Humorous Tales

Table of Contents
Lexile®
measure
3
The Leaky Robot 200L
5
Digger and Dander 370L
7
Panda Makes a Bookmark 290L
©Highlights for Children, Inc. This item is permitted to be used by a teacher or educator free of charge for classroom use by printing or
photocopying one copy for each student in the class. Highlights ® Fun with a Purpose ®
ISBN 978-1-62091-244-7
“I am
your
new
robot.”
The Leaky
Robot
By Rebecca Kraft Rector
Art by Scott Angle
Bing! Bong!
Mr. Moon hurried to answer the
doorbell. Few people visited his little
house by the lake. Who could it be?
“Hello. I am Zap. I am your new robot.”
Green lights flashed across the robot’s
chest.
“But I ordered a rowboat!” said
Mr. Moon.
“You will like me better than a
rowboat,” Zap said. “I am strong and fast
and smart. I delivered myself!”
“Can you float?” asked Mr. Moon.
“No,” said Zap. “I leak.”
Mr. Moon shook his head. “I don’t like
modern things like robots. I like oldfashioned things like rowboats.”
“I will help you find a rowboat.” Zap
©Highlights for Children, Inc. This item is permitted to be used by a teacher or educator free of
charge for classroom use by printing or photocopying one copy for each student in the class.
Highlights ® Fun with a Purpose ®
ISBN 978-1-62091-273-7
marched into the house. He looked
around. “There is your rowboat.”
“No! That’s my chair!” But Mr. Moon
was too late.
Zap carried the chair to the lake. He
dropped it in. It sank.
“Sorry,” said Zap.
He spotted something in the garden.
“There is your rowboat!”
“No! That’s my wheelbarrow!” But Mr.
Moon was too late.
Zap carried the wheelbarrow to the
lake. He dropped it in. It sank.
“Sorry,” said Zap.
“I need a rowboat, not a robot!” said
Mr. Moon. “I want to visit my brother. He
lives on the other side of the lake.”
“You could walk around the lake,” Zap
said. “I will walk with you.”
“It’s too far to walk,” said Mr. Moon.
“There are hills and trees and pricker
bushes. I’ll get lost.”
“I never get lost. I have maps in my
head.” Blue lights glowed on Zap’s
chest. “I have an idea.”
He pulled the chair out of the lake.
He shook it so fast that all the water
flew off.
He pulled out the wheelbarrow,
too. He spun it in a circle. Soon it
was dry.
“Amazing,” said Mr. Moon.
“Sit down,” Zap said.
Mr. Moon sat in the chair.
Zap put the chair in the
wheelbarrow. “Hold tight!”
Zap pushed the wheelbarrow
around the lake. He ran as fast as a
rocket. He checked the maps in his
head. He took Mr. Moon straight to
his brother’s door.
“Amazing,” said Mr. Moon.
Mr. Moon visited his brother. Then Zap
pushed him home again.
A delivery man was waiting for them.
“There’s been a mix-up. Here’s your
rowboat. I’ll take back the robot.”
“Come
with me,
robot.”
“I’ll keep this rowboat,” said
Mr. Moon. “It floats. Zap doesn’t know
about floating. He threw my chair into
the lake.”
All Zap’s lights went out. He hung his
head.
“Come with me, robot,” said the
delivery man.
“No!
“Wait,” said Mr. Moon. “Zap
That’s my has a good heart. He tries
chair!”
hard. He makes mistakes, but
people make mistakes, too.
I want this rowboat. And I
want this robot.”
Zap’s lights blazed brightly.
“You will not be sorry. I am
a good helper. I will put this
rowboat in the water for you.”
“Wait!” the delivery man
said. “That’s my truck!”
Digger and Dander were good friends.
They did everything together. They
played together. They went places together.
Their favorite place to go was to the
lake. But it was a long walk.
One day Digger had an idea.
“Let’s buy bicycles,” he said. “Then we
can ride to the lake.”
Dander looked in his pockets. “I have
two dollars.”
Digger looked in his pockets. “I have
two dollars, too.”
“I don’t think four dollars is enough for
two bicycles,” said Dander.
“Then we’ll earn more,” said Digger.
“How?” asked Dander.
“I’ll have a lemonade stand,” said
Digger.
“Good idea,” said Dander. “And I’ll
have a cookie stand.”
Digger took his two dollars and bought
supplies for lemonade. Dander took his
two dollars and bought supplies to make
cookies.
Digger set up his stand on one corner.
Dander set up his stand on the other
corner. They waited for customers. They
waited a long time.
Digger was getting hungry. “I have a
quarter left,” he said to himself. “I’ll buy
a cookie from Dander.”
Digger bought a cookie and shared it
with Dander. Then he went back to his
lemonade stand to wait for customers.
A little while later Dander was thirsty.
He looked at the quarter Digger had
given him.
©Highlights for Children, Inc. This item is permitted to be used by a teacher or educator free of
charge for classroom use by printing or photocopying one copy for each student in the class.
Highlights ® Fun with a Purpose ®
ISBN 978-1-62091-271-3
Digger
“I’ll buy a glass of lemonade from
Digger,” he said. And he did.
Time went by. Digger looked over at
Dander’s cookie stand.
“No one is buying cookies,” he said to
“I’ll buy a
cookie from
Dander.”
and Dander
By Wendi Silvano
Art by Liisa Chauncy Guida
They had
a perfect
plan to earn
money.
himself. “I think I’ll help out my friend.”
He went over to Dander’s stand.
“One cookie, please.”
“That will be twenty-five cents,” said
Dander, and took the quarter.
“How’s business?” asked Digger.
“Not too bad,” said Dander. “I’ve
already sold two cookies.”
“Good,” said Digger. “I’m sure we’ll
earn enough by the end of the day.”
Digger went back to selling lemonade.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before he
had a customer. Dander bought another
glass of lemonade.
“Thank you,” said Digger.
“My pleasure,” said Dander.
That was how the afternoon went,
with Digger buying cookies and Dander
buying lemonade whenever they had a
quarter.
When the sun began to set, Digger was
out of lemonade and Dander was out of
cookies. They put away their stands and
went inside.
“How did we do?” asked Dander.
“I sold all my lemonade,” said Digger.
“And I sold all my cookies,” said Dander.
“Wow!” cried Digger. “Let’s get our
bicycles!”
Dander looked in his pockets.
“I have a quarter. How much do you
have?”
Digger looked in his pockets.
“I don’t have anything,” he said.
“How can that be?” said Dander. “We
sold everything.”
“Oh, well,” said Digger. “We can still
go to the lake. We’ll just have to walk.”
And so they did, first thing the next
day . . . together.
By Beverly Swerdlow Brown
“This is fun!”
P
anda went to the store to buy some
needles and yarn. “I’m going to make
a bookmark so I won’t lose my
place when I’m reading,” he said.
He went home and began to knit.
Clack, clack went the needles.
“This is fun!” said Panda. After
a while, he looked at the knitting. “Uh-oh! This is too big for a
bookmark. What should I do?” He
thought and thought. “I’ll make a
place mat
for my table,” he said.
Again, Panda began to knit.
Clack, clack went the needles. Panda sang a little song as he worked.
©Highlights for Children, Inc. This item is permitted to be used by a teacher or educator free of
charge for classroom use by printing or photocopying one copy for each student in the class.
Highlights ® Fun with a Purpose ®
ISBN 978-1-62091-272-0
Art by Mary Bono
After a while, he looked at the
knitting. “Oh, my! This is too big
for a place mat. What should I
do?” He thought and thought. “I’ll
make a tablecloth,” he said.
Clack, clack went the needles.
Panda hummed a tune as he
worked. After a while, he looked
at the knitting. “Oh, dear. This
is too big for a tablecloth. What
should I do?” He thought and
thought. “I’ll make a blanket,” he
said.
Clack, clack went the needles.
Panda listened to the radio as he
worked. After a while, he looked
at the knitting. “My, my! This
is too big for a blanket. What should
k
a
d
n
a
P
I do?” He thought and thought. “I’ll make
a rug for my den,” he said.
Clack, clack went the needles. Panda
watched TV as he worked. After a while,
he looked at the knitting. “Oh, no! This
is too big for a rug. What should I do?”
He thought and thought. Then he had an
idea. “I’ll shrink it a wee bit,” he said.
He washed the knitting in hot water.
Then he put it in the dryer. He read
the newspaper as he waited. After a
while, he took the knitting out of the
dryer. Panda laughed. “My knitting is
way too small for a rug or a blanket or
a tablecloth or even a place mat.
But it’s just the right size for a bookmark!”
“Oh, no!”
kept kn
ittin
g an
nd
a
d knitting
...
g
n
i
tt
i
n
k