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A dandelion plant grew in the grass outside a garden wall.
Her leaves were green, and her flowers were bright yellow.
Dandelion was as happy as she could be,because she had many friends.
The raindrops, the sun, and the winds were her friends.
The raindrops gave her all the water she wanted to drink.
The sun kept her warm.
The winds came to play with her.
Dandelion had many flower friends, too.
The clovers lived near her, by the road.
Some garden flowers lived near her, on the other side of the wall.
By and by one of Dandelion’s yellow flowers was gone.
Instead of a flower there was a white ball.
The ball was made of little seeds, and the little seeds had wings.
One day Dandelion saw two children in the garden.
Each of them had a little basket.
They were picking the ripe seeds of the garden flowers.
They did not take Dandelion’s seeds.
By and by May said, “I have picked all the ripe seeds I see.”
George said, “I have picked some, too.”
Then May said, “We will take them all to Mother.
She will keep them until next spring.
Then we can plant them.”
Dandelion watched May and George put the seeds into their little baskets.
Then the children went into the house.
Dandelion thought about what May and George had said.
She knew that they were going to plant the flower seeds next spring.
She wanted her seeds planted, too.
“My seeds are as ripe as the seeds of the garden flowers,” said Dandelion.
“I wish that May and George would come and pick my seeds. Then they could be planted next spring.”
Dandelion felt very sad.
Just then Robin saw her.
“Cheer up! Cheer up!” sang Robin.
Dandelion said, “I can not cheer up. No one will plant my seeds.”
“Wait and see,” said Robin.
“Maybe someone will plant them for you.”
“Oh, who will take my seeds?” thought Dandelion, when Robin flew away.
Just then West Wind came along.
“Oh, dear West Wind, who will take my seeds?” asked Dandelion.
“I want them planted next spring.”
West Wind said, “I will take your seeds and plant them for you.”
“Oh, thank you!” said Dandelion.
“But how will you take them?”
West Wind said, “I will take your ripe seeds by their little wings.
I will plant them in many places where there are no dandelions now.”
“What a kind friend you are,” said Dandelion.
West Wind said, “I like to plant seeds. I plant many seeds every year.”
How happy Dandelion was when West Wind called, “Ready. One, two, three. Go!”
Then West Wind blew hard.
Away flew the seeds on their little wings.
Dandelion saw some of her seeds near her.
She saw many of them flying in the air.
West Wind said, “I will blow some of your seeds far, far away.”
Dandelion watched the seeds fly far away.
Then Robin came to see Dandelion again.
He sang, “Cheer up! Cheer up!”
Dandelion said, “I am very happy now,dear Robin.
West Wind took my seeds.
He will plant them, and they will grow next spring.”
Robin sang a song to Dandelion.
Then Dandelion went to sleep.
—— Emilie Poulsson
One fine day a fox was out walking.
By and by he came to a fence. He looked through the fence and saw some ripe grapes.
“I shall have grapes for my supper,” he said.
“I will come back and get them when everyone is asleep.”
The fox came back at night, but he could not get the grapes.
They were on the other side of the fence.
He could not crawl through the fence.
He tried and tried, but at last he had to give it up.
Then he said, “I am so tired that I can not go home now.
I will sleep for a little while.”
The fox went to sleep and dreamed that he was very thin.
He dreamed that he crawled through the fence.
When he waked up, he said, “I will go home and grow thin.
I will not eat anything.
Then I shall grow so thin that I can crawl through the fence.”
The fox did not eat anything for three days.
He grew very thin. But he grew very hungry,too. He went back and crawled through the fence.
Then he ate all the grapes that he wanted.
He ate so many that he grew very fat.
The fox was so fat that he could not crawl through the fence to go home.
“How foolish I have been!” he said.
“Now I must grow thin again.
I can not eat anything.
Oh, where can I hide while I am growing thin?
I will hide under the grape vines in the corner.”
The fox hid under the grape vines for three days.
He did not eat anything, and he grew very thin.
Then he crawled through the fence and went home.
“I will never be so foolish again,” he said.
—— A Hebrew Tale
Once there was a farmer who had a big field of corn.
Every day he went to look at it.
He needed corn for his pigs and his chickens.
The hot sun came down on the field, but the rain did not come.
The corn could not grow until it had rain.
Away up in the sky some raindrops were playing.
Tiny Raindrop looked down and saw the farmer.
She said, “I am sorry for the farmer.
His corn can not grow.”
The farmer looked at his corn, and he felt very sad.
“Maybe I can help the farmer,” said Tiny Raindrop.
“Ha, ha!” laughed Big Raindrop. “What can you do?
You are only a little raindrop.”
Tiny Raindrop said, “I know that I am very little.
But I will do all I can.
Here I go! Good-bye, dear raindrops!”
Down went Tiny Raindrop from her home in the sky.
Down, down, she went until she fell right on the farmer’s nose.
“What is this?” said the farmer. “A raindrop.How fine that is!
Maybe we shall have a good rain.
Then the corn will grow up tall.
There will be plenty to eat in our barnyard this winter.”
All the other raindrops watched Tiny Raindrop go down.
One said, “I have played long enough up here.
I think I shall follow Tiny Raindrop.”
“I am going, too,” said a second raindrop.
“Wait for me,” called another.
“Here I come,” shouted Big Raindrop.
Down went the raindrops faster and faster.
Soon there was plenty of rain.
The corn began to grow, and the farmer was happy.
—— Old Tale