Fourth Grade
Worksheets
The Girl Who Loved Animals
Beatrix Potter
Reading Comprehension for July 28
The pond glistened in the morning sun. The woods were filled with the soft sounds of the summer day. Trees stretched out their leaves. Eagerly they soaked up the warm sun. Birds fluttered from branch to branch. Their happy cheep-cheeping filled the air.
"What a lovely day!" Miss Robin twittered. She fluffed her wings. She was quite a pretty young thing. Proudly she smoothed her feathers. Each one lay perfectly in place.
"Isn't it?" Mrs. Sparrow sang back. She bustled among the leaves. "Just the right sort of day. Perfect for nest-cleaning." Mrs. Sparrow liked things spick-and-span.
"Oh, quite!" Miss Robin said politely. She tightened the strings of her new pink bonnet. Then she fluttered off into the sunlight.
"We must be tidy!" Mrs. Sparrow chirped. "Mustn't we, children?"
"Yes, Mama!" Three shrill small voices cheeped back. Fluffy, Muffy, and Brightwing clung to the limb at the rim of their nest. The fledglings were young and a little wobbly.
Mrs. Sparrow shook out her apron. "Now, children," she instructed them, "hang on tight to the limb. Watch closely. I will show you how a nest should be cleaned."
"Wait, Mama!" Brightwing chirped. "I want to try flying!" He bobbed up and down on the branch. He stretched out his stubby wings and flapped.
"No, no!" Mrs. Sparrow scolded. "No flying yet! You must wait until your wings are ready. Don't forget! That terrible cat roams the woods." She shuddered. "He's just looking for young birds to gobble up!"
