Stratton D. Brooks

“ My blocks are made of wood. So is my little wagon. So is the boat my father made for me. The birds like the tall trees. They build nests in the branches. Many flowers grow in the woods. Rabbits live and play there. ”

“ It blows all about the house. It blows the clouds and it blows the trees. It roars on the house top. It roars in the rain. I do not like to hear the wind roar. It blows my kite away. It blows the birds about the trees. Wind, do not blow all day. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The bird can fly. Fly, little bird, fly. I like to see you fly. Can you fly, little girl? Can you fly like me? I like to fly. I am a bird.
The dog and the cat can play. The boy can hop and jump. The little girl can not fly like the bird. ”

“ 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. ”

“ But the goats would not go out of the field.
Soon a fox came to see what the dog was doing.
[Pg 118] "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. ”

“ Where do you live, Grace? I live at home, sir. I live with mother and father. Where do the robins live? They live in the old tree in the woods. The tree is their home. Where do fishes live? Some live in the brook, some in the sea. What has wings but can not fly? I think it must be a little chicken. What can fly but has no wings? I know, I know. It is Ned's kite. What runs all day but has no feet? It must be the clock in our room. I think it is the brook. Oh, no, it is a train of cars.
[Pg 97]
LITTLE BOPEEP ”

“ Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, Our Bennie Boy has a little rabbit, One little rabbit gray. One little, two little, three little rabbits, Four little, five little, six little rabbits, Seven little, eight little, nine little rabbits, Ten little rabbits gray.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
[Pg 31]
look at top spin
Look, look, Grace! Look, sister! Look at my big top. See how I can spin it. Can you spin it, Grace? I can not spin a top, Bennie. I like to play with my doll. Boys like to spin tops. ”

“ Jack likes to hear them roar. He likes to see the big waves. Sometimes Jack sails out with his father. They go out in a boat to catch fish. The wind blows the white sails. The boat sails far away. At night they come home. ”

“ But I have heard say, That she never could find Where the brook ran away.
[Pg 123]
[Pg 124]
REVIEW
Do you live in the city? Have you ever seen a farm? What does a farmer do? Where do the birds go in winter? When does the sun shine? When does the snow fall? What is as white as snow? Why would you like to be a sailor? Why do you love your home? Where do the fishes live? What can Bennie build with sand? How does Robert's mother make butter? What do boys and girls do at school? What does the clock tell Marian? What things are made of wood? What do you do on Christmas day? ”

“ 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. ”