Fox and Crow

FoCx raonwd by Grace Fahey illustrated by Beth Foster Wiggins HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Fox and Crow by Grace Fahey illustrated by Beth Foster Wiggins Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Printed in China ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02697-8 ISBN-10: 0-547-02697-8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

Crow sat high up in a tree. She was looking for food. A boy dropped some cheese on the ground down below. As soon as the boy left, Crow flew down to the cheese. She grabbed it in her beak and flew back up. 2

That is when Fox saw Crow. Fox was very hungry and very tricky. Fox wanted Crow’s cheese. So Fox decided to call out to Crow. When Crow called back, the cheese would fall from her beak. Then Fox would eat it. 3

“Hello, Crow,” called Fox. Crow said nothing. Fox said, “It is a very nice day.” Crow still said nothing. She knew that she would drop the cheese if she talked back. 4

“Maybe you can’t hear me, Crow,” said Fox. “Maybe I am too far away. I will come closer.” Fox stood right under Crow. Crow thought, “Every fox I know is tricky. I do not trust this fox.” 5

Then Fox tried something new. He said, “Crow, you are very pretty! I have never seen a more beautiful crow!” Crow was surprised. She had never heard a fox be nice. 6

Fox said, “I admire the beauty of your feathers and your tail. They are so shiny!” Crow smiled but still said nothing. Then Fox said, “Such a pretty bird must be able to sing.” 7

Fox added, “Would you sing for me? I would love to hear your pretty voice!” No one had ever asked Crow to sing before. She felt happy and proud. So she opened her mouth and started a loud song. 8

“CAW! CAW!” she screeched. When Crow began to sing, the cheese fell from her beak. That was just what Fox had been waiting for! Fox grabbed the cheese and ran away. Crow had been tricked. 9

“I am so foolish!” said Crow. “Fox did not admire my feathers or my tail or my voice. He just wanted my cheese.” Crow looked for more food. Her belly was still empty. But she was much wiser. 10

Responding TARGET SKILL Understanding Characters What does Fox say? What does Fox do? What do these things tell you about Fox? Make a chart. Write About It Text to Text Think of another book about a tricky character. Draw a picture of the character. Write two sentences about the character. 11

WORDS TO KNOW away come hear call every said LEARN MORE WORDS admire beauty TARGET SKILL Understanding Characters Tell more about characters. TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Stop to tell important events as you read. GENRE A fable is a short story in which a character learns a lesson. 12

Level: I DRA: 16 Genre: Fable Strategy: Summarize Skill: Understanding Characters Word Count: 333 1.2.6 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13:978-0-547-02697-8 ISBN-10:0-547-02697-8 1032702