Arthur s Bad News Day A Reading A Z Level M Leveled Reader Word Count: 711 LEVELED READER M Arthur s Bad News Day Written by Lara Henderson Megard Illustrated by Darcy Tom Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials. www.readinga-z.com
Arthur s Bad News Day Arthur s Bad News Day Level M Leveled Reader 2002 Learning Page, Inc. Written by Lara Henderson Megard Illustrated by Darcy Tom Written by Lara Henderson Megard Illustrated by Darcy Tom www.readinga-z.com ReadingA Z TM Learning Page, Inc. All rights reserved. Learning Page 1630 E. River Road #121 Tucson, AZ 85718 www.readinga-z.com Correlation LEVEL M Fountas & Pinnell L Reading Recovery 19 DRA 24
Let me just start by telling you a little about my perfect life that is, before the bad news arrived. Every morning my mom wakes me up by tickling the bottoms of my feet. It makes me laugh and starts my day on a happy note. And it only gets better. Hey, sit down and I ll tell you a bad news story. My name is Arthur Hankins. The first eight years of my life were nearly perfect. But then my parents told me some pretty disturbing news. It would change everything! 3 4
When I go downstairs, the smell of hot maple syrup touches my nose and makes my mouth water. Dad makes these really cool Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes. On the drive to school, I get to pick whatever music I want to listen to. Then Mom, Dad, and I sing really loudly all the way there. 5 And it gets even better! After school, Dad and I go out in the backyard. We kick and toss the ball around until it is time for dinner. I usually get to help Mom and Dad make dinner. Then we sit at the table to eat and tell stories about our day. I always get the most talking time. 6
Then Mom never forgets about my favorite dessert a giant chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk to dunk it in. I have this special glass that nobody else ever gets to use. I got it when we were in Disneyland two summers ago. It s my favorite because it reminds me of the best vacation ever! Well, it s about time I tell you about the bad news. It s horrible. A few months ago, my parents told me that soon I m going to have a little sister. Ugh! Now can you see why I m so upset? This is going to ruin everything! 7 8
My friend Jeff got a baby sister last year. He told me that now she is the only thing his parents ever talk about. His dad never has extra time to play with him. And his mom is always busy changing her smelly diapers! Yuck! For eight years I have been the center of attention. Since we don t even have a pet, I haven t had to share my parents with anybody or anything. One more person will make it too crowded in our house. I know I m not going to like it. 9 10
I haven t even told you the worst part of the story. My mom says that I will have to share my bedroom with the baby. No more peace and quiet. I m definitely not used to sharing. My baby sister better not even think about using my Disneyland glass. No way. But all that didn t seem to matter. Besides, it s too late. Today, Mom is coming home from the hospital with my new sister. I think I m just going to tell them to take her back. I don t care if I ever meet her. I don t want to share my mom and dad, to say nothing of sharing my room. My parents keep saying that I ll grow to love her. I ve told Mom that I don t want a baby sister. I said I m happy with things the way they are. 11 12
Well, here they are. Dad is carrying a bundle of pink blankets. Is the baby inside there? Could she be so tiny? Mom looks very happy, but a little tired. Okay, now Grandma is opening the door, rushing out to help Dad. She s hugging Mom. 13 Now she s poking her head inside the pink blankets. The baby must be inside because I hear Grandma tell Dad that the baby is beautiful. I m not going out there. I m going to sit right here and pout. 14
Now Mom is hugging me tight. Before I know it, Dad is putting the baby in my lap. And then the most amazing thing happens. She reaches out and grabs hold of my finger! She won t let go! I think she knows that I m her big brother. She likes me already. Hey, maybe having a little sister won t be so bad. Anyway, I think she is cute, and I ve decided that we should keep her. Besides, I think Mom and Dad have enough love to share between me and my sister. 15 16