HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 1-Lesson 17Country Mouse lived on a wide-open farm in the country. She could come and
go as she pleased. She had lots of room to run and play. But on this day, Country
Mouse was leaving the country. She was taking a bus to the city to visit her cousin,
City Mouse.
The bus trip from the country took almost an hour. Country Mouse was excited
when the bus stopped in the city. It stopped in front of a statue of a family
dressed in old-fashioned clothes. The monument honored the fi rst people to live in
the city. The statue was downtown, right in the middle of the busy city.
Country Mouse had to walk one block to reach her cousin’s house. “All I have to
do is walk past one row of buildings and shops. Then I cross the street,” thought
Country Mouse. But she was scared. She came from the quiet, peaceful country,
so she wasn’t used to the busy city. Cars, buses, and other kinds of transportation
fi lled the street. And people were everywhere! “I am small. I must be careful out in
public so that people don’t step on me,” she reminded herself.
At last, Country Mouse reached her cousin’s house. “You sure live in a busy
neighborhood,” she told him.
“Yes. It’s great! The shops around here have everything I need,” said City
Mouse, proudly. “Now please come in and eat.”
City Mouse led the way to a kitchen table piled high with food. Country Mouse
saw strawberries and grapes. She saw cheese and crackers. She saw pizza and
chocolate cake. “Maybe the city isn’t so bad after all!” she thought. She couldn’t
wait to dig in.
But before Country Mouse had a chance to take her fi rst bite, City Mouse
yelled, “There’s a cat! Run!”
The mice dropped the food and raced into a tiny hole in the wall. It was too
small for the cat to get through, so the mice were safe. City Mouse apologized to
Country Mouse. “It’s part of living in a busy city,” he explained.
“The city is too busy for me,” said Country Mouse. “I’m going back to my
peaceful country home. There I don’t have to worry about people stepping on
me. And I can eat without worrying about a cat!”
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand what the city looks
like? In what ways is the city different from the country?
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One hot summer day, City Mouse thought, “It is too hot here in the city. I
bet the countryside will be cooler. So I will go to the country to visit my cousin,
Country Mouse.” Then City Mouse hopped into his fancy red sports car and
drove to his cousin’s house.
Country Mouse was in her garden when City Mouse arrived. Country Mouse
pointed to a heavy basket she was holding. The basket was fi lled with seeds.
“I’ve just picked sunfl ower seeds for our lunch,” she told him. “I grow the
sunfl owers myself! Now please come inside and eat.”
City Mouse was very hungry. He sat down to eat. Country Mouse served him a
big plate of seeds for lunch. City Mouse frowned. He thought, “At home in the city,
I could eat pizza and chocolate cake for lunch. I could go to a restaurant. Here in
the country, I have only seeds to eat.” He thought of how yummy the restaurant
foods tasted. Yummy bites would go sliding down his throat. These seeds weren’t
going down smoothly at all.
After lunch, the mice strolled through the countryside. As they walked,
Country Mouse showed City Mouse some cows. She pointed to a girl riding a
horse. Then she showed him a path to the woods.
“I pick nuts in these woods. Come, I will show you the nut trees,” said
Country Mouse. She walked ahead, leading the way along the path. City
Mouse followed her to the nut trees. Then the two of them picked nuts. They
carried the nuts back to Country Mouse’s house. Afterward, City Mouse was
sore and tired.
“Living in the country is hard work,” City Mouse said to his cousin. “You
grow and pick your food. You do a lot of heavy lifting. It is easier to live in the
city. I buy my food at grocery stores.”
When the day was done, City Mouse felt glad to be going back to the city.
There he could buy his food. And he could eat anything he wanted.
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand what the mice do
in the country? Why does City Mouse think that living in the country is
hard work?
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