown, black, or red. A golf ball and a baseball are white. A basketball is orange. A tennis ball is green. A fire engine is red. A police car is black and white. The moon and the stars are white. Grass is green, but dirt is brown. A fried egg is yellow and white. Your blood is red. Your teeth are white. A stop sign is red and white. You cannot talk about colors to blind people. They have never seen colors. That is sad.

58. Squares and Circles

Different shapes and forms are everywhere. Boxes and street signs are square or rectangular. Balls and wheels are round. The sun and moon are round. Wedding rings are round. Eggs and light bulbs are almost round. Pyramids and arrow tips are triangular. Tables and books are square or rectangular. Doors and refrigerators are rectangular. A stop sign has eight sides. A triangle has three sides. Pencils and pens are long and round. Your toes are short and round. Many things have various shapes. Humans and animals have various shapes. Faces have various shapes. Clouds have various shapes. Houses and buildings have various shapes. Airplanes have various shapes. Other things have weird shapes. Bicycles and tricycles have weird shapes. Countries have weird shapes. Tools and machines have weird shapes. Shapes can be beautiful, too. Boys think that a skateboard or a soccer ball has a beautiful shape. Men think that women have the most beautiful shape of all.

59. Don’t Be Stupid

Why do people do stupid things? Some people try to walk across freeways. They get run over. Some people stand on the edge of cliffs. They slip and fall to their death. Some people think a gun is not loaded. They point the gun at a friend. They pull the trigger. They kill their friend. Some people want to watch a storm up close. They go to the ocean. They feel the wind. They see the big waves. They are excited. Then a big wave takes them out to sea. They drown. Many people drop out of school. They say that school is boring. They want to have fun. School is not fun. They hate homework. They get a job at McDonald’s. All day long they ask the customers, “Do you want fries with that?” Is that fun? No, but it is stupid. Some people cheat on their wives or husbands. They get caught. Their marriage ends. They are alone. Many people smoke cigarettes. They get cancer. Many people drink and drive. Drinking and driving is against the law. It’s dangerous. It’s stupid. But people do it every day.

60. New Kittens

Mama cat had six new kittens. Three kittens were black, and two were white. One kitten was black, with white feet and a white face. Nancy asked, “Mom, can we keep all the kittens?” Her mom said no. “We can’t afford to keep six kittens,” she said. “When the kittens are three months old, we will give them away.” Nancy asked if she could keep one kitten. Her mom said okay. Nancy decided to keep the kitten with white feet. She called him Boots. When the other five kittens were three months old, Nancy’s mom took pictures of them. Nancy took the pictures to school. She showed the pictures to her friends. All her friends wanted a kitten. They came to her house the next day. They took all the kittens except Boots. “Boots is my kitten,” Nancy told her friends. Then her mom said, “We have to take mama cat to the cat doctor.” Nancy asked why. “We have to fix her,” her mom said. “We don’t want her to have more kittens. The doctor will fix her.”

61. My Girlfriend

I love my girlfriend. She is sweet and kind. She makes me laugh. She loves me. We have fun together. We go to movies and to restaurants. We go to the beach to swim. We go to the park for picnics. We watch TV together. We go to church together. We take long walks together. We read books, magazines, and newspapers. We talk about many things. We agree on many things, but we also disagree on some things. Sometimes we argue about things. I think she likes to argue. She thinks I like to argue. We argue about silly things. Yesterday we argued about a window. She wanted the window open. I wanted it closed. We talk about the weather and the government. We talk about our families. She is a good tennis player. Sometimes she beats me. We play chess and Scrabble. Scrabble is a fun game about words. You need a good vocabulary to win. I usually beat her at chess, but she usually beats me at Scrabble. I guess my vocabulary is not so good. We will get married in a couple of years. We want to spend the rest of our life together. We will start a family. We want to have two children, one boy and one girl. We will be so happy.

62. Don’t Be Fat

Americans are getting fat. A new study says that most Americans are too fat. Is that true? Look at the people around you. Are most of them fat? Are most of them thin? Or are most of them in between? Many fat people get sick. They die young. Doctors say these people can live longer. They must eat more fruits and vegetables. They must eat less meat. They must eat more fish. They must eat less fried food. They must not eat at fast food restaurants. No more cheeseburgers, and no more French fries. They must eat less bread and less pasta. If they eat less, they will weigh less. But Americans must also exercise. They must walk more. They don’t have to run or jog. They don’t have to climb stairs. All they have to do is walk. Just walk 30 minutes a day. Is that hard to do? Eat less. Walk more. Live longer. It sounds easy. But people love to eat. Eating is fun. Food is delicious. So it’s not easy to eat less. Try to do it. It’s hard to do.

63. A Pizza

“Daddy, let’s order a pizza,” Billy said. “That sounds like a good idea,” said his dad. They looked at a menu they had at home. “What kind do you want?” his dad asked. Billy wanted a large pizza. He wanted a pizza with four toppings. He wanted cheese, pepperoni, ham, and pineapple. His dad said that sounded good. He called the pizza place. “They don’t have any pineapple,” dad told Billy. “What do you want instead?” Billy wanted sausage instead. His dad ordered sausage instead of pineapple. About 30 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was the pizza man. “Here’s your pizza,” he told Billy’s dad. “That’ll be $16.” Dad paid the pizza man. He also gave him a tip. Dad took the pizza to the living room. A baseball game was on TV. Billy and his dad started to eat the pizza in the living room. “I hope the Yankees lose,” Billy told his dad. “I hope the Yankees lose, too,” his dad said.

64. What Do You Wear?

Different workers wear different clothes to work. A lifeguard wears a swim suit. Many workers have uniforms. Workers at Burger Hut wear black shirts. The managers wear black shirts, too. The managers also wear ties. Mechanics and painters wear coveralls. The coveralls protect their clothes. The coveralls protect their clothes from oil and paint. Pilots wear blue or black uniforms. Sometimes they wear white shirts. Nurses wear white uniforms. Doctors wear white jackets. Bus drivers and soldiers wear uniforms. Policemen and firemen wear blue uniforms. Prisoners wear orange uniforms. Orange is a bright color. Orange uniforms are easy to see. Prisoners can’t hide in their orange uniforms. Chefs wear white jackets and tall white hats. Cowboys wear jeans and boots. Clowns wear big plastic noses and big shoes. Fashion models wear beautiful clothes. Most workers don’t wear uniforms. Teachers and truck drivers wear regular clothes. Most workers wear regular clothes.

65. My Dad

I love my dad. He was a good man. He taught me to work hard. He taught me to keep trying. He taught me to do things right or don’t do them at all. He grew up on the streets of New York City. His parents didn’t speak English. He had three brothers and one sister. His brothers ended up in jail. His sister died in a car crash. My dad married my mom when they were both 19. My dad joined the army. He jumped out of airplanes. Then he became a military policeman. He did this for 20 years. He liked his job. He was a hard worker. He went to college while he was in the army. He got two college degrees. One college degree is good. Two college degrees is very good. He retired from the army and became a teacher. He taught high school kids. He taught high school kids for 20 years. He had a lot of patience. Teachers need a lot of patience. Then my dad retired. He traveled around the world with my mom. They both died in a plane crash. That was bad. But they died together. That was good.

66. Junk Mail

She heard the mailman. The mailman made noise when he delivered mail. She walked downstairs. She said hello to the mailman. He said hello to her. He said it was a beautiful day. She agreed. The mailman went to the next apartment building. She opened her mailbox. There was a bill from her insurance company. She would send the company a check immediately. There was also junk mail in her mailbox. The junk mail was from her phone company. The phone company sent her junk mail every month. But she wasn’t interested. She never opened junk mail. It went straight into the trash. There was also a postcard in the mailbox. It was from her dentist. She saw her dentist twice a year. It was time for her visit. She went back upstairs. She called her dentist. She made an appointment.

67. My Best Friend

Laura is my best friend. We are in the third grade. We do everything together. We walk to school together. We eat lunch together at school. Laura’s mother gives her tuna sandwiches for lunch. My mother gives me peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We share our sandwiches with each other. Sometimes Laura gets apples for lunch. Sometimes I get peaches. We share our fruit with each other. We help each other with our homework. She helps me with history. I help her with arithmetic. We spend the weekends together. Her parents invite me to their house, or my parents invite her to our house. We sleep over. I spend the night at her house, or she spends the night at my house. We talk about everything. We talk about our brothers. They are so silly. We talk about our teachers and our parents. We love them. We talk about the boys in class. We don’t like them. They are so silly. Why in the world do some girls like boys? Boys never grow up. We will never like boys.

68. More Good News, Please

I love my newspaper. It tells me the news every day. The newspaper has page after page of news. I also get the news from the radio and the TV. I also get the news from my friends. But I like the newspaper the best. I can read the newspaper any time I want. I can read any story I want. I can stop reading any story I want, when I want. My newspaper has many sections. The first section is national news. The next section is state and city news. The next section is business news. The next section is sports. The last section is entertainment. That’s a lot of news, every day. I have only one problem with my newspaper. Most of the news is sad news or bad news. Why? There is good news, too. People like good news. People like to read and hear good news. I think my newspaper needs a section for good news. I think good news should be the first section of my newspaper.

69. Popcorn

The loaf of bread is next to the jar of peanut butter. The bag of peanuts is next to the carton of milk. The plate of cookies is next to the bowl of chicken soup. The cup of coffee is next to the glass of juice. The fork is next to the spoon. The knife is next to the salt shaker. The salt shaker is next to the pepper shaker. The milk is in the carton. The water is in the glass. The coffee is in the cup. The soup is in the bowl. The milk is in the refrigerator. The soda is in the refrigerator. The ice cream is in the freezer. The lamp is on the table. The toaster is on the kitchen counter. The toaster is plugged in. The microwave is on the kitchen counter. But the microwave isn’t plugged in. Someone unplugged the microwave. Who unplugged the microwave? I will plug it in. I want to eat some popcorn. I want some hot popcorn. I will plug in the microwave. I will eat hot popcorn and drink a cold soda.

70. Roaches

She called the landlord. Her apartment was full of roaches. Roaches were everywhere. They were under the kitchen sink. They were in the kitchen cabinets. They were on the kitchen counters. They were in the oven. They were on the stove. She turned on the gas. The roaches ran from the hot flames. She sprayed her apartment every month. She used two cans of bug spray a month. First she opened all the windows. Then she sprayed everywhere. The apartment stunk of roach spray. The stink gave her a headache. Finally the landlord came. He looked around the apartment. He saw roaches everywhere. Adult roaches and baby roaches. Teenage roaches. He said, “Boy, you weren’t kidding. You sure have a lot of roaches.” She said, “I know that! What are you going to do about it?” He said, “Don’t worry. I’m calling the bug man. He will put a big tent over the whole building. Then he will spray the whole building. He will spray the whole building with roach spray. The tent will cover the building for a month. Then all the roaches will be dead. Your problem will be solved.” “Oh, that’s great,” she said. “But where will I live for a month?” The landlord said, “That’s a big problem. I don’t know where you will live. Do you have any friends? Maybe you can live with them.”

71. He Loves Birds

He turned on the TV. He watched the 6 o’clock news. The news was about an airplane. The airplane had two engines. A big bird flew into each engine. The engines stopped working. The pilot landed the plane in a river. All the passengers climbed out onto the wings. Boats pulled up next to the plane. The plane was floating in the river. The people on the boats rescued all the passengers and crew. Everyone on the plane survived. No one died. No one was injured. Everyone said it was a miracle. The pilot was a national hero. Everyone in America knew his name. The passengers said he was a hero. The press said he was a hero. The president of the United States said he was a hero. His wife said he was a hero. They had a parade for the pilot in his hometown. The governor made a speech. The mayor made a speech. The pilot’s teacher when he was in third grade made a speech. The pilot made a speech. It was a short speech. He was an animal lover. He didn’t eat meat. He didn’t eat fish. He didn’t eat chicken. He only ate vegetables and fruit, because he loved animals. The pilot said he felt sorry for the two dead birds.

72. Roses Are Red

Roses are red, violets are blue. I’m in a house, the tiger’s in a zoo. Roses are red, oceans are blue. I have a cold, you have the flu. Roses are red, pencils are blue. I lost my hat, you lost your shoe. Roses are red, the sky is blue. Pigs say Oink, cows say Moo. Roses are red, whales are blue. I don’t have to pee, I don’t have to poo. Roses are red, birds are blue. You love me, and I love you. Roses are red, ink is blue. When people sneeze, they say A-choo! Roses are red, mouthwash is blue. I like soup, and you like stew. Roses are red, paint is blue. Dogs like to bite, dogs like to chew. Roses are red, stamps are blue. You pound a nail, you turn a screw. Roses are red, sweaters are blue. I love my daddy and my mama, too. Roses are red, crayons are blue. When people get married, they say I Do. Roses are red, paper is blue. My car is old, your car is new.

73. Violets Are Blue

Violets are blue, roses are red. I sleep on the couch, you sleep in your bed. Violets are blue, apples are red. One twin is Ted, and the other is Fred. Violets are blue, turtles are green. My grandma is nice, my uncle is mean. Violets are blue, baseballs are white. Some people are rude, but most are polite. Violets are blue, toilets are white. Babies have no teeth, but they still try to bite. Violets are blue, the sun is yellow. Girls want to marry a rich, handsome fellow. Violets are blue, flowers are pink. A car will crash, and a boat will sink. Violets are blue, tires are black. You have a mansion, I have a shack. Violets are blue, grass is green. My room is dirty, your room is clean. Violets are blue, eggs are white. I say Good Morning, you say Good Night. Violets are blue, stop signs are red. Shoes are on my feet, a cap is on my head. Violets are blue, hair is gray. I like to work, you like to play. Violets are blue, pajamas are pink. What do I know? What do you think? Violets are blue, flowers are yellow. I say Goodbye, you say Hello.

74. I Have a Question

How high is up? Why is the sky blue? Do fish sleep? Where do babies come from? How do ships float? How do planes stay in the air? Why are you laughing? Why are you crying? Are we there yet? What do I care? Who’s there? Who’s calling? Who’s at the door? Where are you from? Where do you live? Where is my pencil? Who won? Who lost? Who’s playing? Do I know you? Have we met? What was your name again? Do you have the time? What time is it? What day is it? What is the date? How are you? How do you do? What do you do? How old are you? How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Are you married? Do you have any children? Do you love me? Can you hear me? Can you see me? What’s that smell? What are you cooking? Can I borrow your pencil? Can I borrow $5? What are you watching? What’s on TV?

75. Do This, Daddy Says

Look both ways before you cross the street. Wear clean underwear. Do your homework. Be polite. Obey your parents. Go to school. Stay in school. Wash your hands. Wipe your nose. Wipe your feet. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Take the dog for a walk. Clean the cat’s litter box. Be a good boy. Be a good girl. Turn down the TV. Turn off the TV. Stand up straight. Chew with your mouth closed. Close the door. Do as I say, not as I do. Mind your manners. Be nice to your brother. Be nice to your sister. Watch your brother. Play with your sister. Be patient. Study. Listen to your teachers. Keep trying. Sit down on the bus. Buckle your seat belt. Try this. Try these. Change your clothes. Put on a clean shirt. Get dressed. Get into your pajamas. Go to your room. Clean up your room. Make your bed. Go to bed. Kiss your mommy good night. Say Thank You. Say Please. Say You’re Welcome. Say your prayers.

76. Don’t Do This, Mommy Says

Don’t wipe your nose on your sleeve. Don’t pick your nose. Don’t interrupt me. Don’t talk with food in your mouth. Don’t go swimming right after eating. Don’t forget to feed the dog. Don’t forget to take the dog for a walk. Don’t hit your sister. Don’t make your brother cry. Don’t chew with your mouth open. Don’t make fun of other people. Don’t slam the door. Don’t play in the street. Don’t be late. Don’t bother me now. Don’t shout. Don’t yell. Don’t scream. Don’t litter. Don’t be rude. Don’t drop out of school. Don’t talk while you eat. Don’t make a mess. Don’t talk so loud. Don’t fight with your brother. Don’t worry. Don’t give up. Don’t eat that. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t play with matches. Don’t play with fire.

77. A Bad Boy

He was a bad boy. He didn’t obey his mother. Once he slapped his mother. Another time he twisted her arm. Another time he pushed her down. She fell to the floor. He was a bad boy. He dropped out of school. He played games on the computer. He played games day and night. He cheered loudly when he won a game. He cursed loudly when he lost a game. He didn’t care if his mom was trying to sleep. She asked him to please be quiet. He told her to drop dead. But he loved her cooking. She cooked delicious meals. “Mom, I’m hungry,” he said every day. She spent hours every week cooking for him. He never said thank you. He never said the meals were delicious. He finished his meals and went back to his computer. His mom washed the dishes by hand. She took out the garbage. She did all the shopping. She worked, while he played. One day she decided enough was enough. When he was 19 years old, she left her son. She got into her car and drove away.

78. The Cigarette

He poured some soda into a glass. The bubbles rose in the glass. He looked at the bubbles. He listened to the bubbles. He dropped a couple of ice cubes into the glass. The ice cubes floated to the top. He waited until the ice cubes got a little smaller. He took a sip of the soda. It was nice and cold. He put the glass on the table. He put an ashtray on the table. He took a cigarette out of the Marlboro box. He tapped the cigarette a couple of times. He put the cigarette in his mouth. He tore a match out of the matchbook. He closed the matchbook. He lit the match. He moved the match to the end of the cigarette. He inhaled. Smoke entered his mouth. He inhaled more. Smoke went into his lungs. He took the cigarette out of his mouth. He exhaled. A big cloud of smoke filled the dining room. He watched the smoke disappear. He put the cigarette in his mouth again, and inhaled. It felt so good. He felt so relaxed. His wife came out of the bathroom. “Open the windows,” she yelled. “You’re stinking up the whole house!”

79. A Smoker Quits

I will quit smoking tomorrow. I swear it. I promise. I’m not kidding. I’m serious this time. I just bought my last pack of cigarettes. I’m going to smoke all 20 cigarettes before midnight. And then I’m finished. I’m through. I’m done. No more. Not one more cigarette. Not even one. I will be free. I will save $4 a day, more than $1,000 a year. That will be nice. I will have fresh breath. My girlfriend will enjoy kissing me. I will smell good. My clothes will smell good. My lungs will get healthy. My teeth will get whiter. I won’t get lung cancer. I won’t get mouth cancer. I won’t get throat cancer. My cough will go away. My sore throat will go away. I won’t think about cigarettes all the time. I will start a new life. My new life will be a healthy life, without cigarettes.

80. A School Day

School starts at 8:00 in the morning. His mom woke him up at 6:30. He yawned and got out of bed. He got dressed. He ate breakfast. He ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast. His favorite cereal was Cheerios. He also ate a banana. Bananas are yellow outside and white inside. He drank a glass of orange juice. Oranges are orange outside and orange inside. He ate a piece of toast with butter on it. Brown toast, yellow butter. He drank a glass of milk. Then he brushed his teeth. He kissed his mom goodbye. He walked outside to the school bus stop. It was two blocks away. He met his friend Bobby. They talked while they waited for the bus. The bus arrived. He said hello to the bus driver. He and Bobby sat together on the bus. They talked about baseball. The bus ride took 20 minutes. They got to school at 7:30. The bus driver said, “Have fun in school.” They always did.

81. People Are Poor

People are standing in long lines all over America. The long lines are unemployment lines. Unemployment lines are for people who have no jobs. Millions of Americans have no jobs. They used to have jobs. But they got laid off. They got laid off because of the recession. The recession is in America. The recession is in China. The recession is in Europe. The recession is all over the world. What’s a recession? A recession is a time when people have only a little money. They don’t buy new things. If they don’t buy new things, factories stop making new things. Factories lay off the workers. In a recession, people buy only necessary things, like food. They don’t buy new TVs, new cars, or new homes. They don’t buy new shoes. They take their old shoes to the shoe repair shop. They don’t go to expensive restaurants. They go to fast-food restaurants. They don’t go to the movies. They watch TV. They don’t go to Disneyland. They go to city parks. Everyone hopes the recession will end soon

82. New Lipstick

She got dressed. She needed to go out. She needed to buy lipstick. She walked out to her car. The car was in the driveway. She got into her car. She backed out of the driveway. She drove south on Lake Avenue. She stopped at all the red lights. She turned left on Colorado Street. She pulled into the drugstore parking lot. She walked into the drugstore. She went to the lipstick section. Her favorite color was dark red. Her favorite brand was Bobbi Brown. She found the Bobbi Brown lipsticks. She looked for dark red. But she couldn’t find dark red. Instead, she found cherry pink. She liked cherry pink. She put some on her lips. She looked in a mirror. Her lips were so pretty! She took the lipstick to the cashier. She gave the cashier $20. He gave her a little change. He put the lipstick into a small plastic bag. He said, “Have a nice day.” She drove home. She couldn’t wait to kiss her husband with her new lipstick.

83. Things to Do

He has a list of things to do. He has to go to the bank. He needs some cash. He needs to get some cash from the ATM at the bank. He has only $10 in his wallet. Then he has to go to the post office. He needs stamps. He has to buy a book of stamps. There are 20 stamps in each book. A book costs $8.40. Then he needs to go to DMV. He needs to get a new driver’s license. His old license will expire in a month. He needs to get a new photo, too. Finally he needs to go to Best Buy. His girlfriend wants the DVD of Season 4 of “Lost.” She loves that TV show. It’s about people who are on an island. Their plane crashed onto the island. It is a strange island. It has strange animals and strange people. It has black smoke that chases people and kills them. Everything that happens is a big surprise. It is a crazy TV show.

84. Daddy Is Watching

“Let’s go to the beach, Daddy,” Susan suggested. “That sounds like a good idea,” her daddy replied. It was a hot, sunny day. The ocean was only two blocks away. Susan went into her room. She put on her swimsuit. She grabbed a big beach towel. She put on a hat and grabbed her sunglasses. She put on her flip-flops. “I’m ready, Daddy,” she said. “Do you have any sunscreen?” he asked. “No, I forgot. Where is it?” she asked. He told her it was in the top drawer in the bathroom. She went into the bathroom and opened the drawer. “I’ve got it,” she said. They walked outside. The sun was bright. Susan put on her sunglasses. She loved to wear her sunglasses. They made her look like an adult. She gave the beach towel to her dad. She grabbed her dad’s hand and they started walking. Ten minutes later they were at the beach. It was crowded. Dad found a spot. He put the beach towel on the sand. Susan took off her hat and sunglasses. She ran into the water. Dad watched her play in the water. She was having fun. Suddenly a wave knocked her over. She went under water. Dad ran into the water. He pulled her up. “Daddy, I almost drowned,” Susan said. “No, you didn’t,” he said. “That wave only knocked you over. Don’t worry. I’m watching you.”

85. It Looks Like Rain

The TV weatherman says a lot of things. He gives us a lot of information. He says it will be hot and sunny. He says it will be cold and rainy. We will get showers. We will get two inches of rain. We will get three inches of snow. The temperature tonight will go down to 50 degrees. The temperature tomorrow will by 73 degrees. The sun will rise at 6:30. The sun will set at 6:15. The beaches will have early morning fog. A winter storm is coming. The mountains will have snow. The waves at the beach will be high. The Santa Ana winds are coming. It will be hot and windy. We must be careful. We must watch for fires. The TV weatherman goes on and on. He talks and talks. He tells us everything about the weather. He has pretty pictures and maps. He points at the maps. He has lots of fancy technology. We don’t have fancy technology. We don’t need fancy technology. If we want to know what the weather is like, we just look out the window.

86. An Old Dog

“Rex is very sick,” Lucy’s mom said. “Is he going to die?” Lucy asked. “Yes, I’m afraid so,” mom said. “I’m going to take him to the vet.” Lucy wanted to go along. “Okay, but try not to cry, okay?” mom asked. Lucy said she wouldn’t cry. Mom carried Rex out to the car. She put him in the back seat. He was a little dog. He was 12 years old. He was the same age as Lucy. They drove to the vet. The vet looked at Rex. He said he could not do anything for Rex. “Rex is on his last legs,” the vet said. He told mom she could take Rex home and wait for him to die. Or the vet could simply put Rex to sleep. “Let’s put him to sleep,” Lucy said. “That way he won’t suffer.” Mom said that was a good idea. They left Rex with the vet. “We can get another dog for you if you want,” mom told Lucy on the way home. “Can we get a kitten instead?” Lucy asked.

87. New York City

“I’m moving to New York,” she said. “Will you come with me or not?” She loved New York. She loved the subways. She loved the buses. She could walk or take a taxi anywhere. She didn’t have to drive anywhere. No more driving, like in Los Angeles. She hated driving in Los Angeles. New York has tall buildings. It has busy streets and sidewalks. It has Broadway. It has Times Square. It has Central Park. It has Wall Street. It has restaurants on every block. It has delivery people. “You can buy anything, and they will deliver it in 20 minutes,” she said. “You will have problems in New York,” he said. He told her she would freeze in the winter. She would bake in the summer. New York was too expensive. It was too crowded. It was a target for terrorists. They would blow up the whole city. It was noisy. It was dirty and dangerous. “Are you coming or not?” she asked again. “Of course I’m coming,” he answered. “Why wouldn’t I?”

88. He Climbs Trees

“It’s time to go to bed,” Danny’s mom said. “But I’m not sleepy,” Danny complained. He wasn’t sleepy because he had taken a nap before dinner. He had slept for almost one hour. Before his nap, he was in the park. He liked to go to the park. The park was full of trees. He loved to climb the trees. His mom told him not to climb the trees. He might fall and hurt himself. He didn’t obey his mom. It was fun to climb trees. It was fun to climb higher and higher. It was fun to be taller than adults. It was fun to look down on the adults. One time he found a bird’s nest. It was empty. He would visit it again in spring time. Maybe baby birds would be in the nest. Danny always went to the park after school. The trees in the park were like a second home to him. His mom said that maybe he was part monkey. He kissed his mom and said good night. Once in bed, he counted trees so that he could go to sleep.

89. A Drunk Driver

The policeman saw the car. The car was speeding. Richard was driving the car. The speed limit was 35 mph. Richard’s car was going 50 mph. The policeman turned on his siren and flashing lights. He caught up to Richard. But Richard didn’t pull over. Richard was drunk. He was drinking a cold beer. He was listening to loud music. He was having a good time. Finally he noticed the siren and flashing lights behind him. Richard pulled over. He stopped the car and turned off the engine. He threw the can of beer out the window. The cop walked up to the car. He picked up the can of beer. “Is this yours?” he asked. “No, sir,” Richard said. “It’s cold,” the cop said. “There’s still some beer in this can. I bet your fingerprints are on this can.” The cop told Richard to get out of the car. He told him to tilt his head back and close his eyes. He told him to touch his nose with his finger. Richard got dizzy. He lost his balance. He started to fall. The cop grabbed him. He put Richard into the back seat of his police car. He told Richard, “You shouldn’t drink and drive.” “I know that,” Richard said. “Everybody knows that,” said the cop. “But they still drink and drive.”

90. A Wedding

“Tomorrow will be the best day of my life,” Betty said. “Yes, it will be,” said her mom. “I’m so happy for you. Paul is such a good man. He will make a great husband and father. And he’s so nice. Your dad and I both love him.” Betty met Paul after she broke her leg. She broke her leg skiing. Paul was the doctor who fixed her leg. He visited her every day in the hospital. Then he visited her at home. He brought her Get Well cards and gifts. They fell in love with each other. “I never thought a broken leg would be a good thing,” Betty told her mom. “But it was the best thing that ever happened to you. Life is strange sometimes,” her mom said. After Betty’s leg healed, she and Paul started dating. They went to movies and restaurants. They went to the beach. They even went skiing. They were so happy together. One day Paul asked Betty to marry him. “Can we have lots of kids?” she asked. “Of course,” he said. “But let ME teach them how to ski.” They both laughed.

91. Peanuts and Ham

“Do you have salted peanuts?” Joe asked. “Yes, we do,” said the store manager. “They’re at the end of aisle 4. They’re next to the potato chips. You can’t miss them.” Joe thanked the manager. He pushed his shopping cart down aisle 4. He saw some jars of pickles. Pickles would taste good with a ham sandwich. He put a jar in his shopping cart. He continued down the aisle. He saw packages of bread. He needed bread to make a ham sandwich. He put a loaf of bread in his cart. He got to the end of the aisle. He saw the bags of roasted peanuts. The peanuts were in their shells. Unsalted peanuts were in the bags with the blue label. Salted peanuts were in the bags with the red label. All the bags were the same price. He put a bag of salted peanuts in his cart. Salted peanuts are not as healthy as unsalted peanuts. But salted peanuts taste a lot better. He went to aisle 5. That was the aisle with sliced ham. He put a package of sliced ham into his cart. He went up front to the cashier. He gave the cashier $20 and got his change. He couldn’t wait to get home. He was hungry for peanuts, pickles, and a ham sandwich.

92. I Want to Swim

“When will you teach me how to swim?” she asked. “I am afraid of drowning. I am afraid of deep water. I am afraid of going on boats. I am afraid of flying in planes over the ocean. I want to learn how to swim.” “You don’t need to learn how to swim,” her husband said. “All you need to learn is how to float. Floating is so easy. It’s especially easy for women, because women have more fat than men. Let me give you a quick lesson. To float, lie on your back. Look up at the sky. Spread your arms and legs. Breathe normally. That’s it.” “Yes, that sounds easy,” she said. “But I want to learn how to swim. Swimming is good exercise. Swimming will help me lose weight. Floating will not help me lose weight. If I float for a day, I won’t lose any weight at all.” “Okay,” he said. “I will teach you how to swim this weekend. It will take only a couple of hours. By Saturday night you will be able to swim like a fish.”

93. A New Law

Ed was riding his bicycle. A dog started chasing him. He yelled at the dog. Then he tried to kick the dog. He lost his balance. He fell off his bike. His head hit the curb. A neighbor saw him fall. She dialed 911. An ambulance arrived. It took Ed to the emergency room. But it was too late. The doctors could not save him. Ed died. Ed was the son of the governor of Texas. The governor and his wife were very sad. The governor didn’t want other children to die. He didn’t want other parents to suffer. He didn’t want them to lose their children. He talked to the state lawmakers. He asked them to pass a new law to protect children. The lawmakers agreed. They were parents, too. They passed a new law to protect children. The governor signed the new law. The new law was a helmet law. Children had to wear a helmet when they rode a bike, or a sled, or a horse. They had to wear a helmet when they snowboarded or skateboarded. “Texas is now a safe state for children,” said the governor. “Maybe we’re safe,” said one boy, “but we’re not happy. Helmets suck.”

94. She Plays Golf

“What time does the football game start?” John asked. “It starts at 3 o’clock. What time are you coming over here?” Mark asked. John said he would be there at 2 o’clock. Then he said goodbye and hung up the phone. He had to go to the post office to mail a birthday card. His daughter’s birthday was next week. The birthday card showed a woman golfer with a big smile on her face. The card said, “A birthday is like a hole-in-one!” Sharon was almost 25. Before she graduated from high school, she had received a golf scholarship to college. It was a 4-year scholarship. It paid for all her college expenses. She was on the golf team for four years. After college, Sharon became a professional golfer. She traveled all over the country playing golf. Once she won a tournament. She was not the best woman golfer, but she was good. She was in the top 10 every year. She usually made about $100,000 a year. She was also having fun. John was happy about his daughter’s success. He was proud of his daughter. “That’s my girl,” he told his friends.

95. The Fat Actress

Beth was a famous singer and a famous actress. Everyone wanted her autograph. Everyone took pictures of her. She was 26 years old. She had a great body. She was slim and pretty. She was also divorced. She had one child. His name was Charley. He was six years old. A movie actor loved Beth. William was fat and old, but he was rich and smart. He asked Beth out to dinner. She went to dinner with him. They had dinner many times. Then he invited her to his private island. She took Charley with her. They stayed on the island for almost a year. William asked Beth to marry him. They got married on his island. Then she returned to Hollywood to make a new movie. Nobody in Hollywood recognized her at first. “Do I know you?” everyone asked. They didn’t recognize Beth because she had gained about 80 pounds. People said she was too fat. They said she wasn’t pretty anymore. She said she didn’t care. “My husband is fat, and he likes me fat,” she said. “If you don’t like me fat, I don’t care. I will go back to my island and eat all I want. I don’t need Hollywood. I have a husband and a son who love me. What more could a woman want?”

96. A Tornado

It was a warm spring day. It was sunny, but a storm was coming. The sky turned dark gray. Then a black funnel descended from the sky. The black funnel touched the ground. It was a tornado. A tornado is strong. A tornado picks up cars and trucks. They fly through the air like pieces of paper. The tornado siren blasted. It warned everyone in town to take cover. Everyone gathered their kids and pets. They went downstairs into their basements. A tornado can destroy a house, but the basement is safe. Sometimes a tornado hits a town without warning. A year ago, a man was sitting in his bathtub. He was enjoying his bath. He heard a loud sound. He thought a train was crashing into his house. But he did not live near the railroad tracks. It wasn’t a train. A tornado struck his house without warning. The tornado destroyed the man’s whole house. Suddenly he was taking his bath outside. The roof and walls of his house were gone. His wife came home. At first she cried because her house was gone. Then she laughed. Her husband looked so funny sitting in the tub. He couldn’t leave the tub because he had no clothes. He didn’t want his neighbors to see him without clothes. His wife had a towel in the trunk of her car. She gave him a towel, and he climbed out of the tub. They were both happy that he was alive.

97. Two Men

About 10 customers were in the small restaurant. It was late at night. Jenny and David were sitting at a table in the corner. They both worked for the same supermarket. They liked their jobs. They worked together, and they had fun together. They went to church together. They planned to get married and live together. They were saving their money for a house. They wanted to buy a new house in a nice neighborhood. But they needed a down payment. They needed $30,000 for a down payment. They had saved $16,000. They needed $14,000 more. Then they would buy their new house. They were eating their soup. Two men walked into the restaurant. They shouted at someone. Then they pulled out guns. They started shooting. David pushed Jenny to the floor. He covered her with his body. The gunmen stopped shooting and walked out of the restaurant. The restaurant was quiet. Someone started to cry. Two people were dead. One was the cashier. The other was the manager.

98. A Big Cat

The mountains are beautiful. But they can be dangerous. Yesterday a mountain lion attacked a woman. The woman was walking on a trail with her friend. The trail was in the mountains. Donna was walking in front of Linda. They were walking uphill on the mountain trail. The mountain lion jumped out of the bushes. It attacked Donna. Donna screamed. Linda hit the mountain lion with her backpack. The mountain lion grabbed the backpack with its mouth. It ran into the bushes with the backpack. Both women sat on the trail. They were crying. Donna’s nose and ears were bleeding. About five minutes later, a man walked up. He asked them what happened. He had a cell phone. He dialed 911. But his cell phone did not work in the mountains. He said he would get help. He ran back down the trail. Donna was afraid to stay in the mountains. So was Linda. They got up and slowly walked down the trail. They held hands. They did not say a word. They kept looking around and behind them. They were so afraid. They jumped when they heard a strange sound. Was the mountain lion following them?

99. He Loved Her

The man set the woman on fire. She was a dancer in a night club. The man came to the night club once a month. He asked the woman for her phone number. She said no. “I don’t even know you,” she said. “Why would I give you my phone number?” He told her that he was in love with her. She told him that he was crazy. How could he be in love with her? He didn’t even know her. He didn’t know anything about her. He finished his drink and paid for it. He left the night club. He sat in his car in the parking lot. She was glad that he left. Later she went outside to smoke a cigarette. The man got out of his car. She did not see him or hear him. He poured gasoline on her and threw a match on her. She was on fire. She started screaming. She ran into the night club. The manager put the fire out with his jacket. But her face and hands were badly burnt. No one would ever ask for her phone number again.

100. The Fire

George owned a house near the woods. He had three neighbors. They all had big, beautiful houses. They loved their small neighborhood because it was near the woods. It was not near traffic, noise, or the city. Many birds and other animals lived in the woods. One day George drove home in a water truck. A water truck holds a lot of water. George thought the water truck would save the houses from fires. The water truck held 2,000 gallons of water. It cost $50,000. “That’s a lot of money. But if it saves our homes from a fire, it’s worth every penny,” he told his neighbors. They all agreed with him. One year later, the woods were on fire. George sprayed water on all the houses. They could not catch on fire because they were so wet. George saved all the houses with his water truck. His neighbors said he was brave. They thanked him for saving their homes. They had a big party for George. They gave him a red fireman’s hat.

101. Do the Laundry

He took the sheet off the mattress. He took the pillowcase off the pillow. He took the towel off the towel bar. He put the sheet, pillowcase, and towel into the plastic laundry basket. He put his socks into the basket. He put his pants and shirts into the basket. He put his underwear and pajamas into the basket. He put the container of laundry soap into the basket. He put some quarters into his pocket. He opened his apartment door and walked downstairs. He went into the laundry room. He poured some laundry soap into the bottom of the washer. He put his clothes into the washer. He closed the lid of the washer. He moved one dial on the washer to “Big Load.” He moved another dial to “Hot.” He put six quarters into the coin slot. He pushed the coin slot in. The machine started filling with hot water. He went back upstairs. He watched TV for 35 minutes.

102. A Drunk Pilot

There were 102 passengers on the plane. They were waiting for the plane to take off. But the plane was just sitting there. The plane could not take off without a pilot. The co-pilot was already on board. But the pilot was not. Where was the pilot? The flight attendants didn’t know. The co-pilot didn’t know. The passengers didn’t know. Finally, the pilot got on the plane. He was singing and laughing. He waved to all the passengers. He said hello. He told them his name--three times. His eyes were bloodshot. His breath smelled of alcohol. He said, “Are you all ready to fly? We’re going to fly. We’re going to fly high into the sky.” A passenger close to him was angry. “Why are you so late?” The pilot said, “I’m not late—you’re early!” He laughed at his own joke. “You’re drunk,” the passenger said. He dialed 911. The police came. They talked to the pilot. They took him off the plane. He was still laughing and singing. “Mom, if the police take the pilot to jail, who will fly our plane?” a little boy asked his mother. The flight attendant announced that a new pilot would arrive shortly. Many passengers looked at their watches.

103. A Free Breakfast for Everyone

Denny’s is a popular restaurant. They are in all the big cities in America. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To please their customers, Denny's announced a special event. On Monday after the Super Bowl, they offered a free breakfast to everyone in America. The free meal was a Grand Slam breakfast. The breakfast was from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. They told everyone to bring their appetites, not their cash. The delicious meal included pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages. People got up at the crack of dawn to beat the rush. Ben and Mary woke up at 5 a.m. Monday. They got dressed and drove to Denny’s. They got in line at 5:20. “Oh, my,” said Mary. “There’s a hundred people in front of us. Look how long this line is already. We should have come here at 4:20.” The line moved slowly forward. Ben started talking to the man behind them. His name was Brad. Brad had brought his wife, their five kids, and his brother’s four kids. “What a deal, huh? I only wish we had more kids to bring,” Brad said. “They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But today Denny’s is showing America that there is such a thing as a free breakfast.”

104. Make a Sandwich

The boy opened a jar of peanut butter. He spread the peanut butter onto a slice of bread. Then he opened the refrigerator and took out a jar of grape jelly. He spread the jelly on top of the peanut butter. He put the jar back into the refrigerator. He put another slice of bread on top of the peanut butter and grape jelly. Now he had a sandwich. He opened the refrigerator again. He poured himself a big glass of milk, and put the milk back into the refrigerator. He put the sandwich on a plate. He carried the plate and the glass of milk over to the dining room table. He sat down. He turned on the TV and took a big bite out of his sandwich.

105. Fry an Egg

She poured a little vegetable oil into the frying pan. Then she turned on the stove. She took an egg out of the refrigerator. She cracked the egg into a small bowl. She put the eggshells into the kitchen trash bag. She waited for the oil to get hot. She poured the raw egg into the pan. After about two minutes, she flipped the egg over and cooked it for another two minutes. She turned off the stove and took the fried egg out of the pan. She put the egg on a small plate. She sprinkled pepper and salt on the egg. She took a fork out of the kitchen drawer. She walked over to the dining room table with her fork and plate. She tasted the egg. It was delicious.

106. Watch a DVD

He took a DVD out of the package. The DVD was for Season 2 of the TV series “Lost.” He pointed the remote at his DVD player. He pushed the Open button on his remote. The tray slid out of the player. He placed the DVD onto the tray. He pushed the Close button on his remote. The tray slid back into the player. Some words came onto the TV screen. The words said that the FBI would arrest people if they did anything illegal with the DVD. Then a picture appeared saying Season 2. He pressed the Play button on his remote. The show began.

107. Make Some Coffee

She took the bag of coffee beans out of the freezer. She kept them in the freezer because the instructions on the bag said that is the best place. She poured the beans into the grinder. She pressed the grinder button for 10 seconds. Now she had ground coffee. She put a paper filter into a plastic cone. She put the cone on top of a coffee cup. She poured the ground coffee into the cone. Then she poured hot water into the cone. The hot water dripped through the ground coffee. She waited until the cup was full of hot coffee. She threw away the filter and the ground coffee. She took her cup of coffee to the dining room table. She sipped her coffee while she read the newspaper.

108. Get Dressed

He put on his underwear. He put on his slacks. He put a belt through the belt loops in his slacks. He put on a pair of black socks. Then he put on his brown shoes. He tied the shoelaces. He stood up and walked over to his closet. He found a short-sleeve golf shirt. It was blue and white. He pulled it on over his head. He tucked the shirt into his slacks. He zipped up his slacks and buckled his belt. He looked at himself in the mirror. He buttoned the three buttons on his golf shirt. He made sure the collar lay flat. He put his keys and wallet in his pocket. He left his apartment.

109. Buy a Lotto Ticket

He went to the liquor store. He walked over to the lotto stand. He grabbed a SuperLotto form. He marked six numbers. They were the numbers for his birthday and his mom’s birthday. He went to the counter and gave the clerk his form. The clerk put the form into the machine. The clerk gave him a printed ticket with six numbers on it. He gave the clerk one dollar. The clerk said, “Good luck.” He thanked the clerk and walked out of the store. He hoped that this ticket would win a million dollars.

110. Brush Your Teeth

She walked into the bathroom. She took the cap off the tube of toothpaste. She squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush. She turned on the cold water. She brushed her upper teeth and spit out some toothpaste. She brushed her lower teeth and spit out some more toothpaste. She rinsed out her toothbrush. She put the toothbrush back into the toothbrush holder. She put some water into a cup and rinsed out her mouth. She spit out the water and walked out of the bathroom.

111. Shave Your Face

He walked into the bathroom. He turned on the water and rinsed his face. He picked up the can of shaving cream. He put some shaving cream onto his fingers. He spread the shaving cream all over his face and neck. He picked up the razor. He shaved both sides of his face. Then he shaved his upper lip. He shaved his chin. Then he shaved his neck. He started from the bottom of his neck and stroked upwards. He shaved carefully around his Adam’s apple. He rinsed out the razor. He rinsed his face completely to remove all the shaving cream. He dried his face with a towel and looked in the mirror. There was no shaving cream on his face. He was finished.

112. Vacuum the Carpet

She inspected the carpet for small items. She saw a paper clip and a rubber band. She picked them up. She put them into a little box on the kitchen counter. She plugged in the vacuum cleaner. She turned on the switch. The cat ran out of the room. She vacuumed the living room. She went back and forth. She was finished ten minutes later. The green carpet looked clean. She pulled the vacuum cleaner plug out of the wall socket. She put the vacuum cleaner back into the hall closet. The cat returned to the living room. It climbed onto the back of the sofa. It looked out the window at the birds.

113. Change a Light Bulb

He turned on the light switch. The hall light went on. Then he heard a popping sound because the light bulb blew out. It was time to change the bulb. He went into the kitchen. He opened a kitchen cabinet. He looked at five different light bulbs. One of them was 100 watts. That was the one he needed. He went back into the hall. He unscrewed three screws. These screws held the glass globe in place. The globe protected the light bulb. He removed the glass globe. He looked into the bottom of it. A dead bug was in the bottom. He put the bug into the trash. He unscrewed the old light bulb. He shook it. It made a noise. He screwed in the new light bulb. He replaced the globe. He screwed in the three screws. The light went on. He threw out the old bulb.

114. Change a Tire

He went out to his car. Something was wrong. He looked at the left rear tire. It was flat. There is probably a nail in the tire, he thought. He had to change the tire. He opened his trunk. He pulled out the spare tire. He pulled out the jack. He pulled out the lug nut wrench. He took the hubcap off the flat tire. He jacked up the car. He took off all four lug nuts. He pulled the flat tire off the car. He put the spare tire on the car. He tightened the lug nuts. He lowered the car to the ground. He put the hubcap on the spare tire. He put the flat tire into the trunk. He put the jack and the lug nut wrench into the trunk. He shut the trunk. He went into his apartment and washed his hands.

115. Peel a Carrot

She opened the refrigerator. She took a carrot out of the refrigerator. She took a carrot peeler out of the kitchen drawer. She peeled the carrot. She put the carrot skin on a white plate. She rinsed the carrot peeler. She chopped off the two ends of the carrot. She put the carrot ends on the white plate. She chopped the carrot in half. She rinsed the knife. She sprinkled a little salt onto the carrot halves. She put the carrot halves on a blue plate. She put the blue plate on the table. The blue plate was for her. She put the white plate on the floor. Her pet rabbit ran over to the white plate. It ate everything on the plate. The rabbit didn’t need salt.

116. Make Some Toast

She took a bagel out of the package. She took a knife out of the drawer. She sliced the bagel in half. She sliced it carefully, because a bagel is hard to cut. If the knife slipped, she might cut her finger. She put each half of the bagel into the toaster. She pushed the toaster handle down. One minute later, both bagel slices popped up. She buttered each slice. Then she put the slices into the microwave. She microwaved the slices for 15 seconds. She waited a few seconds for the slices to cool down. Then she bit into a slice. It was hot and chewy. It was delicious. She dipped it into her coffee. She took another bite. Now it was wet and chewy.