Funny Farm

«Oh, yes! Listen to me! As you know it is autumn, that’s why I gather mushrooms and nuts. There are a lot of trees near the lake. I go there and see a big brown nut in the tree. I climb up and take my beautiful nut but the nut is so big and I can’t hold it. My beautiful nut falls from the tree just in the lake. I am so sad. I want to get my beautiful nut back. I climb down the tree and look into the lake. There is a squirrel there!»

«But squirrels live in the trees,» we say. «They don’t live in the water!»

«Exactly!» says Mrs Squirrel. «It is a monster!»

«Hm… I am not afraid of monsters,» I say. «I’m going to the lake. Do you want to come with me?»

Chloe is afraid of monsters. She doesn’t want to go.

«No, I want to stay here,» she says.

I go to the lake alone. The lake is big and blue. There are many trees around the lake. I look into the water. I can see a monster. But it isn’t a squirrel. There is a puppy in the lake! It is white with brown ears.

I run back to the garden.

«Tim, is it a monster in the lake?» asks Chloe.

«Oh, yes!» I answer. «But it doesn’t look like a squirrel. It looks like a puppy.»

«What?» Mrs Squirrel is angry. «I know puppies and I know squirrels. So I know who lives in the lake!»

«Ok, I am going to the lake and see the monster,» says Chloe. «Then I can tell you who lives there.»

Chloe runs away. When she comes back, she is very surprised.

«It isn’t a squirrel and it isn’t a puppy,» says Chloe. «I know very well who it is. It is a kitten!»

Suddenly we can see the ducks. They are going to the lake.

«Oh, no!» we shout. «Don’t go to the lake. There is a monster there!»

The ducks are very surprised.

«What monster?» they ask with interest.

«It looks like a squirrel,» says Mrs Squirrel.

«No, it looks like a puppy,» I say.

«Don’t listen to them!» says Chloe. «It looks like a kitten.»

«We swim in the lake every day but we don’t see any monsters,» answer the ducks. «Come and show us your monster.»

We go to the lake all together.

«Where is your monster?» ask the ducks.

We look in the water and can see three monsters: a squirrel, a puppy and a kitten.

«Look! Look!» we shout. «There are a lot of monsters in the lake!»

The ducks are laughing.

«You are so silly! Those monsters are you.»

Chloe looks into the water and then looks at me.

«Tim, this monster looks just like you. It is white and its ears are brown.»

«You are right,» I say. «Chloe, look at that monster! It is red and fluffy. It is you!»

«If there are no monsters in the lake,» says Mrs Squirrel, «I can take my beautiful nut.»

«Where is it?» I ask.

«Over there,» answers Mrs Squirrel, pointing to the water.

I help Mrs Squirrel to get her big brown nut out of the lake. She is very happy. And we are not afraid of monsters any more.

Exercises

1. Put the sentences in the correct order

a) Tim helps Mrs Squirrel to get her nut out of the lake.

b) Tim plays with the leaves.

c) Mrs Squirrel tells about a monster.

d) The ducks are very surprised.

e) Tim runs back to the garden.

f) The ducks are laughing.

g) Chloe is afraid of monsters.

2. Circle the odd word out

a) blue, white, autumn, brown

b) kitten, nut, puppy, squirrel

c) listen, climb, want, water

d) duck, fall, laugh, catch

3. True or false?