Benjamin in the Woods

59<

EN JAM IN '

i

the

Woods

62726 E the woods

iin in

susan

OR CLYMER Pictures

by WILLIAM RUSSELL

-

•

CH TOWN

yBBABi

WHY •

THIS

AN

IS

This story has

EASY READER

been carefully written

to

keep the young

reader's interest high. •

It

is

told in

that

a simple, open

adds enjoyment both

style,

with a strong rhythm

to reading aloud and

silent

reading. •

There is

is

a very high percentage of words repeated.

this skillful repetition

Seeing

dependently.

which helps the child to read

words

again

"practices" the vocabulary he knows,

It

in-

and again, he and learns with

ease the words that are new. •

Only 204 different words have been used, with plurals and root words counted once. Over one-half of the words in this story have been used at least three times.

Almost one-third of the words have been used at

least

seven times.

Nine words have been used at

ABOUT •

least

27

THIS STORY

This story has

appeal on two

has no one to play with

is

levels.

The lonely boy who

comfortingly familiar. The

historical setting,

dramatized through the

courages interest

in

when

times.

"there

America's early

was no town

here."

pictures, en-

days— "long ago"

BENJAMIN in

the

Story by

Woods

ELEANOR CLYMER

Pictures by

WILLIAM RUSSELL

Editorial Consultant:

LILIAN

WONDER BOOKS A

Division of Grosset & Dunlap,

New

York,

NY. 10010

Inc.

MOORE

Introduction These books are meant to help the young reader what a delightful experience reading can be. The stories are such fun that they urge the child to try his new reading skills. They are so easy to read that they will encourage and strengthen discover

him as a reader. The adult will notice that the sentences aren't too long, the words aren't too hard, and the skillful repetition is like a helping hand. will feel is: "This is a good story

What

—and

it

I

the child

can read

myself!"

For some children, the best way to meet these may be to hear them read aloud at first.

stories

who

are better prepared to read on their need a little help in the beginning help that is best given freely. Youngsters who have more experience in reading alone whether in first or second or third grade will have the immediate joy of reading "all by myself." These books have been planned to help all young readers grow in their pleasure in books and in their power to read them. Others,

own,

—

may

—

—

—

Lilian

Moore

Specialist in Reading Formerly of Division of Instructional Research, Neiv York City Board of Education

©

1962, by Wonder Books, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published simultaneously in Canada. Printed in the United States of America.

—

!C^

Here

is

/•"7>b*-~v*! ,.-

a town

— a busy, busy town.

There are houses and stores in this town.

There are cars and trucks. People are working here.

Boys and

girls are playing.

But long ago

(

J

'••

^7< ^-vV^Jw^raE

•i'M'Mm>^M

W»WVi»

Long

ago, there

was no town

There were no houses.

There were no people.

8

here.

b N n*^

W»M»V-r

»*

There were only woods deep, deep woods.

9

One

day, long ago, a family

came

to the woods.

They came in a big wagon.

They came

to the

the mother

woods to

live

Uncle John and the baby,

two horses, /

*

a cow,

a

pig,

— and Benjamin. 11

Benjamin looked around. "I like it here in the woods,"

he

said.

"I can play hunter,

or Indian!" 12

But there was no time for

Benjamin

to play.

There was work to

do.

Father and Uncle John cut

down

trees.

Benjamin helped. i*"W»

13

They made a house a

little log cabin.

Benjamin helped. 14

Then they planted

corn.

Benjamin helped.

<^ "-.N

15

Every day they had

to

milk the cow.

And Benjamin

helped.

16

Sometimes Father and Uncle John

went hunting. But Benjamin had

to help

his mother.

He had

to cut wood.

And he had

to bring in the water. 17

One day

his

mother

said,

"Benjamin, you are a good worker.

Now

there

is

Benjamin ran

Now

time to play." outside.

he was

going to play hunter, or Indian.

But there was no one to play with! So Benjamin took a walk. It

was

For

all

just a little walk.

around were

the deep, deep woods.

"There

is

no one here

to play with,"

said Benjamin.

"There

is

no one here but me!"

20

— What was

that?

Was someone

hiding

behind the tree? It

was a baby

deer!

The deer looked up

at

with big brown eyes.

V

-$m

21

Benjamin

"Don't be afraid," said Benjamin, "Don't be afraid of me."

He

picked up the baby deer and

ran back to the cabin.

22

f

23

<<

Look, Mother!" he said.

"See what

I

found in the woods!

A baby deer! Now

I will

have someone

to play with." 24

"Oh, Benjamin," said his mother.

"You cannot keep a baby deer!"

25

"But

it

was

"I found

it

lost," said

Benjamin.

behind a tree."

26

"No," said his mother. "It

was not

lost.

The mother deer behind a

tree.

She

come

will

left it

to look

for her baby.

You must take "But

I

want

it

back."

to play with it,"

said Benjamin. M tt

No," said his mother.

You cannot keep the

It will

Then

deer.

soon grow up.

it

will eat our corn.

And we need

all

our corn

for the long winter." 27

So Benjamin took the baby deer back to the

tree. 28

The next day Benjamin went into the

How

woods again.

quiet

"There

is

it

was!

no one here but me,"

said Benjamin.

But there was someone in the woods.

29

"Where

did you come from?"

Benjamin asked.

"You

will

be fun to play with."

30

He

picked up

the baby skunk

and ran back to the cabin.

31

"Look, Mother!" he called.

"See what

A

I

found in the woods!

baby skunk!"

"Benjamin!" said his mother.

"You cannot keep a baby skunk!" 32

'

"Why

not?" asked Benjamin.

"It won't eat our corn

when

it

grows up."

"No," said his mother.

"But how

Take let

or

it

it

will smell!

back right away!

And

the mother skunk see you

how you

will smell!" 33

don't

—

So Benjamin took the baby skunk right back to the woods.

34

One day he went

for

a walk again.

Sh-sh-sh went the wind in the trees.

"There

is

no one here but me,"

said Benjamin. "I wish I

had someone

to play with."

What was down the

A

that coming

tree?

baby bear!

"Oh!" said Benjamin. "You

funny

little

bear!" 36

fat,

He

picked up the bear and

ran home

"Look, Mother!" he called.

"See what

"What his

I

found in the woods!"

is it this

time?"

mother asked.

"A baby

bear!" said Benjamin.

"It won't eat our corn

and

it

May

I

won't smell.

keep

it?" 37

What was Mother doing? She pulled Benjamin into the house.

She pushed the baby bear

And

she ran for the gun.

"What

is it?

What

asked Benjamin. 38

is it?"

outside.

"Look there!" said his mother. "Don't you see?

The mother bear is

coming right at

us.

She wants her baby."

39

*

'What are you going to do?'

'

^^v

Benjamin asked. "Will you shoot her?" "I will if I

have

to,"

said his mother.

But the mother bear did not try to get in.

She

just took her baby,

back to the woods. 40

and went

"Benjamin," said his mother.

"You are not

to bring

home

any more animals.

Do you understand?" "Yes, Mother," said Benjamin, sadly. "I understand."

41

The next day Benjamin went back into the woods.

He

sat

down under a

tree.

Sh-sh-sh went the wind.

"There

is

no one here but

me

and the deer and the skunks and the bears," said Benjamin, sadly.

<:Z.*:~2
—

All at once,

something came running right to Benjamin. It

was a dog

—a

little

white dog!

Benjamin picked up the dog and ran

all

the

way home. 43

.

"Mother!" he called.

"See what

I

found in the woods!"

"Benjamin!" said his mother. t«

What

<<

But, Mother, this is a dog!"

did I

tell

you?"

said Benjamin.

"Come and

look!" 44

ii

"C"^

«d>

Mother ran out

"A

of the cabin.

dog!" she said.

"How

did a dog

get into the woods?"

45

Father and Uncle John ran to "I found

him

see.

in the woods,"

said Benjamin.

"Please let

me

keep him, please!"

-

S"~z?z -3*

n

.-..vavvr,..

•fff

* ft

^t

Air "Benjamin," said his father. 'This dog must live with someone

maybe a

hunter.

We must try to find "But

if

we

can't? If

find the hunter?"

him."

we

can't

asked Benjamin.

"Then you may keep the dog," his father said. 47

-*fyiffl

3 [

"Come, Benjamin," said Uncle John.

"Show me where you found the dog."

Benjamin and Uncle John went back into the woods.

They looked

all

around.

But they saw no one. 48

All at once someone called,

"Here, Sam! Here, Sam!

Where

are you?"

The dog looked

up.

"That must be the hunter,"

Benjamin said

sadly.

"He

for the dog."

is

coming

49

Wj? *&*& <S3

7'

7^

But It

it

was not a hunter.

was a

boy.

The dog ran

to the

boy

and jumped up on him.

The boy picked up the

dog.

"Oh, Sam!" he said.

"Where

did you go, 50

Sam?"

Then the boy saw Benjamin and Uncle John. "Did you

find

my

dog?" he asked.

"Yes," said Benjamin. in the woods."

"He was

lost

"Where do you

live?"

Uncle John asked.

"What

are you doing here?

Where

are your father

and mother?" 52

Li

3"

"We

have

just

come

to the woods,

said the boy.

"We came

We

in a wagon.

are going to live here.

Where do you

live?" 53

>>

"Come and

see," said Benjamin.

The boys ran

to the cabin.

"Mother!" Benjamin called out.

"See what

I

found in the woods!"

54

"Oh, that boy!" said Mother.

"What can

it

be this time?"

Then she saw the

"Where

did you

boy.

come from?"

she asked. 55

"He

is

going to live here,"

said Benjamin.

"He came with

his father

and mother in a wagon, just like us!" 56

"Come," said Mother. to your

They

'

'*''

mother and

will

father.

need help."

-!/'}

•&*

^W(.i 57

"We

will

go

"We must

help them cut

down

trees," said Father. <<

«

And

plant corn," said Uncle John.

Show us

the way," said Father

to the boy.

And

off

they

all

went. 58

Do you

like it here in the

asked the boy.

"Oh, yes," said Benjamin.

"There are deer and bears

and skunks."

59

woods?"

•

The boy looked

Then he

-7

-

at Benjamin.

said,

"Do you want

to play hunter,

or Indian?"

Benjamin laughed. "Oh, yes!" he said. "I do!" 60

5901

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5903

5904

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5905

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5906

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5907

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5908

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5909

A

59io

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5911

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5912

5913 5914 5915 5916

5917

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I

5918

Laurie

5919

and the Yellow Curtains

5923

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5924

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5925

Let

5926

5928

The Surprise in the Story Book The Big Green Thing The Boy Who Fooled the Giant

5929

More Jokes and

5930

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5920 5921

5922

5927

5931

5932

5933 5934

5935

Papa Sleep!

Riddles

61

NEWTON TOWN LIBRARY

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