I read “Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend”. This is eleventh story of the series “Henry and Mudge”. In this story, Henry and Mudge are very bored because it is rainy day and they can’t play in their garden. Then, their mother gave a good idea to them. She suggests them to make a castle by theirself! And they had a good weekend.
I loved this series because of their cute pictures. Mudge is so nice character.
And I learned a new expression.

Henry looked at his father.
His father looked at him.
“Wow,” they both said.
“Come look! Come look!”
they called up the stairs.
Henry’s mother went to the top of
the stairs.
“Not yet! Not yet!” they called.
She waited.
(p.36-p.37)

“Not yet.” is often used when we play hide-and-seek, for example.

>> Reading Speed
At the beginnig of the semester: 133 wpm
At the end of the semester: 160 wpm

I want to be able to read over 200 wpm! I need to kepp practicing and training reading English.

This time I read “Thomas and the School Trip”. In this story, Thomas took children back their town when the bus which children had got broke down.

Rev. W. Awdry, Owain Bell. Thomas and the School Trip. Step into Reading. 318 words.

‘Where’s Finn?’ shouts Benan.
‘He’s not here,’ says Oonah.
‘It’s just me here.
Me and the baby,’ says Benan.

‘That’s a big baby,’ says Benan.
‘Yes,’ says Oonah.
‘Just like his daddy.
Finn is a very big giant.
Much bigger than you!’

This time I read “Big Baby Fann”. This story is about a big man, Finn.
He pretended to be a baby to escape from Big, Bad Benan.

Sue Arengo. (2005). Big Baby Fann. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.

The flower opens in the sun. And there’s a little girl inside. The woman is very happy. She calls the girl Thumbelina.

This time I read “Thumbelina”. This story is what we call 『おやゆびひめ』in Japanese.

Sue Arengo. (2005). Thumbelina. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.

At last the egg opens. ‘Oh!’ says mother duck to her friend. ‘You’re right. He is strange. What an ugly duckling!’ ….. He is not an ugly duckling ani more. He is a beautiful swan, too. It’s true. It’s true! He is not a duckling. He is not a duck. He’s a swan. He’s a swan, too.

This time I read “The Ugly Duckling”. This book is what we call 『みにくいあひるの子』in Japanese.

Sue Arengo. (2001). The Ugly Duckling. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.

But in the morning there’s a beanstalk!
Tall, tall, tall …
And green … green … green!
‘Oooh!’ says Jack. ‘Wonderful Magic!’

This time I read “Jack and the Beanstalk”. I first read this story in English.

Sue Arengo. (2005). Jack and the Beanstalk. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.

They must plant.
They must plant new trees.
‘Grow quickly, trees!’ they say.
‘Grow quickly. Grow tall.’

This time I read “Amrita and the Trees”. In this story, Amrita worked hard to protect trees from the King’s men who tried to cut them.
I learned how important trees are for human’s life.

Sue Arengo. (2008). Amrita and the Trees. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.

The fisherman goes back to the sea. Now the water is brown. The fisherman shouts, ‘Oh! Magic fish in the sea!” Please come up and speak to me.’ ‘What do you want?’ says the fish. ‘My wife wants something,’ says the fisherman. ‘She wants a palace … and she wants to be a Queen.’ ‘Go home!’ says the fish. ‘She has a palace and she is a Queen.’
The fisherman goes home. ‘Look,’ says his wife, ‘Look at this palace! I’m the Queen. This is nice!’ ‘Yes, wife,’ says the fisherman. ‘It’s very nice. So now … now, wife, can we be happy?’ ‘Yes,’ says his wife, ‘Perhaps we can … ‘ Then she starts to think …

This time I read “The Fisherman and his Wife”. In this story, the fisherman cought a magic prince in the sea. He visits and tells what his wife wants to the magic fish and when he goes back, her gets what she wants! Repeatedly, they do so, and finally, they are back to their old house.

Sue Arengo. (2000). The Fisherman and his Wife. Classic Tales(Beginner 2), Oxford University Press.