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	My Surprise Day!             My family is happy family. It is made up of my mother, my father, and me. We live in a very pretty house with a very tiny yard. The house has a lot of rooms, and we have a yellow car. So far, I am an only child. I’m seven years old, so I’m still young. But things are going to change real soon. We’ve been busy preparing a new room. We’ve waiting for a surprise, you see. A baby girl or boy.  What will it be?             I have my own bedroom with lots of toys. If I have a brother, there are plenty for boys! I have cars and planes and a bat and ball. I have legos and puzzles, and even a doll. These are all toys that I can share if I have a brother to look after. If it’s a girl, then I don’t know what she’ll want to play with or where she’ll want to go. I’ll do my very best to buy her a present that’s different from the rest – maybe a doll with curly hair, a stuffed animal, or a furry bear. I’ll always be her friend and her big brother, too. Maybe she’ll look up to me and say, “Felix, I love you.”             Her name will be Yolanda, Mayra, or Kay. I’ll feed her yogurt and mashed yams every day! I’ll feed her in the kitchen, then I’ll wash her in her bath.  And when she’s clean and starts to yawn, I’ll rock her for her nap. If it is a boy, though, that is even better news! I’ll teach him how to throw a ball and how to tie his shoes. He’ll tell me all his secrets, and I’ll hold him when he cries. I’ll tell him to be nice to girls, and he’ll ask me, “Why?”             His name might be David, Tony, or Roy. But that is only if he is a boy! We’ll ride our bicycles together and run and jump and yell. If I get into trouble and he gets caught, my brother will never tell. We’ll be true and loyal to the end. My brother will be my very best friend. But let’s stop talking about things that might be. It is finally time for us to see. The time has come for the big surprise. There’s a tiny new baby before my eyes. Today is the day that she came home! I have a baby sister! And now you know!             She’s pink and puffy, and her eyes are gray. She cries and eats and sleeps all day. She’s not very pretty, and she’s not that fun. I guess she’s still a little young. Still, she laughs and smiles at me when I lay her on my knee. Now I must do as I have promised and buy her a present that’s different from the rest – maybe a doll with curly hair or a stuffed animal, a furry bear. I buy her both and take them to her to see which present she prefers. Oh, my goodness! How bizarre! She reaches for my small toy car!             I realize now that I was wrong to want a brother for so long. A sister can be just as much fun, and she can jump and yell and run. She’ll do the things a brother can, except grow up to a man. Now that I know my sister, this is what I’m going to do: I’ll teach her how to throw a ball and how to tie her shoes. She’ll tell me her secrets, and I’ll hold her when she cries. I’ll tell her to be nice to boys, and she’ll ask me, “Why?”             We’ll ride our bicycles together and run and jump and yell. If I get into trouble and she gets caught, my sister will never tell. We’ll be true to the end. My sister will be my very best friend. Yes, we’ll both be very happy, and we’ll learn to share. Whenever my sister needs me, I’ll always be right there!   Jean Steeves Franco (United States)   Questions.   1. What was the surprise about? _______________________________________________________________   2. What did the little boy wanted, a baby girl or a baby boy? _______________________________________________________________   3. What did the little boy’s mother have? _______________________________________________________________   4. How did the little boy felt? _______________________________________________________________
Page 10   Activities areas Let’s Read!   1) Put the events from the story in order. ___ The baby sister chooses a toy car. ___ The boy imagines what it will be like to have a baby brother or a baby sister. ___ A baby sister arrives. ___ The boy is an only child and is expecting a baby brother or sister.   2) Circle the name of the boy on the story.  a) Yolanda b) Roy c) Tony d) Felix   3) Mention how the boy feels in the story. a) The boy is happy. b) The boy is angry. c) The boy is worried. d) The boy is sad   4) Circle the name of the toys the baby girl will play with as she grows up. a) car b) doll c) puzzle d) video games e) building blocks   5) Circle the name of the toy you would give to a baby girl with a green crayon. Circle the name of the toy you would give to a baby boy with a purple crayon. Then write two sentences to explain your selection.   a) bicycle b) doll c) stuffed bear d) car e) puzzle f) train set g) coloring book and crayons h) book   Letters and Sounds   When the letter y appears at the beginning of a word it usually has a consonant sound.             Example: yard, yellow, you 1) Circle the words that begin with the letter y. Then read them out loud.   Family                 Baby                      Yard                     Year                     Yawn             Pretty                  Yellow                  Sleepy                  Kay   2) Read the words out loud.  Then underline the words in which the letter y sounds like a consonant. Cross out the words in which the letter y sounds like a vowel.   a) yogurt b) yams c) yawns d) tiny e) furry