BR 2-28 How Zebras Got Their Stripes

    I read"How Zebras Got Their Stripes", so I will talk about the story. Long ago, there were a greedy baboon, a giraffe, an elephant and the very first zebra. Greedy baboon lived by a pond. He wanted the pond all to himself. But everyone was thirsty. One day a giraffe and a elephant went to pond, but baboon roared, so they fled. One day zebra walked up. Baboon roared, but zebra stamped his hoof. So few days latter, baboon got lots of sticks and lit a big fire. But zebra wasn't scared the fire, so he ran at baboon, he kicked out his legs. Baboon flew into air. The sticks landed on Zebra and Baboon landed on his bottom. So ever since then, Zebras have had black stripes and Baboons have red bottoms.

USBORNE FIRST READING. Retold by Lesley Sims. First published in 2009

146 words

BR 2-27 The Genie in the Bottle

    I read "The Genie in the Bottle", so I will talk about the story. There was a fisherman. He fishes everyday. One day, he thought the he could fish a big fish! But it was an old bottle. He pulled out the stopper and looked it. Suddenly, smoke poured out and BIG bad genie appeared. The fisherman was very surprised! The Genie wanted to eat the fisherman because he was very hungry. Then the fisherman stuffed the Genie into the old bottle and he pushed the stopper in hard.

USBORNE FIRST READING. Retold by Rosie Dickins. First published in 2009

100 words

BR 2-26 Goldilocks and the Three Bears

    I read "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", so I will tell you about the story. There was a family. The family's daughter is Goldilocks. Goldilocks is so naughty. So her mother, father and brother were always troubled her. One day, she went to the woods. There is so dangerous. Then, she found a pretty little cottage. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. So she came into the house. She threw into confusion the house. For example, she ate the meal, broke the chair and she slept the bed. Then, three bears came back to the house. They were so surprised and angry. And they found Goldilocks sleeping on the little bear's bed. Goldilocks opened her mouth and screamed. She ran out of the house as fast as she could go. Then "I'll never, ever be naughty again" said Goldilocks.

USBORNE FIRST READING Series editor: Lesley Sims First published in 2007

154 words

BR 2-25 The Frog Prince

    I read "The Frog Prince", so I will tell you about the story.

Long ago in a distance land lived a young Princess who was so beautiful. 

One day the King gave her a new ball. It was a golden ball. She loved the golden ball and played with the golden ball every day. She went to the nearby forest, there she began to play, tossing her golden ball into air and catching it in her hand. The princess continued her game, enjoying herself immensely. However she missed. the ball fell to the ground and it rolled into a nearby spring. The spring is the cold and deep. The princess began to cry. Suddenly a frog came out from the spring. The princess doesn't like frog, so she jumped back. The frog said to her "I would find your golden ball." So the princess asked for the frog. But the frog required her. " I want to play with you. I want to eat with you. I want to sleep on your pillow. I want to be your friend." said the frog. And the princess said "Yes.", so the frog found golden ball from the spring. But the princess ran away to her castle. When she and king were eating the dinner, the frog came. So she said everything to the King. The princess would not do the frog's wish, but her father sternly reminded her, "A promise is a promise. And this one you must keep." So she did the frog's wish. Early the next morning, when the dark was graying into daylight, the Princess heard the Frog jump down from her bed and hop away. She hoped he would never come back again. But he did come back, the very net night. So again she let the Frog eat from her plate, him sleep on her pillow. Such as thing continued few days. But one day the Frog did not hop away in the early morning. This time magic. The Frog was transformed into a handsome young Prince! Now she was glad she had kept her promise. Then the Frog Prince and the Princess became the best of friends. And they promised to marry someday and live happily ever after. Which they did. After all, a promise is a promise. And this one the Princess was happy to keep.  

We Both Read, Text Copyright 1997 by Treasure Bay, Inc. Adapted by Sindy McKay, From the stories by the Brothers Grimm, Illustrated by George Ulrich

419 words

BR 2-24 National Parks

    I read "National Parks", so I will tell you about the story. A national park is parkland that is protected. All the plants and animals that live there are protected. Earth national park is different and has animals and planets that make it special. Uluru is huge rock in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the middle of Australia. Uluru is the biggest rock in the world and is more than 60 million years old. Uluru is home to lots of different plants and animals. There are more than 150 different kinds of birds in this national park. Every year, more than 650 00 people come to see Uluru. Uluru is very important to Aboriginal people. They have been living at Uluru for more than 10 000 years. Serengeti National Park is a very important national park in Africa. People work hard to protect all the special animals that live there. At different times of the year, many of the animals move around the park looking for food. Denali National Park is in Alaska. It is important for its animals. Winter in Alaska is long and cold, but all the animals that live there are well adapted to the cold climate. When people visit a national park, there are important rules to follow. Important rules are that stay on the tracks when walking, don't leave anything behind in the park, don't touch the rock art and plants and follow the fire rules. National parks protect plants and animals and give people a chance to get close to living things around them.

Fast Forward text by Alan Trussell-Cullen. First published in 2007

272 words

BR 2-23 ENERGY IN SPORT

    I read "ENERGY IN SPORT", so I will tell you about the story. People who play sport need a lot of energy. If they don't have energy, they are not able to play at their peak for very long. When someone is at their peak, they play very well. When someone is not at their peak, they don't play very well. Different sports people need different kinds of energy. Some sports people need a lot of energy quickly. This is called an energy rush. Other sports people need energy slowly over a long time. Sprinters are people who race over a short distance. Sprinters need to build up speed very quickly. They need to have a lot of energy for a short time. Sprinters prepare for a race by building up their muscles. The stronger their muscles are, the more energy they can use at the start of a race. Sprinters need special food to help them build their muscles. The best foods for building muscles are foods with lots of protein. Proteins help bodies to grow. They are also good for  fixing injured bodies. When sprinters injure their bodies, they have to eat lots of foods with protein in them. Protein can be found in red meat, eggs and milk. A sprinter can eat eggs for breakfast every day. He or she can also have two serves of red meat and drink five glasses of milk every day. Endurance runners race over a long distance. And endurance runners don't have big muscles like sprinters. Endurance runners need food that will give them the energy to keep running for a long time. The best kinds of foods for endurance runners are foods with lots of carbohydrates and fat.

Fast Forward text by Nicolas Brasch. First published in 2007.

301 words

BR 2-22 Move It!

    I read "Move It!", so I will tell you about the story. Things can be move by pushing them. For example, the bulldozer is pushing over the tree, the girl is pushing her friend on the swing and the man is pushing a rolling pin. Things can be moved by pulling them. For example, the car is pulling the caravan, the dog are pulling the sled, the hammer is pulling the nail and the boat is pulling the ship. Machines can help move things. A stapler is a little machine. People push on it to make it work. A crane is a big machine. People use cranes to pull things up. The boy pushes with his foot. The push makes the skateboard move. The bird moves its wings. The wings push on the air. They make the bird move. The boy lets the balloons go. The air inside the balloons pushes on the air outside the balloons. The balloons take off.

Fast Forward text by Alan Trussell-Cullen. First published in 2007.

173 words

BR 2-21 ANIMAL DISGUISES

    I read "ANIMAL DISGUISES", so I will tell you about the story. Many animals use color as a disguise to hide an enemy. This is called camouflage. The tawny frogmouth is hiding from the fox. The tawny frogmouth is the same color as the tree it is sitting on. It wants the fox to think it is part of the tree. Some animals are hunters. The tiger is a hunter. It uses its color to hide in the bushes. The carpet shark is also a hunter. It is the same color as the sea bed. It uses its disguise to catch little fish that do not see it hiding in the sea bed. The tiger and the carpet shark use color as a disguise to help them catch their food. Animals use disguises to  trick other animals. When zebra stay in a group, they look like one really big zebra to a lion. This makes the lion stop and gives the zebra time to get away. Some animals can change their disguise. The chameleon can change its disguise. It can change its color from black to brown, yellow, green, blue or red. Some animals disguise themselves as something else to trick an enemy. The stick insect looks like a stick. The leaf-tailed gecko looks like a leaf. People also use disguises. These soldiers are hiding from an enemy. They have on the same colors as the bushes around them. This is called camouflage.

Fast Forward text by Alan Trussell-Cullen. First published in 2007

257 words

BR 2-20 HOT and COLD

    I read "HOT and COLD", so I will tell you about the story. Temperature is the measure of how hot or cold something is. Temperature is measured on a scale. There are two scale: Celsius and Fahrenheit. The Celsius scale is named after a man Celsius. The Fahrenheit scale is named after a man called Fahrenheit. Some countries use the Celsius scale to measure temperature. Some countries use the Fahrenheit scale to measure temperature. A thermometer measures the temperature. The numbers on the thermometer are called degrees. On the Celsius scale, water freezes at 0°. On the Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32°. On the Celsius scale, water boils at 100°. On the Fahrenheit scale, water boils at 212°. Most parts of the world are hot for some of the year and cold for some of the year. Some parts of the world are hot all of the year. Libya is hot all of the year. Some parts of the world are cold all of the year. Antarctica is cold all of the year. On 13 September 1922, a temperature of 57.3℃ was measured in Libya. This is the hottest temperature measures in a country. On 21 July 1983, a temperature of -89.2℃ was measured in Antarctica. This is the coldest temperature measured on Earth.

Fast Forward text by Nicolas Brasch. First published in 2007.

226 words

BR 2-19 The WATER CYCLE

    I read "The WATER CYCLE", so I will tell you about story of the book. The process by which water moves from Earth to the sky and then back to Earth is called the water cycle. Rain falls from the sky, but it does not start its life in the sky. Rain starts its life on Earth. Water vapour rises into the air and falls back on to Earth as rain. During the water cycle, water takes three different forms: liquid, gas and solid. The liquid from of water is rain, rivers, lakes and the ocean. As a gas, water is called vapour. As a solid, water is called ice, snow and hail. There are four stages in the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and runoff. 1. Rain starts as a liquid in the ocean or a lake. 2. It is then heated and changed into a gas, called vapour. Vapour rises to the sky to form clouds. 3. As clouds cool, the vapour forms a liquid again. 4. The liquid becomes too heavy to stay in the air so it falls to Earth. Sometimes, it turns into a solid before falling. 5. The liquid runs back into the ocean or a lake. The process then begins all over again.

Fast Forward text by Nicolas Brasch First published in 2007

221 words

BR 2-18 THE HEART

    I read "THE HEART", so I will tell you about story of the book. The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. It's a muscle that works like a pump, sending blood to every part of the body. It takes 20 seconds for the heart to pump blood to every cell in the body. The heart can be found in the middle of the chest, behind the ribs. The ribs help to keep the heart safe. The heart has four places that hold blood. It has two large places on the bottom. These are called the right ventricle and left ventricle. It has two smaller places on the top. These are called the right atrium and left atrium. There are four valves in the heart. The valves stop the blood going back the wrong way. The blood takes important things like oxygen and food to every part of the body. Without oxygen and food, the body's cells begin to die. The blood also takes away things the body doesn't need. After the blood has been pumped around the body, it comes back to the heart. When the blood reaches the heart, it goes into the right atrium. The right atrium then pumped the blood into the right ventricle. Before the blood can be pumped around the body again, it needs more oxygen. The right ventricle pushes the blood into the lungs so it can pick up the oxygen it needs. After the blood gets this oxygen, it becomes bright red. When the blood leaves the lungs, it goes back to the left atrium. From here the blood is pumped into the left ventricle. The left ventricle then pumps it around the body. The way you move and the food you eat has a lot of do with how well your heart works. In a lifetime, the heart beats about 2.5 billion times. This is an amazing job for an organ that is only about the size of a fist.

FAST FORWARD text by Alan Trussell- Cullen First published in 2007

346 words

BR 2-17 SPORTS CLOTHES

    I read "SPORTS CLOTHES", so I will tell you about story of the book. There are spots clothes for every sport. Sports clothes are made from all kinds of fabrics. These fabrics comfortable when playing sport. Sports clothes have changed a lot over time. Long ago, clothes were made from natural fabrics, like wool and cotton. Wool and cotton are called natural fabrics because they are made from natural things, like plants and animals. 100 Tears Ago...When people went swimming 100 years ago, their clothes were made from wool or cotton. These clothes were very thick and heavy in the water. Over time, people started making new fabrics. These fabrics are called synthetics. Synthetic fabrics are made in factories by people. They are not made from natural things, like plants and animals. In the past, woollen clothes helped skiers to keep warm in the snow. Wool can also stretch, and this helped skiers to move well. But wool is thick and heavy. It also stays wet if it's in the snow for a long time. Synthetic fabrics are light.m, and they help skiers to keep warm and dry. Synthetic fabrics can also stretch, and this helps skiers to move well. Sports clothes are now made with fabrics that make them very comfortable. Lots of people put sports clothes on even when they are not playing a sport.

FAST FORWARD text by Carmel Reilly First published in 2007

237 words

BR 2-16 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

    I read "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", so I will tell you about story of the book. Everyday people make a lot of rubbish. Reduce- cut back on how much we use. Reuse- use things many times. Recycle- make things into something else that can be used again. If everyone tried to reduce, reuse and recycle, we could: cut down on waste, save energy, protect natural resources and cut a lot of pollution. The first thing we can do to cut waste and help the environment is to reduce what we use. When we go shopping, we can take our own shopping bags or baskets. When we buy something, we can look for things that don't have a lot of packaging. The second thing we can do to cut waste and help the environment is to use things that don't have to be thrown away after one use. we reuse things by: refilling water bottles, using both sides of paper when printing, using shopping baskets and giving other people clothes that we no longer want. The third thing we can do to cut waste and help the environment is to recycle. There are many that can be recycle: food, paper, metals, glass and plastic. A lot of recycling can be done at home. We can put our left-over food into the compost bin, not the rubbish bin. Over time, the left-over food will turn into compost that can be used in the garden. It's easy to reduce, reuse and recycle! By reducing, reusing and recycling, we can cut down on rubbish and help our environment.

FAST FORWARD text by Camel Reilly First published in 2007.

273 words

BR 2-15 Making a Cake

    I read "Making a Cake", so I will tell you about story of the book. Is making a cake like making a work of art? Or is making a cake science? Some people think making a cake is art. But some people think that making a cake is science. A lot of work goes into making a cake a work of art. The person who makes the cake has to have the right ingredients to make the cake taste good. The ingredients have to be mixed in the right way and cooked at the right temperature. These things make the cake the cake look and taste good. Cooking a cake is a good way to look at chemical change. Chemical changes happen when you mix different ingredients together to make something new. Melt chocolate to make icing for a cake is a physical change. First, the chocolate is hard. Then the chocolate is heated. The heat melts the chocolate, and it goes runny. When the runny chocolate goes on the cake, to hard chocolate again. The best cakes are part science and part art. It is the chemical and physical changes that make the ingredients into a cake. But it is the art of the cook that makes the cake look and taste good.

Fast Forward text by Carmel Reilly. First published in 2007

224 words

BR 2-14 In the Garden

    I read "In the Garden", so I will tell you story of the book. Kipper went into Chip's room and picked up the magic key. The key began to glow. Kipper ran outside and looked for Biff and Chip. Biff and Chip were playing with Wilf and Wilima. They were playing in the sandpit. The magic key began to work. The children got smaller and smaller. The children were in the grass and everything looked big. The grass was like a jungle. The children came out of the jungle. They came to a mountain. Chip began to climb. He wanted to get to the top. The children got to the top. The children looked at the sand. "It looks like a desert," said Biff.Then Wilma found the toy car. "Let's get inside and ride down. We can ride down to the desert."The car took them down the mountain. The car stopped in the sand. Then big cat came out. The children climbed inside a bottle. Floppy chased the cat away. The children climbed out of the bottle. They walked over the desert. Everyone felt very hot. "Look!" said Wilf. "Giant strawberries!" The children ran to eat them. The children ate the strawberries. They pulled off big lumps. But it began to rain. "What big drops!" said Wilf. "I feel sick now," said Kipper. The children ran to a giant flowerpot. The key began to glow. The magic key was over. "I can't see," said Chip. He had the flowerpot on his head. Dad looked at his strawberries. "I don't know," he said. "There must be giant slugs round here."

Oxford Reading Tree/ Roderick Hunt Alex Brychta/ This edition punished 1987

280 words

BR 2-13 AT THE SHOPS

 

People buy things at shops. People need shops because they cannot make or grow all the things they need. People can shop day and night. Some shops sell food, clothes and toys. A lot of shops sell food. Some food shop sell fruit, meat and fish. These people work in a fruit shop. They are called greengrocers. These people work in a meat shop. They are called butchers. These people work in a fish shop. They are called fishmonger. Some of the food sold in shops comes from farms or sea. Some shops sell clothes for boys and girls. Some shops sell clothes for women and men. Some clothes are made from things that grow on farms, like cotton. The cotton from farms goes to a factory. A factory is where things are made. Clothes are made in factories. The toys that are sold in this shop are not made shop. Some toys are made by people or in factory. When the toys are made, they go to the shop. Then people come to the shop and buy the toys.

Fast Forward. Text by Nicolas Brasch. First published in 2007.

190 words

BR 2-12 Water World

 Water is one of the most important resources on Earth. Fresh water is important to all living things. Without water, people, animals and plants could not live. As the number of people in the world grows, so does the need for water. People cannot live for more than a few days without water. We need to drink water every day, but we can get some water from foods. Tomato has water of 95%, apple has water of 85% and corn has water of 70%. The human body needs fresh water. Without it, the body cannot work at its best. More than 50% of the human body is made up of water. Farmers need water to grow food and to feed their animals. The water comes from rivers and lakes. This is called irrigation. As the number of people in the world grows, more and more people need to share the water. Different industries use water in different ways. Mot industries need water for heating, cooling and washing. Some industries use water to make food and drink. Plants need water to grow. They need water to make food. Without water, plants cannot make oxygen. All living things need oxygen to live. Rain forests make up to 40% of the world's oxygen. They cannot do this without water. Everyone can help look after this resource by saving water when they can. If everyone saves just a little water, there will be more to go around.

Fast Forward. Text by Alan Trussell-Cullen. First published in 2007.

256 words

BR 2-11 Food from the World

 I read "Food from the World", so I will talk about story of the book. Some of the food comes from Australia. But a lot of it comes from countries all over the world. Bananas grow in South America, Australia and Africa. Bananas grow on banana palm trees. They need a lot of sun. When the bananas are green, it is time to take them off the tree. Rice grows all over the world. A lot of rice comes from China, Australia and the USA. Rice grows well where it is wet. Tea grows in a lot of countries. A lot of tea comes from India and China. Pineapples grow in countries hat have lots of sun. A lot of pineapples come from Australia, South America and the USA. Kiwi fruit are brown. A lot of kiwi fruit comes from New Zealand. Kiwi fruit came to New Zealand from China. A lot of kiwi fruit comes from South America and the USA, too. Dates grow in Africa. They need a lot of sun. Raisins are grapes that have been dried in the sun. Grapes grow in lots of countries, but the raisins you see here come from the USA and Australia. Food grows all over the world. Today the food we eat can come from a country a long way from here.

Fast Forward. Text by Alan Trussell-Cullen. First published in 2007.

234 words

BR 2-10 SURVIVING a Tsunami

 

 I read "SURVIVING a Tsunami", so I will talk about story of the book. In December 2004, a tsunami hit many places in Indonesia. Some people think that a tsunami is a giant wave, but a tsunami isn't just one wave. A tsunami is a number of giant waves that are set off by an earthquake. The earthquake that started the tsunami in 2004 happened close to the coastline of Indonesia. On the day the tsunami hit, a girl walking along the beach when she saw something very odd. The tide was going out when it should have been coming in. People were shouted and looking at the sea. Then a giant wave hit the beach and was racing over the land. Houses and shops were washed away. Her family's house was on a hill. She ran as fast as she could up the hill. At last, she made it to her house and shouted to her family to run to the top of the hill. Wave after wave crashed onto the beach and raced over the land. Later, she found out that the tsunami didn't just hit Indonesia. The tsunami hit countries all over Asia and as far away as Africa. She hope she never see a tsunami again. But if she does, she will know what to do. She will tell everyone to run to the top of a hill.

Fast Forward. Text by Nicolas Brasch. First published in 2007

243 words

 

BR 2-9 Village in the Snow

  I read "Village in the Snow", so I will talk about story of the book. The children were at school. It was playtime. "Come in," called Mrs May. Mrs May told the children a story. The story was about a village, the village was in the mountains. It was called The Village in the Snow. The children went to Biff's room. They wanted an adventure. Biff picked up the magic key. The magic key took them to the village in the snow. They played in the snow. They made a snowman and put Kipper's hat on top. They threw snowball. "Look," said Wilma. They saw a little boy. The boy was pulling a toboggan. Some big boys ran up. They pushed the little boy over. They pushed the toboggan over and they ran away. The children ran up. They helped the little boy. Kipper put on the little boy's hat. He put on his coat. The big boys looked at Kipper. Kipper looked like the little boy. Then the big boys came. The children threw snowballs at the big boys. The big boys ran away. The children put the little boy on the toboggan. They pulled him home. The little boy lived with his grandfather. Grandfather gave the children a drink and the children told Grandfather about the big boys. Then the magic key began to glow. The magic key took the children home.

Oxford Reading Tree. Roderick Hunt, Alex Brychta. This edition published 2003.

245 words