34 BOBBIE'S YELLOW CHICKEN

Bobbie's grandmother lived on a farm.

One summer he went to see her.

He saw many cows and sheep there.

He saw many horses and pigs, too.

Bobbie lived on the farm all summer.

He was as happy as he could be.

One day he said, “Grandmother, I wish I could live here always.

I have great fun here.”

One day Grandmother went to the barn.

Bobbie went with her.

She said, “See this little yellow chicken, Bobbie.”

“May I have her? ”said Bobbie.

“She is the prettiest chicken I ever saw.”

“Yes, Bobbie, ”said Grandmother.

“You may have her.

You must give her food every day.

Some day she will lay an egg for you.”

Bobbie gave her food all summer.

She grew and grew and grew.

One day Grandmother said, “Bobbie, your mother wants you to come home.

You may come again next summer.”

Bobbie felt sorry to leave the farm.

He went to the barn.

“Good-bye, little yellow chicken, ”he said.

“I must go home to mother.

Please do not forget me.

I will see you again next summer.”

“I will not forget you, Bobbie, ”said the little yellow chicken.

“When you come back I will lay an egg for you.”

Bobbie went home to his mother.

His mother was waiting for him.

How glad she was to see him!

Bobbie was glad to see her, too.

“Oh, Mother! ”he cried, “Grandmother gave me a little yellow chicken.

I gave it food and water every day.

It is my own little chicken.

Next summer it will lay big white eggs for me.

Do you think it will know me when I go back? ”

The next summer Bobbie went back to Grandmother's.

He ran at once to the barn.

He looked and looked and looked, but he could not see his little chicken.

Just then he saw a big brown hen jump off her nest.

Grandmother laughed. “There is your little yellow chicken, ”she said.

“You did not know her when you saw her.”

“Oh, see the egg in her nest! ”said Bobbie.

“I did not know my little yellow chicken.

But she did not forget to lay an egg for me.”

How proud the big brown hen was!

(Carolyn S. Bailey)

Word list

proud: happy about something good that one has done

pretty: pleasing to the eye or the ear

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) Who does Bobbie live with during the summer and where is it?

2) Where do you think Bobbie lives for the rest of the year?

3) What does grandmother give Bobbie?

4) Why does Bobbie have to wait for the chicken to lay an egg for him?

5) Why did Bobbie have trouble finding his little chicken when he went to visit his grandmother's farm the next summer?

6) How did the big, brown hen feel after she laid Bobbie an egg?

B) Putting things in order—Put numbers beside these sentences to tell which happened 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

_____ Bobbie went home until the next summer.

_____ Bobbie gave the chicken food and water every day.

_____ Bobbie came back and the chicken had grown up and was laying eggs for him.

_____ Bobbie's grandmother gave him a little yellow chicken.

C) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) the place where Bobbie's grandmother lives: f _ _ _

2) a place where animals live: b _ _ _

3) the warmest time of year: s _ _ _ _ _

4) the colour of bobbie's chicken: y _ _ _ _ _

5) what Bobbie gave his chicken: f _ _ _ and w _ _ _ _