BROOKS'S READERS

FIRST YEAR

BY STRATTON D BROOKS

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

NEW YORK · CINCINNATI · CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

Copyright, 1906, by AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. Copyright, 1907, Tokyo.

BROOKS'S READERS, FIRST YEAR.

CONTENTS

The sole purpose of this book is to help the children to learn to read. While it may ultimately lead to the acquisition of knowledge concerning many subjects, its present aim is only to make reading easy. The lessons are, therefore, on subjects familiar to every child. The words are such as children habitually use in conversation; they are introduced gradually, and as a rule are repeated many times. Since proficiency in reading is best attained by much practice, care has been taken to present as large an amount as possible of interesting matter which the child can readily master. Every line is for the pupil to read. The stories are so constructed as to encourage and secure naturalness of expression without the intervention of rules or formal drills. The gradation both in thought and in expression is easy and natural.

Although the learning of words by much repetition and familiarity with their forms is an essential feature of this book, its foundation is nevertheless phonetic. Yet, for the sake of leaving it perfectly adaptable to any method of teaching, the phonetic basis has not been emphasized. The systematic introduction of words which may serve as key-words for the acquisition of others containing similar phonetic elements has been carefully observed, and it is believed that this is the natural method untrammeled by any artificial classification.

As further aids toward making the child's first reading lessons easy, the sentences are short. There are no broken lines in the first hundred pages. Indentations help the young reader to keep the place. There are no interfering illustrations in the text. Each story is complete without turning a leaf.

Grateful acknowledgments are extended to Miss Frances Lilian Taylor of Galesburg, Illinois, to Mr. W. J. Button of Chicago, and to Miss Matilda Mitchell, primary teacher, Phillips Brooks School, Boston, for valuable suggestions and assistance.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

As stated on the preceding page, the foundation of this work is phonetic. The author believes that children may profitably learn many words without reference to their phonetic composition, and that among these certain key-words should be selected from which the elementary sounds of the language may be developed. These elements will give the pupils the power of acquiring new words. For example, observe the following key-words and the sounds developed from them:—

Observe the great number of easy and common words that may be developed from the sounds thus learned from the first ten key-words named above. The list includes an, as, ran, had, pan, man, tan, let, met, pet, bet, men, pen, fig, did, bit, little, not, lot, got, hot, log, and a great many more. Similar key-words emphasizing the remaining sounds should be selected as the work proceeds. Teachers preferring to introduce the sounds less rapidly, may teach these first words as words and select others later in the book to serve as key-words. The blackboard should be in constant use, and the pupils' ingenuity in forming new words and new sentences should be tested at every recitation. The few exercises in script given at the beginning of the book are suggestive of the manner in which much additional drill in reading may be presented on the blackboard. The diacritical marks should not be taught to the children.

can fan flag dog

has get boy

girl and

cap hat

am my little

not big is

cat you me to

ball play catch it

jump hop like

bird fly

in tree

nest by wall

do sing let

one two bed dogs

milk drink good for

doll pretty with here

Grace our sister she

will song

this rabbit how

Bennie brother many

about gray

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

look at top spin

come book give mother tell

picture some of

baby child love

walk talk far your

well call soon too

ground found round eggs

any oh no her we

kittens on what

under they now

morning bright sun sky

kite high so as down

cradle may take make name

Don care all time

go stay must side

brook water sit

fall into from home

yes sir school Marian

read father gave write

Rose wagon horse fine that

Jo ho draw are where

ride Ned old hold know

going but day away

Shut Eye Town sleep say

ring train cars bell

REVIEW

rain cloud house black think

wind blow hear loud roar

flowers grow show snow find blue red white yellow lily

taking shall

them best there cold which

chickens wings can't don't

us chick something count

falling shine drive out

sight light night then

REVIEW

why said was went did him his guess shining fish

room chair box table door

bee honey busy

A BUSY TIME

bought brought thought robin

blocks build windows made

new clock tick-tock up

cow stand eats grass sets

THE COW

umbrella sat stood ran leaf

THE RAIN

o'clock every everything

again fast sometimes always still when

THE BROOK

sand full put live

MY BOX OF SAND

boat sail ship carry

THE BOAT

place sweet glad ever humble

OUR HOME

wood branches tall small

THE TREES

Jack sailor sea waves storm

THE SAILOR BOY

REVIEW

Bopeep sheep

lambs back

lost

LITTLE BOPEEP

winter summer sleds bring were

THE SNOW

One morning in winter Grace heard her mother calling her. "Come here, Grace! Come here, and look out of the window." Grace ran to the window and looked out. What do you think she saw? The snow was falling. The ground was white with snow. "Oh, mother," said Grace, "how pretty it is! Everything is white with snow. Where does the snow come from?" "It falls from the clouds," said her mother. "In summer the clouds bring rain. In winter they bring snow."

At school the boys and girls were glad. "It snows! It snows!" they said. "Now we shall have a fine time. We can make snowballs. We can ride on our sleds. We can play in the snow."

playthings happy silk masts gold

MY SHIP AT SEA

earth Christmas angels heaven

CHRISTMAS BELLS

be over spring mind frozen bare sunny South

THE BIRDS IN WINTER

One morning Marian looked out of her window. The snow was falling. "How cold the wind blows," she said. "The trees are all frozen and bare. The brook is frozen over. The pretty robin's nest is full of snow. There are no birds in the woods. Where do the birds go when winter comes?" "They fly to the sunny South, where the snow does not come," said Robert. "They will come back to us in the spring. They will sing glad songs and build new nests."

Out in the snow a little bird was hopping. "See, Robert, see!" said Marian. "That little bird did not fly to the sunny South. "How cold it must be! Its little feet must be frozen." "That is a snowbird," said Robert. "It likes the snow. It does not mind the cold. It stays here all winter."

story heard horn corn meadow

LITTLE BOY BLUE

"Oh, Ned," said Rose one day, "what do you think I have? It is a new story book. Father gave it to me this morning. I have been reading in it." "It is a pretty book," said Ned. "Are there any good stories in it?" "Oh, yes. One story is about a little boy who went to sleep in the meadow. I don't know what his name was, but they called him Little Boy Blue. He took care of the sheep and the cows. He had a horn to blow. The sheep and the cows would come when they heard the horn." "Here is the story, now. And here is the picture of Little Boy Blue.

farm farmer helps been

DRIVING THE COWS

Robert lives on a farm. His father is a farmer. Robert helps his father. He helps take care of the chickens and the lambs. Sometimes he drives the cows to the meadow. Sometimes he drives them home at night. "Where are the cows, Robert?" "I think they are in the meadow." "Will you not drive them home? It is time to milk them." "Yes, father, I will bring them home. I like to drive them. I will take the dog with me.

Come, Don. You know how to drive the cows. You may come with me. There they are by the meadow brook. See, they are drinking from the brook. Drive them, Don! Drive them home. There they go! What a fine thing it is to live on a farm!"

Frank seen never would city street river tools

THE BOX OF TOOLS

Frank lives in the city. He has never seen a farm. He has never seen a brook. He has never heard the robins singing in the tree tops. A river runs by the city. Sometimes Frank goes down to the river to see the boats and ships. Sometimes he plays in the street by his home. The street is not a good place to play. Frank has many playthings, and he is as happy as any farmer boy. He would not be happy on a farm.

seasons autumn gone warm green

SPRING

Winter has gone. Spring has come. There is no snow on the ground now. The days are warm and bright. The sun is high in the sky. Soon the ground will be green with grass. There are wild flowers in the woods now. All the birds have come back from the South. The robin is here. He is building a nest in the old tree. Soon there will be some little blue eggs in the nest. The old owl did not go South. But he is glad that spring has come.

goat fox buzz

THE FIVE GOATS

Five goats were in a field. There they found green grass to eat, and good water to drink. At night the farmer's boy and his little sister came to drive them home. One night the goats wanted to stay in the field. The little girl ran after them. But she could not drive them out. "Now I will try," said the boy. So the boy ran after the goats. But they would not go out for him. Just then a dog came by. "Let me try," said the dog. "I have more legs than a boy. I can run faster." He ran after the goats. He barked and barked. But the goats would not go out of the field. Soon a fox came to see what the dog was doing. "Let me try," he said. "I know more than a dog, and I can run fast." The fox ran after the goats. But he could not drive them out of the field. "Let me try," said a horse that was looking on. "I am big and strong." But the goats would not go out for the horse. A busy bee came into the field. "Buzz! buzz!" it said. "I think I can drive them out. Let me try." "What can you do? You are too little to drive goats," said the boy. "You are smaller than I am," said the little girl. "You can not bark," said the dog. "You don't know much," said the fox. "You can't run round the field on four feet," said the horse. "Buzz, buzz, buzz!" said the bee. "We will see; we will see;" and away it flew. It flew by the big goat's ear. "Buzz, buzz, buzz!" it said. The goat looked up. "What is that?" he said; and he ran out of the field. The little goat looked up. "If you go out, I will go out," he said; and out he ran. "So will I. So will I. So will I," said the three white goats; and all ran out of the field. Then the boy and his sister drove the goats home. "If the bee had not helped us, what could we have done?" they said.

butter cream bread churn

dish pans fresh turns

MAKING BUTTER

Do you know how I make butter? I will tell you. Every day the cows give us fresh milk. Ned brings the milk to the house. I have some large tin pans. At night I put the fresh milk in these pans. In the morning I find yellow cream on the top of the milk. Then I take off the cream and put it in my churn. I churn and churn till the cream turns to butter. I take the butter out. I leave the buttermilk in the churn.

Here is one of my butter balls. It is on a little dish. Bennie and Marian like butter. They like bread and milk, too. All boys and girls eat bread. Do you like bread and butter?

MARY AND THE BROOK

REVIEW

WORD LIST

Most of these words are also included in the word lists at the heads of the various Lessons. Some regularly formed derivatives are omitted.