Chapter I: Front Matter

THE SUMMERS READERS

FIRST READER

BY
MAUD SUMMERS

ILLUSTRATED FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS BY
LUCY FITCH PERKINS
AND
MARION L. MAHONY

FRANK D. BEATTYS AND COMPANY
NEW YORK

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks are due to the following publishers and authors for permission to reprint poems and to adapt stories on which they hold copyright:

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS:

“The Swing” and “At the Seaside” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Educational Publishing Company:

“The Kind Old Oak” (Adapted) from “Little Flower Folks.”

Clayton F. Summy Company:

“The Song of the Mill-Stream” (Adapted) by Mildred and Patty Hill,
from “Songs and Stories for the Kindergarten.”

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company:

“The Little Plant” by Emilie Poulsson from “Finger Plays.”

Kindergarten Magazine:

“The Little Red Apple” (Adapted).

Copyright, 1908, by
FRANK D. BEATTYS AND COMPANY
NEW YORK

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE LITTLE RED APPLE 5

THE WIND AND THE SUN 8

THE WIND 10

SOMETHING TO TELL 11

MOTHER TREE AND THE LEAVES 12

THE LITTLE PINE TREE 15

THE ANT AND THE DOVE 20

STOP, STOP, PRETTY WATER 23

THE BROOK 24

THE THREE BEARS 26

THE FOX AND THE CROW 34

CHICKEN LITTLE 35

THE SWING 43

THE KIND OLD OAK 44

IN THE WOODS 47

THE HONEST WOODMAN 48

AN OLD RHYME 53

AT THE SEASIDE 54

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 55

THE SONG OF THE MILL-STREAM 63

THE SAWMILL 64

THE LION AND THE MOUSE 66

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 69

THE BOY AND THE NUTS 77

THE NEW MOON 78

THE CARPENTER 80

SOMETHING TO TELL 82

THE GINGERBREAD BOY 83

THE CITY MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE 89

THE CITY MOUSE AND THE GARDEN MOUSE 93

THE MINER 94

THE ENGINE 96

MAKING MAPLE SUGAR 97

THE WOODPECKER 102

LITTLE GOODY TWOSHOES 103

THE BRAMBLE BUSH AND THE LAMBS 109

MARY’S LITTLE LAMB 112

SOMETHING TO TELL 114

THE PET LAMB 115

THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 118

THE LITTLE PLANT 128

WORK AND PLAY 130

THE THREE BROTHERS 137

THE LARK AND HER LITTLE ONES 147

MORNING SONG 150

ALPHABET 152

WORD LIST 153

“When the school introduces and trains each child of society into
membership within a little community, saturating him with the
spirit of service, and providing him with the instruments of
effective self-direction, we shall have the deepest and best
guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and
harmonious.”

JOHN DEWEY.

THE LITTLE RED APPLE.

Once there was a little red apple.

It was high up in a tree.

A little girl saw the apple.

“Oh, Apple!” she said. “Come down to me.”

But the little red apple did not hear her, for it was fast asleep.

The bright sun came out.

“Oh, Sun! Dear Sun!” said the little girl. “Will you waken the apple?”

The sun kissed the apple, but it did not fall down.

A little bird sat upon the bough of a tree.

“Little Bird, can you waken the apple?”

The bird sang a pretty song, but that did not waken the apple.

“Here comes West Wind,” said the little girl.

“He will waken the apple for me.”

West Wind shook the tree and down fell the apple.

“Thank you, West Wind,” said the little girl.

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then?
Poor thing!

He’ll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing!

THE WIND AND THE SUN.

One day West Wind blew the tops of the trees.
He blew the corn in the fields.
He blew the apples off the trees.
Just then the bright sun came out.
“I am stronger than you,” said West Wind.
“No! I am stronger than you,” said the sun.
Then West Wind said, “Do you see that man?
He has on a warm coat.
I can make the man take it off.”
“Can you?” said the sun.
West Wind blew, and blew, and blew.
But the man did not take off his coat.
“This is a cold wind,” he said.

“Now it is my turn,” said the sun.
“I can make the man take off his coat.”
“Do it,” said West Wind.
The sun came out very hot.
Soon the man took off his coat.
“The sun is very hot,” he said.

THE WIND.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.
CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI.

SOMETHING TO TELL.

Who has seen the wind?
Who can sing the wind song?
When do the leaves hang trembling?
When do the trees bow their heads?
What work does North Wind do?
What work does South Wind do?
What work does East Wind do?
What work does West Wind do?

What does the sun do in spring?
What does the sun do in summer?
What does the sun do in autumn?
What does the sun do in winter?
Did the sun make the apple fall?
Did the wind make the man take off his coat?
Is the sun stronger than the wind?

MOTHER TREE AND THE LEAVES.

One day Mother Tree said to the leaf-buds,
“Winter will soon be here.
I have made you warm winter coats.”

Mother Tree put a coat around every leaf-bud.

“Sunshine will keep you warm,” she said.
“So I have put some sunshine in every coat.”

Soon all the leaf-buds went to sleep
for the winter.

Then Mother Tree said to the little green leaves,
“Now your work is over.
Take off your green dresses.
Jack Frost will be here to-night.
He will give you bright red and yellow dresses.”

II

In the morning Mother Tree said,
“Waken, dear leaves.

It is time to get up.
See! Here are red and yellow dresses for you.
Now you may fly away to play in the brown fields.”
Just then North Wind passed by.
He saw the leaves hang trembling on Mother Tree.
“Come!” said North Wind.
“Come with me.”
“Goodby, dear Mother Tree,” said the leaves as they flew away.
Over the brown fields they went with North Wind.
All day they danced and sang in the brown fields.
When night came they went to sleep.

Soon they were covered with the soft white snow.

THE LITTLE PINE TREE.

Once there was a little pine tree.
It had long green needles.
“I wish I had leaves,” said the pine tree.
“I do not like needles.
I should like leaves of gold.”
By and by night came.
The little pine tree went to sleep.

II

In the morning the pine tree had leaves of gold.
“How happy I am!” said the pine tree.
“See what pretty leaves I have!”
Soon a man came into the woods.
He put all the gold leaves into a bag.

Then the poor tree had no leaves.
“Oh! What shall I do?” said the tree.
“I do not like gold leaves.
I wish I had leaves of glass.”
Again it was night.
The little pine tree went to sleep.

III

In the morning the tree had leaves of glass.
“Now I am happy,” said the pine tree.
Just then the wind blew the tree.
It blew all the leaves off the tree.
They fell down and were broken.
“Oh! My pretty glass leaves,” said the poor tree.
“See! They are all broken.
I do not like leaves of glass.
I wish I had green leaves.”
Again night came.
The little pine tree went to sleep.

IV

In the morning the tree had pretty green leaves.
“I am happy now,” said the pine tree.
“I have green leaves like the other trees.”
By and by a little goat came into the woods.
Soon the goat ate all the leaves off the tree.
Poor little pine tree!
Again it had no leaves.
“I wish I had my long green needles,” said the tree.
“How happy I should be with needles!”
Night came.
Again the pine tree went to sleep.

V

In the morning it had long green needles.
The pine tree was very happy.
Two little birds flew into the tree.
They made a nest in the long green needles.
“I will never wish for leaves again,” said the pine tree.
“A man took my gold leaves.
The wind broke my glass leaves.
A goat ate my green leaves.
Needles are best for a little pine tree.”

THE ANT AND THE DOVE.

A little ant fell into the water.
“Oh, help! Help!” said the ant.
A dove was in a tree near by.
She dropped a leaf into the water.
“Here, little ant, is a leaf.
Climb upon it,” said the dove.
Soon the ant came to the shore.
“Thank you, pretty dove,” said the ant
“Some day I will help you.”