First Grade Read Aloud Banquet

Songs for November

Aiken Drum



King Cole



The Old Man in Leather



Ye Fairy Ship



Elf and Dormouse

Under a toadstool

Crept a wee Elf,

Out of the rain

To shelter himself.


Under the toadstool,

Sound asleep,

Sat a big Dormouse

All in a heap.


Trembled the wee Elf

Frightened, and yet

Fearing to fly away

Lest he get wet.


To the next shelter

Maybe a mile

Sudden the wee Elf

Smiled a wee smile.


Tugged till the toadstool

Toppled in two

Holding it over him

Gayly he flew.


Soon he was safe home,

Dry as could be.

Soon woke the Dormouse

"Good gracious me!


Where is my toadstool!"

Loud he lamented,

And that's how umbrellas

First were invented.

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 35 The Deadly Poppy Field from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Hunting a Panther from Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston More about Nuts from Seed-Babies by Margaret Warner Morley The Iron Stove from Fairy Tales Too Good To Miss—Around the Fire by Lisa M. Ripperton How Horatius Kept the Bridge from On the Shores of the Great Sea by M. B. Synge Mr. McQueen Pays the Rent from The Irish Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins How They Worshipped God in the Tabernacle from Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
A Farmer Went Riding, Anonymous 		Halfway Down by A. A. Milne
Old Dame Cricket, Anonymous 		Farewell to the Farm by Robert Louis Stevenson An Autumn Riddle, Anonymous O Lady Moon by Christina Georgina Rossetti Ferry Me by Christina Georgina Rossetti
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The Aesop for Children  by Milo Winter

Belling the Cat

The mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last a very young Mouse got up and said:

"I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful. All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question Who will bell the Cat?"

It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it.


[Illustration]