The Sissy Duckling By: Harvey Fierstein

Elmer was a happy duckling. He loved to build things and make believe. Elmer liked doing girl things like baking and pupper shows and painting pictures. Sometimes he played with the girls but mostly he played alone. Papa duck tried to teach him baseball. He wasnt very good and the other ducks made fun of him but he was just happy for the game to be over. They called him sissy and mama said he was special and would amaze them all one day. Drake the bill duck was making fun of him and they had to stay after school. They all blamed Elemer and drake chased him and wanted to beat him up. Elmer ran home and hid under his bed. He heard his dad talking to his mom and not saying nice things. Elmer ran away and made his own home in a tree. When it was time to fly south for the winter mama was so upset to leave without her baby. They made her leave anyway. As they flew away his dad was shot by a hunter and Elmer found him and brought him home and took care of him all winter. When the ducks returned Elmer was a hero and everyone loved him.

The Icky Bug Alphabet Book By: Jerry Pallotta

A-Ant. Ants are hard workers and carry things, and build things.
B- Bumblebee. Bumblebees are furry and collect nectar to make flowers.
C- Cricket. Crickets hide under things and rub their wings together to make noise.
D- Dragonfly. Dragonfly's have four wings that they cant fold.
E- Earwig. Earwigs do not crawl in peoples ears but they do have a pincher tail.
F- Firefly. Firefly's fly slow and light up.
G- Grasshopper. Grasshoppers jump well and are hard to catch.
H- Horsefly. Horesfly's have a green head and have a bad bite.
I- IO Moth. IO moths have two spots on their wings that look like eyes and are used to scare away birds.
J-Japanese Beetle. These beetles eat flowers and cause damage to plants.
K- Katydid. Katydids are like crickets with noise but they sound like "ka-ty-did"
L- Ladybug. Ladybug is actually a beetle that is small and round and they fly.
M- Monarch. Monarch migrate from the US to mexico. They tast bad so birds dont eat them.
N- No-seeums. No-seeums bite hard but they are so tiny you cant see them.
O- Orb Weaver. Orb weaver is a spider that has round webs but they wont hurt you.
P- Praying Mantis. Praying Mantis looks like its praying, they eat bugs and plants.
Q- Queenbee. The Queenbee lays thousands of eggs per day and the other bees take good care of her.

Goldie adn the 3 Hares By: Margie Palatini

Papa, mama, and baby were enjoying a quiet peaceful day in their rabbit hole. A girl fell down the rabbit hole and landed splat on their doorstep. The hares went to see who it was, it was Goldilocks! She is not happy or nice, but her foot is so big and swollen she cant get out. The hares wanted her to leave but her foot kepy getting bigger and bigger! They brought her into the house but she didnt want to sit in papa's chair because it was to hard, mama's was too soft, she wanted the couch. She needed her pillow to be just right,not to hard, not to soft. The blanket couldnt be to scratchy, to itchy, to big, to little, to skimpy. She wanted cashmire but they didnt have a cashmire blanket so she wanted the heat turned up. She wanted to watch TV so baby had to be the antena. They thought she hated veggies but she loved them. The neighbors came over so she would feel crowded, but she loves parties! She wanted to lay in bed but they didnt want her to, so they told her they were going to call the bears and she left. As soon as she left another girl fell in named Alice, she was looking for a white rabbit.

Hansel and Gretel By: James Marshall

In a cottage near a forest lived a woodcutter and his wife and his two children. The children were Hansel and Gretel. Their dad was afraid of their mother who was so mean and didnt like the children. There was a famine and she was hungry. One night the children overheard their mother and father talking. Their mom wanted to leave them in the woods! The father said no but the mother insisted. Hansel told his sister he would take care of them. Hansel went outside and started to collect white pebbles. Their parents dropped them off in the woods the next day and the children fell asleep. When they woke up it was night time. Hansel had left a trail of white pebbles and they followed it back home. The day broke as they arrived home. Their mom pretended to be excited to see the children. The mother attempted to leave the children in the woods again. Hansel did the same trick again but only with bread crumbs. When they woke up this time they were gone! The birds ate them! They were away for three days and they followed a little white bird. They found a house made out of candy and began to eat it!

Johnny Appleseed By: Steven Kellog

John Chapman was born on September 26th 1771 in Massachusetts. He was one of ten kids! They all picked apples and stored them for the winter. He was a very gentle man and loved nature. When he was old enough to leave home he ventured out west. He cleared a plot of land everywhere he went and planted a small apple orchid. Whenever he ran out of apple seeds he visited his old orchids and got more. He sold his apple seeds to pioneers and settled down in Ohio for a while. When Ohio became too crowded he moved to Indiana. He told his stories to children about how he lived with indians, and how he could cut trees down faster then an axman! He died in March of 1845 when he got sick for the first time. His stories still live on and people still see him today.

My Daddy Snores By: Nancy H. Rothstein

On Monday daddy's snore boomed like a dinosaur and made the walls shake so mommy played musical beds. Tuesday daddy's snore was like an earthquake and shook her out of bed. She tried to sleep in the bathtub but there was a leak. On Wednesday his snore was like a train so she slept in the hampsters cage, but it smelled funny. On Thursday he snored like a bumblebee so she slept in the doghouse but Rover would'nt stop howling. On Friday his snore was like a teapot so mommy made daddy sleep in the fishbowl, but splishy didnt sleep. On Saturday his snore was like a honking truck so she made daddy sleep in the tent, but he woke up all the birds. On Sunday morning mommy looked like a zombie. They went to the doctor, and daddy didnt snore that night, but he did talk in his sleep!

When Lightning comes in a Jar By: Patrica Pollaco

Trisha is very excited because today is her family reunion! All of her family member are coming over. She is so excited and so is Grandma. Trisha cant wait to see her cousins, and to play croquet with them. Theres always so much food but all the diffrent Jello molds are her favorite. But by far her most favorite part of the day is when she gets to listen to all the stories her great aunts and uncles tell. This year grandma taught them how to catch lightning in a jar. They all get jars and catch fireflies! Trisha loves these family reunions but now it is her telling the stories and teaching the little ones how to catch lightning in a jar.