The Scarecrow

THE WIZARD OF OZ isn't the only place you can read about scarecrows. Try this article from a book by Valerie Littlewood to learn more interesting things about the history of these dummies.

DRIVING THROUGH THE COUNTRY, you see a farmhand working in the fields. But on the way back you notice the exact same figure in the exact same place! Instead of a real person, you are probably looking at a scarecrow. Scarecrow, jack-of-straw, scarebird, tattybogle, or shoy-hoy-under many different names, these homemade figures have been used around the world to protect precious crops for over three thousand years. They are as old as the practice of farming itself.

We think of scarecrows as male or female dummies stuffed with straw. But over the centuries, farmers have invented many different "scarecrows" to protect their crops. Noisemakers, dead birds, smelly fires, pieces of cloth, shiny metal objects-even live people have been employed.

Since the time of ancient Egypt, paintings, plays, and poetry have featured them. Because of their frightening appearance, they often represent sinister spirits in myths and legends. But in children's storybooks, scarecrows have frequently been portrayed as loyal and friendly companions.

Even more effective than a scarecrow that looks human is a real human scarecrow. Early British records show that it was often the job of small boys or men too old for strenuous farm labor to go out into the fields and scare away the birds. Sometimes girls too would work as bird shooers. In all weather, the bird scarers spent hours in the fields, throwing stones or flapping their arms while running and shouting. They also carried carved wooden clappers and rattles that made enough noise to frighten a whole flock of birds at one time.

Guarding a field or orchard all summer long was hard work. In bad weather, the human scarecrows had only crude huts made of mud and sticks to shelter them. To keep up their spirits, they would often sing songs and recite rhymes, or have contests to see who could hit the most birds with a single slingshot.

When factories and mines opened up all over England in the early 1800s, the cost of labor rose and it became very difficult for landowners to afford human scarecrows. But even today, in India and some Middle Eastern countries, live bird scarers are still hard at work.

1. The article tells us that scarecrows have been used for over three thousand years. This is probably because

that's when the materials for making the scarecrows became available.
the crow population increased rapidly at that time.
no one is sure why they were invented, so they picked a time long ago.
that's about when people began to farm crops.

2. The article tells you that scarecrows "often represent sinister spirits in myths and legends." What does the word sinister mean when used this way?

Very small
Important
Evil
Cheerful

3. The author begins this article by pretending that you, the reader, are driving through the country. What is the author's purpose for beginning this way?

The author knows you see scarecrows best from a car.
The author wants readers to feel like a part of the story.
The author likes scarecrows.
The author wants you to know the difference between the city and the country.

4. The people who worked as bird scarers were small boys, old men and sometimes girls. These people had the bird-shooing job because

they were quick and could chase most birds away.
they were not able to do regular farm work.
they had enough patience to wait for the birds to land.
they could not be relied upon to finish their jobs.

5. The article tells you that the people who worked as human scarecrows "had only crude huts" for shelter. This means that

their shelters were made of an oily tar.
the shelters could be moved from place to place.
the shelters were small and primitive.
people built their own shelters.

6. Which of the following does this article try to teach you?

Some history and facts about scarecrows
Some ways people farmed three thousand years ago
Some stories about famous scarecrows
Some different ways you can make a scarecrow

A Story of Scotland

This story is from the book JOURNEY OF THE SHADOW BAIRNS by Margaret J. Anderson. Ms. Anderson was born in Scotland where this story takes place, but now she lives and writes in Oregon.

ELSPETH MACDONALD STOOD BY THE WINDOW staring out at the slanting rain. When she moved her head, the uneven glass distorted the tall, narrow tenements across the street so that they seemed warped and crooked. She used to think, when they first came to live in Glasgow five years ago, that if she moved her head fast enough the buildings would topple over, letting her see the ocean. Now she knew that beyond these buildings were more buildings, and more beyond that, all the way to the shipyards where Papa worked. Elspeth sighed. Would she never stop missing their Highland home by the sea?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an insistent tug at her worn dress and a plaintive voice asking, "Please, Elspeth. Can't we go to the station to see the trains?"

"For the third time, Robbie-no!" Elspeth said impatiently. "It's too wet."

"But you said you would take me," Robbie persisted.

"It wasn't raining then," Elspeth answered shortly.

"Take him out for a bit just to play in the close. There's a good lass," their mother said, pulling her chair nearer the meager fire. Elspeth was about to protest, but Mama began to cough again.

Suddenly the room seemed so small and cluttered that Elspeth herself wanted to get outside. "Get your coat on," she told Robbie, taking her own coat from its peg by the door.

Robbie struggled into a gray jacket that was too tight for him and short in the sleeves.

"Wait till I get Pig-Bear ready," he said, looking around the room for the piece of flannel that served Pig-Bear as a coat.

"You're not taking that ragged old animal!" Elspeth said sharply. "Let Pig-Bear stay with me," Mama broke in quietly, reaching out and taking the stuffed toy from the little boy's hand. Then she adjusted Robbie's cap, pulling it down firmly on his head so that it covered his unruly blond curls. "Be careful on the stairs!" she called after them as they went out the door together.

Elspeth and Robbie clattered down the worn stone steps of the stairway that they shared with five other families. The stairs were poorly lit and the air was heavy with the damp, sour smells of decay and cats. At the bottom they reached theclose, or passageway, which led out to the street. It was here that the tenement children often gathered to play on wet days. Today both the street and the close were deserted, the biting wind and early darkness having driven the other children indoors.

Robbie crouched down in the doorway of the close, collecting a few stones and arranging them in a pattern on the ground. Elspeth watched, wrapping her coat more tightly around her thin body. The way wee Rob could be so oblivious of his surroundings and amuse himself with so little always filled her with a mixture of irritation and admiration. He could find as much to interest him in a Glasgow gutter as she had found at his age in the clear waters of the Morvan Burn that ran through their farm into Loch Nevis. But then, he had been born in Glasgow and had lived all his four years in one room in a tenement building. He had never known the croft on Loch Nevis that she and Mama and Papa had left behind five years before.

7. The introduction to this story tells you that it is from a book called Journey of the Shadow Bairns. Which statement is true about the part of the book you have just read?

It is probably part of a chapter from the book.
It is probably most of the book.
It is probably the ending of the book.
It is probably not important to the story.

8. The author tells readers that Mama was sitting by a small fire and coughing. Why do you think that the author does this?

To tell readers how much Elspeth liked her old home
So that readers will begin to worry about Mama
Because it makes the story seem longer
To show how much Robbie loves Mama

9. Where did Elspeth and Robbie's father work during this part of the story?

In the shipyards
On a small farm called a croft
At home in an office upstairs
In a large factory

10. At first Elspeth does not want to take Robbie downstairs to play. Why does she change her mind?

She decides to get some sunshine.
The trains will be going by soon.
The other children are waiting for them.
She begins to feel unhappy and trapped indoors.

11. Who do Elspeth and Robbie see when they go down the stairs to the passageway?

A cat
Other children
Father
No one

12. By reading this story, you know that

Elspeth's family is poor.
Papa and Mama are strict.
Robbie and Elspeth will soon run away.
there are a lot of things for a child to do in Glasgow.

Learning About Mercury

Did you know that Mercury is called the quick planet because it moves about 29.8 miles (47.9 kilometers) a second? Look at the information below from MERCURY: THE QUICK PLANET, by Isaac Asimov, to find out how you can learn more about the quicksilver planet.

More Books About Mercury
Here are more books that contain information about Mercury. If you are interested in them, check your library or bookstore.

14. Under which heading would you look if you wanted to find out if there is a museum near you?

Doran Planetarium
The Solar System
More Books About Mercury
Places to Visit

15. Which of the following is an accurate statement about how the selection LEARNING ABOUT MERCURY is organized?

It is organized by the kind of help you want to find.
It is organized according to the page numbers in the book.
It is organized using the traditional Dewey Decimal System.
It is organized by alphabetizing all of the information.

16. Look at the sentences under the For More Information About Mercury heading. What is the attitude that the author has toward his readers in these three sentences?

The author acts as if he is much smarter than the readers.
The author is helpful.
The author is bossy.
The author doesn't care about the readers.

Loch Ness Monster

Scientists are very interested in finding answers to the mystery of the Loch Ness monster. Read this passage to learn about one scientist's ideas.

LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND: For years cryptozoologists (people who study "unexpected" animals) have been studying this famous lake. And for years people have been taking pictures of something they see there . . . something unknown . . . something they say is a monster whose nickname is "Nessie."

Recently a well-known British scientist has shed some new light on Loch Ness. Dr. Maurice Burton, once a firm believer in Nessie, has changed his mind.

Now he feels that many of the photographs show nothing more than large, playful otters.

Dr. Burton also thinks that people may be seeing something else in the lake. He points out that water-soaked branches and logs often settle on the bottom. As they begin to rot, gas bubbles form in them. When the bubbles are big enough to float the mess to the surface, up pops "Nessie." The gas bubbles burst, and the "monster" sinks. But not before it has been spotted and photographed.

Dr. Burton's idea is very interesting. But somehow it's not as much fun as thinking that a real monster may live in Loch Ness.

17. The second paragraph tells you that Dr. Burton has "shed some new light" on Loch Ness. This means that Dr. Burton has

provided a new explanation.
used powerful lights to explore.
actually been to the lake.
finally photographed the monster.

18. This selection would probably be most useful to someone interested in becoming a

lifeguard.
photographer.
doctor.
researcher.

19. These paragraphs probably came from a

book of fairy tales.
history book.
science magazine.
biography.

20. Which of the following is an accurate example of a cause-and-effect relationship described in the story?

People taking pictures at Loch Ness cause Nessie to appear.
Playful otters cause water-soaked branches to sink.
Nessie's movements cause logs to float to the surface.
Rotting branches cause gas bubbles to form.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

This is a passage from the book SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL by Patricia MacLachlan. Sarah is a young woman who has come to live with Papa and his two children, Anna and Caleb. The children hope Sarah will stay and marry their Papa. On these pages Anna describes one of their first evenings with Sarah.

AFTER DINNER, SARAH DREW PICTURES to send home to Maine. She began a charcoal drawing of the field, rolling like the sea rolled. She drew a sheep whose ears were too big. And she drew a windmill.

"Windmill was my first word," said Caleb. "Papa told me so."

"Mine was flower," I said. "What was yours, Sarah?"

"Dune," said Sarah.

"Dune?" Caleb looked up.

"In Maine," said Sarah, "there are rock cliffs that rise up at the edge of the sea. And there are hills covered with pine and spruce trees, green with needles. But William and I found a sand dune all our own. It was soft and sparkling with bits of mica, and when we were little we would slide down the dune into the water." Caleb looked out the window.

"We have no dunes here," he said. Papa stood up.

"Yes we do," he said. He took the lantern and went out the door to the barn. "We do?" Caleb called after him.

He ran ahead, Sarah and I following, the dogs close behind.

Next to the barn was Papa's mound of hay for bedding, nearly half as tall as the barn, covered with canvas to keep the rain from rotting it. Papa carried the wooden ladder from the barn and leaned it against the hay.

"There." He smiled at Sarah. "Our dune."

Sarah was very quiet. The dogs looked up at her, waiting. Seal brushed against her legs, her tail in the air. Caleb reached over and took her hand.

"It looks high up," he said. "Are you scared, Sarah?"

"Scared? Scared!" exclaimed Sarah. "You bet I'm not scared."

She climbed the ladder, and Nick began to bark. She climbed to the very top of the hay and sat, looking down at us. Above, the stars were coming out. Papa piled a bed of loose hay below with his pitchfork. The light of the lantern made his eyes shine when he smiled up at Sarah.

"Fine?" called Papa.

"Fine," said Sarah. She lifted her arms over her head and slid down, down, into the soft hay. She lay laughing, as the dogs rolled beside her.

"Was it a good dune?" called Caleb.

"Yes," said Sarah. "It is a fine dune."

Caleb and I climbed up and slid down. And Sarah did it three more times. At last Papa slid down, too, as the sky grew darker and the stars blinked like fireflies.

We were covered with hay and dust, and we sneezed. In the kitchen, Caleb and I washed in the big wooden tub and Sarah drew more pictures to send to William. One was of Papa, his hair curly and full of hay. She drew Caleb, sliding down the hay, his arms like Sarah's over his head. And she drew a picture of me in the tub, my hair long and straight and wet. She looked at her drawing of the fields for a long time. And she put it away.

"Dear William," Sarah read to us by lantern light that night. "Sliding down our dune of hay is almost as fine as sliding down the sand dunes into the sea." Caleb smiled at me across the table. He said nothing, but his mouth formed the words I had heard, too. Our dune.

21. This story is fiction. We can say that because

the author made up the characters.
the characters don't act like real people.
it is about an important time in our country's history.
readers have to use imagination to see the scenery.

22. Sarah and the others have a lot of fun sliding on the dune. The author chose to tell about this part of the story so that readers would believe that

the family won't have to work as hard now.
Sarah might be happy in her new home.
Caleb and Anna will be able to go to Maine.
Papa thinks that Sarah is foolish.

23. The dune that Anna's father built was

inside the hay loft of the barn.
outside near the house.
outside near the barn.
near the ocean.

24. Why did Papa pile some loose hay below the hay "dune"?

He wanted to make the hay dune taller.
He wanted to make a soft spot to land on.
It was needed to climb to the top of the dune.
He wanted to make a bed for the animals.

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