Stories and Poems

About This Book

When you were very young, you had some favorite things that you enjoyed
day after day—a picture book, nursery rhymes, a fairy tale. When you
learned to read, you found some books that were special, and your list
of favorites grew. In Stories and Poems, you’ll find some new
favorites to add to your old ones—folk tales, fantasies, and real-life
adventures, and poems that are thoughtful or magical or good for a
giggle.

Stories and Poems contains 27 stories and 91 poems for you to enjoy.
Here is your chance to go adventuring in many times and places: ancient
Greece and China, colonial America, and modern-day California, Florida,
and New York. You can raise an orphan crow or a baby owl, sail a pirate
ship to safety, or weave an enchantment that saves a town.

You’ll meet characters you will remember—bold Robin Hood, quietly
brave Karana, and many more. And you’ll discover that some of these
characters face problems and predicaments that are very like your own.
In “Harriet’s Secret,” Harriet’s classmates read her private
notebook—and find out what she has written about them. And in “The
Challenge,” Craig Chin struggles to win the respect of a new friend, who
is a rather fearsome old man.

Folk tales are fun because they show how wise (and how foolish) people
can be. Po Wan’s generous heart leads him to lose a fortune—and then
gain another one. Manka’s cleverness wins a husband, loses him, and wins
him back. And an emperor and his courtiers are so worried about what
others think that they won’t believe what their eyes tell them.

If you find a story you like, read the note at the end. It will tell you
about other good stories you can find at the library—and about books
on subjects that may interest you.

Don’t forget the poems. Some of them are “picture” poems that lead you
to see things in a fresh, new way. Some of them are “idea” poems that
leave you with interesting things to think about. And quite a few are
high nonsense and just plain fun.