One Story A Day for beginners – Book 1

One Story A Day for beginners
Published by DC Canada Education Publishing
Book 1 – For January

Story 1 – The Sky Is Blue!

My uncle sends me a picture.
It’s a picture of a blue sky and white clouds.
“I am so happy to see the blue sky!” says my uncle.
I wonder why.
“Isn’t the sky always blue?”
“No,” he says.
“The sky in my city is often grey because there are too many cars.”
That’s why he is so excited! 

White clouds and a blue sky.
It’s beautiful!

Story 2 – Fruit or Vegetables?

Mac likes vegetables.
He does not like fruit.
At lunch, Mac eats peas, beans and carrots.
Kim is the opposite.
She likes fruit, but not vegetables.
At lunch, their friend Rachel says: “There are places where people don’t have food to eat, and they go hungry.”
Then she says: “If you think about that, you see all food is good!” You don’t like fruit?

Story 3 – Report Card

Pat stopped working and came out of his office.
He wanted to see what others were doing in the next room.
He told them that his 95-year-old mother still kept his kindergarten report card.
“What did the report card say?”, asked one of his friends.
“Stop visiting your neighbours!”, said Pat. Hello!
What are you working on today?

Story 4 – Tall Tom

Tom is very tall.
He is taller than anyone in our class.
He is even taller than our teacher.
Today, our teacher asked us to play a game called Reach High.
Tom raised his hand and all the kids jumped as high as possible.
They tried to reach Tom’s hand.
But no one could do it. Up high!
He is tall!

Story 5 – Basketball Is Fun

My uncle gave me a basketball for my birthday.
Uncle showed me how to bounce the ball.
At first, I could only bounce the ball a few times.
With practice, I could bounce the ball up to ten, eleven, twelve… twenty… thirty… and one hundred times!
I was so excited. I wish I could put the ball in the net! I did it!

Story 6 – A Picture for Dad

I painted a picture of my dad for his birthday.
It was the first time I drew a picture of him.
At the party, I was scared to give it to him.
Why?
Because it wasn’t very good.
But when my dad saw it, he said that he liked it.
He put it right up on the wall and said, “It looks just like me!” It looks just like me!

Story 7 – Many Kinds of Milk

At school, Joey’s teacher says, “Milk is good for you. It helps you grow strong.”
Then she asks, “Do you know where milk comes from?”
“Cows, of course!”, all the children say.
“Yes, milk can come from cows.
But around the world, people also drink milk from sheep, horses, and camels,”
says the teacher.
Wow! Joey learns something new. Wow! He can drink a lot of milk!

Story 8 – Colours

One day, Red and Blue were arguing about which colour is the best.
Red said, “I get all the attention!”
Blue said, “I am the colour of the sea!”
All of a sudden, red spilled onto blue.
Purple was born.
From then on, they both agreed that purple was their favourite colour. Hey, watch out!

Story 9 – A Windy Christmas

Christmas was very different this year.
On Christmas Day, there was no snow or ice.
It was a windy day.
The wind was so strong, I could not even walk on the street.
I had to run!
The strong wind pushed me all the way home.
I think the wind pushed Santa Claus home too. Wow! It’s a windy day!

Story 10 – Everything Is New!

When the first baby is born, everything is new.
With a new baby, there is a new mother and new father.
There is also a new grandfather and grandmother, a new uncle and new aunt.
The new parents have to prepare a new bed and new clothes and new toys for the new baby.
Everything is new! Let’s take a picture!
Woof! Woof!

Story 11 – Save the World

One day, Simon’s mother asks him what he wants to do when he grows up.
“Save the world!” he says.
His mother smiles and says, “I’m glad to hear that. But can you save your world first?”
“What?” asks Simon.
“Clean up your room, can you do that?” says the mother.
“Yes… I can!” says Simon. Let’s start with this room.

Story 12 – A Bird and a Cat

I have a little blue bird.
She lives in a cage in my room.
She is a beautiful bird.
She likes to sing, and she likes me.
But she does not like my cat.
She is a happy bird.
I enjoy listening to my bird’s singing.
But when my cat comes in the room, the bird stops singing.
She is quiet.
She sits and watches the cat.
I think she is afraid of the cat. Help!

Story 13 – I Can’t Stop!

Bob has a problem.
At supper time, his mom puts out a lot of food on the table.
He just can’t stop eating.
Soon, he eats too much.
“Mom, what should I do?” Bob asks.
His mom says, “I will make small meals from now on.
That way, you won’t have the problem of overeating.”
“Good idea, Mom,” Bob says. I will not make big meals anymore.

Story 14 – The First Word

I wonder what the first word was.
Who spoke the first word?
How long ago?
Was it “hello”?
Or was it “goodbye”?
Ever since that first word, people have been talking.
I think I know what the first word was.
Someone was cooking on a fire and burned himself.
“Ouch!!!” Ouch! That’s hot!

Story 15 – Uncle John Loves to Ski

Uncle John loves to ski.
In winter, he goes skiing on the snow.
It’s his favourite sport.
What does he love to do in summer?
He likes to ski too.
How can he ski in summer?
He goes water skiing.
It’s a lot of fun.
Summer or winter, on snow or water, Uncle John loves to ski. I love to ski on snow or water.
It’s fun!

Story 16 – A Young Artist

Maddy loves drawing.
She is only five years old, but she can draw many things.
One day, her grandma said, “Maddy, can you draw me a happy puppy?”
Guess what Maddy drew?
She drew a picture of her grandma sitting in a chair and holding a puppy.
Of course, that was a happy puppy! That’s amazing!

Story 17 – Taking Turns

Jake and Anna both want to ride the same tricycle.
What should they do?
“Let’s take turns,” says Jake.
“Good idea, Jake. You can go first,” says Anna.
“I’ll draw roads with chalk while I wait.”
“All right! I’ll go for a ride and then it’s your turn,” says Jake.
“Perfect! Taking turns is the best way to have fun with friends,” says Anna. Taking turns is what friends do!

Story 18 – Lights in the House

My mother was mad!
What was wrong?
She saw all the lights in the house were on and no one was home.
Mom said, “When you turn off the lights, you save energy, you save money and you save the environment.
Is that hard to do?”
“No, of course not,” said my brother.
“Please, let’s not forget again,” said my mother. Turn off the light when you leave the room.

Story 19 – Talking Pen

Sandy receives a birthday gift.
It’s a new book.
The book comes with a pen.
But it’s not just any pen.
It’s a special pen.
When Sandy points the pen at the words in the book, it starts talking!
It’s called a talking pen.
It reads the book aloud with Sandy.
Her mom tells her that this is a new kind of book.
What a great way to read a book! Thank you for the gift, Mom!

Story 20 – Why Do We Sleep?

Susan doesn’t want to sleep.
She says, “I’m not sleepy.”
Mom tells her, “Just lie on your bed, close your eyes.
You will start to feel sleepy soon.”
But Susan still has a question, “Why do I have to sleep?”
Mom says, “You need to sleep to rest your body and mind.
That way you will be strong and healthy.” Lights out.

Story 21 – A Day at the Beach

Today, I’m at a beach with my family.
The sun is shining.
The sky is blue.
The water is blue.
The sand is brown and hot.
My brother and I make a castle in the sand.
My father helps us build the castle.
My mother finds beautiful shells for us to put on top of our castle.
It is a great day at the beach! What should we call our castle?

Story 22 – A Lot of Socks

Have you ever thought about socks?
Did you know they have been around for thousands of years?
They keep our feet warm and cozy.
We wash them, dry them, and sometimes fix them.
Take a look at how many socks you have at home.
Now, think about how many socks there must be in the world!
There must be a lot of feet! These are my favourite socks.

Story 23 – Who Likes Cake?

On Saturdays, we go to Grandma’s house.
Today is Saturday.
Grandma and I are making a cake.
The cake is pink.
We put white sugar on top, and four candles.
Why?
It’s my little sister’s fourth birthday! Can I do it, Grandma?

Story 24 – Big Snow Days

Every winter, we have big snow days.
When it snows day and night, we can have snow up to the windows.
On these days, no one can go to school.
No one can go to work.
What do we do?
We play!
We play games.
We make hot chocolate.
We watch the snow fall.
When it stops snowing, we go outside and make a BIG snowman! Look at our snowman!

Story 25 – My Cat

I have a cat.
Her name is Spot.
She is big and soft.
She is white with black spots.
She likes milk.
She drinks milk from a bowl.
She likes to sit at the window and look outside.
She likes to watch the birds in the trees.
Sometimes, she sleeps all day.
Does a cat dream?
Maybe. Sweet dreams, Spot!

Story 26 – My Apple Tree

When I was born, my dad planted an apple tree in the backyard.
Now I am six years old and so is my apple tree.
We have both grown a lot.
I am tall.
But my apple tree is much taller.
I love my apple tree.
It gives me apples in the fall.
It’s my special friend. Hello, apple tree!
You are so tall!

Story 27 – Day or Night

Up in the sky is the red, hot sun.
The sun gives us light and keeps us warm.
At night, we cannot see the sun, but the sun is still there.
Why can’t we see the sun at night?
The Earth moves around the sun.
At night, the sun is on the other side of the Earth.
For example, when it is dark in Canada, the sun is shining in China. I’m the sun!

Story 28 – How Do You Get Around?

In the world today, people can travel by car, train, ship, or airplane.
But do you know another way people get around?
Yes, with animals.
Some people ride horses.
Some people ride elephants.
In some places, people ride camels.
In other places, people ride donkeys.
There are many ways to get around. Away we go!

Story 29 – What Do Birds Eat?

My grandpa likes birds.
He often tells me what different birds eat.
Birds eat many things.
Some birds eat worms.
Some birds eat seeds and nuts.
Do you want to know something funny?
Birds eat many different things, but they don’t have teeth!
How do they chew their food?
I wonder. How am I going to eat?

Story 30 – A Proud Father

Daniel loves hockey.
He is a good hockey player.
He plays on the school team.
Daniel’s father loves hockey too, but he doesn’t play.
He can’t even skate.
But he goes to all Daniel’s hockey games.
When people ask about his favourite sport, he says, “Hockey!” I like hockey!

Story 31 – Round and Round

One day in my class, our teacher said, “Cars, buses, bicycles, trains, and even planes are all the same in one way.
Does anyone know how?”
Just then, my apple fell to the ground.
It started to roll.
“That’s it!” I put up my hand.
“They all have wheels.”
The teacher said, “Very good!
Now please put your apple away.” Very good!