HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 2-Lesson 22There was once a princess who had everything she could ever want. She had pretty
ponies and swimming pools, beautiful dresses and mountains of candy. But those
things didn’t make her happy. She always wanted more. In fact, she was a mean little
girl who treated everyone badly.
One day, the princess saw a little girl playing happily with a dirty doll. The princess
called her fairy godmother right away.
“Fairy godmother, come here now!” she ordered. Her fairy godmother appeared
at once in a puff of smoke.
“What took you so long, Judy?” sneered the princess. “Can’t you hear anymore?”
Her fairy godmother could hardly hide her disgust at the little girl’s bad manners.
“Your insults harm you more than they hurt my feelings. Now, how can I help you dear?”
“That little girl playing in the street seems happy!” shouted the princess. “The doll
must make her happy. I want it now!”
“But she is a poor little girl. That’s her only doll, and you have hundreds of dolls,”
her fairy godmother pleaded.
“You work for me, Judy,” the princess said with scorn. “Get me the doll now!”
Taking the doll away from the little girl embarrassed the fairy godmother and
made her feel sad. But she did as she was told.
At fi rst, the princess felt happy playing with the dirty old doll, but soon she was
angry and sad again. “That girl must have a secret that makes her happy,” thought
the princess. She ordered her fairy godmother to bring the girl to her room.
“Why are you so happy?” the princess demanded.
“I am happy because I have friends and family who love me,” said the little girl,
smiling shyly. “What is your name? Maybe we could be friends.”
Finally, the princess realized that possessions would not make her happy. From
that day on, the princess was nice to everyone. She had learned that kindness was
the real key to happiness.
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand the bad behavior of the
princess? How is the princess different at the end the story?
26
27
During wartime, how did soldiers send messages to one another before cell
phones or two-way radios were invented? Believe it or not, pigeons were once the
best way for soldiers to communicate, or send messages, over long distances. While
on the battlefi eld, soldiers could attach a note to a pigeon’s leg. The pigeons were
trained to fl y back to a place called home base. When a pigeon fl ew into its special
cage at home base, it would ring a bell. The bell would alert the soldiers at home
base that a message had arrived.
In 1918, during World War I, a group of American soldiers were surrounded in
enemy territory. They had been there for more than two days. They did not have a lot
to eat, and the mood was hopeless. The soldiers had already released three pigeons
carrying messages back to the base. Still no help had come.
The soldiers brought out their last pigeon, named Cher Ami. In the French language,
cher means “dear” and ami means “friend.” The trapped soldiers attached a note to
Cher Ami’s leg, and they hoped the pigeon would be a dear friend to them. They hoped it
would fl y to home base. The note on Cher Ami’s leg asked for help.
Enemy soldiers knew Cher Ami was carrying a note as soon as they saw him fl y
away. They tried to shoot the bird. Cher Ami was hit in the breast, eye, and leg, but
he kept fl ying. Seeing Cher Ami fl y away toward home base excited the trapped
soldiers. But would the pigeon make it all the way there?
Cher Ami fi nally did arrive at home base, but he was badly wounded. The soldiers
at the base felt mournful when they saw him, but they were happy to fi nd the note
he’d carried. Men were quickly sent from the base to help the trapped soldiers. Then,
doctors helped mend Cher Ami’s injuries.
Meanwhile, the trapped soldiers didn’t know if Cher Ami had made it through.
When help fi nally came, the soldiers felt many emotions. They felt joyful because they
had been saved, and they felt thankful for their pigeon hero. Later, the United States
government gave Cher Ami a medal as a reward.
You can see Cher Ami today at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. After
he died, he was preserved so people could see him forever. If you ever have the
pleasure of seeing Cher Ami in person, you can look at him and remember his heroic
fl ight to deliver a message that saved many lives.
COMPREHENSION Do you think soldiers use pigeons to communicate today?
Why or why not? Which words help you understand the feelings that the
soldiers had?
Cher Ami, the Brave Pigeon
28
29