Text Leveling System

Poofin

RDQ:	1376	Max Word/Sent	32	Total Words	3409		Diff Words	918
Lex	810	Ave Word/.Sent	10	Hi Freq occurs	2481	72.8%	Hi freq	424	46.2%
AR	4.2	Long Sentences	8	Low Freq occurs	116	3.4%	Low freq	95	10.3%

THE BELL FINALLY RANG. One more day of school until Christmas! Bobby waved goodbye to his friends. Even though he was young he was able to walk to school in good weather. He liked to walk, but most of all he enjoyed visiting with special friends. 
At the top of the hill there were several white houses with balconies and porches. Wooden benches were scattered over the lawns. Many of the retired people who lived in the houses were sitting on benches or strolling along the walkways. 
Mr. McGonigal spotted Bobby first. "Hi, Bobby," he called. "How was school today?" School was fine, thank you," Bobby replied.
"It's getting cold. Mr. McGonigal, do you think maybe we might have snow this year?" Bobby had asked this question many times, for he had never seen snow. In fact, none of the children of Peacedale had ever seen snow. Sleds, toboggans and skis gathered dust in boxes, attics and garages. Mr. McGonigal often spoke of the snow storms which came when he had been a boy. ]]
Bobby would listen with a sad smile as Mr. McGonigal described sledding down Apple Hill and making huge snowmen and igloos with his friends. 
No one knew why snow had stopped coming to Peacedale. The townspeople only knew how disappointed they were when winter passed without it. 
"See you tomorrow," Bobby said to Mr. McGonigal as he started down the hill. Soon he came to an iron fence. As always, there was Carla 
with her long neck lowered over the gate waiting]]
for Bobby to scratch her head or hopefully give her
a carrot. Carla was a dromedary ... a two-hump
camel. She was one of the animals on Mr. Brown's
farm.
Other animals came to the fence to greet Bobby.
There was a llama, sheep, goats, a donkey, deer,
cows, pigs, ducks and chickens. All the animals
you would find on most farms and a few you
wouldn't. Every animal had a name. The children
in the town loved to visit Mr. Brown's farm and
feed the animals, and Mr. Brown loved the children.]]
From Mr. Brown's farm it was only a few
minutes to Bobby's house. He ran up the steps and
in the side door to the kitchen. After a hug and a kiss
from his mother, Bobby would sit by the kitchen
window eating cookies and drinking milk, watching
clouds drifting high in the sky.
To Bobby, some of
the clouds looked like
houses, others looked
like animals, planes,
trains, or even faces.
One minute a cloud
was a clown - the next
a bird. They were a lot
of fun to watch as the
cookies disappeared.
"COME CLOSER, POOFIN," boomed a deep
baritone voice. "Nebulous, supervisor of all small
clouds, has reported that you spend all your days
floating hither and yon, helping no one on earth."]]
A small fluffy white, roly-poly cloud moved
near the bottom of a large thunderhead. He waited
for Altos to speak again.
"Poofin," Altos continued, a little more gently,
"we are responsible for caring for the planet below.
With shade we protect the land, people and animals
from too much sun. Our tears of sadness or joy
provide the water every living creature needs to
exist on earth. That is why, when there are not
enough clouds, life in some places suffers. You
have work to do - much to give. What do you have
to say for yourself?"
Poofin thought a moment and nervously began
in almost a whisper, "Oh, Altos, when I look below
at the earth, I see only a blur of pretty greens, blues
and browns. Maybe when I am older I will see
better. I can't see people or places that need me, so
I just float about changing my shape all day."
"I see," Altos interrupted. "In time your sight
will improve, but we need your help now. I am
going to send you to earth for a short visit. You will
be able to talk with one human being. Maybe if you
learn a little about life on earth, you will take your
responsibilities more seriously. Be very careful with
the power which allows you to change yourself
because on earth you will also be able to change all
things."]]
Bobby wiped his mouth after finishing the last
cookie, got up and headed for his room to change
into play clothes. He pushed open the door and
began to walk toward his desk. What he saw caused
him to stop, freeze and drop his books. There
floating above the lamp on his desk was a smiling,
chubby white cloud.
Bobby turned to run.
"Please don't go ... I can't
harm you" pleaded
Poofin. Poofin' s words
 sounded like the whispering
of a spring breeze,
but Bobby understood.
"You can T-A-L-K,"
stammered Bobby as he
slowly sat down on his bed.
"Yes, Bobby, I can talk, but you alone on earth can
understand my words. I can also change my shape."
Poofin began to become thin with long skinny
arms.
"No, no!" cried Bobby. "Don't change your
shape. You're fine just the way you were."
Poofin returned to his original shape. "My
name is Poofin. Altos, ruler of all clouds, sent me to
learn about life on earth. Your window was open a]]
crack ... so here I am. May I spend a few days with
you?"
Bobby smiled. He was no longer afraid of this
strange creature. "No one will believe me ... "
"You are right," Poofin interrupted, "no one
will believe you. Others will see only a small white
wispy cloud."
"Yes, Poofin, you can stay- I am glad to be your
friend," said Bobby. "Maybe I can help you learn
what you need to know."
Just then Bobby's mother called from the
kitchen, "Don't forget to wrap your presents before
you go out."
"I won't, Mom - I am going to do them right
now," Bobby replied.
Bobby walked to a shelf and picked up a can of
nuts and a large box of candy and carried them to
his desk. Poofin floated a little bit higher and
watched.
Beside Bobby's desk was a package of brightly
colored paper and a roll of scotch tape. With scissors
from the desk he began to cut the paper.
"What are you doing?" questioned Poofin.
"Wrapping Christmas presents," Bobby
replied.]]
"What are Christmas presents?" Poofin asked.
"They are gifts - things we give other people,"
Bobby explained.
"But why do you give gifts?" Poofin responded.
Bobby smiled. "Hundreds of years ago a very
special child was born and people from all parts of
the world, rich and poor, came to see Him and they
brought Him gifts."
"Is there more? Can you tell me more?" asked
Poofin.
Bobby finished wrapping the two presents.
They were far from perfect, but he knew his father
and mother would be pleased because he had done
it all by himself.
"I have a large picture
book which explains the
story of Christmas.
If we look at it
together, I think you
will understand." As
Bobby slowly turned the
pages of the book, Poofin
contentedly hovered
above Bobby's shoulder,
listening to the story.]]
The next morning Bobby put the presents in
his school backpack. He told Poofin he would
return in the afternoon. In the kitchen, his mother
had his breakfast ready. Along with Bobby's lunch
in his backpack, she put a plastic bag filled with
carrots. Bobby bundled up because each day was
becoming colder, and then he started off to school.
This was the last day of school before the
Christmas vacation. Before leaving, Bobby gave a
can of nuts to his teacher, Mrs. Thompson. On the
way home he stopped to give Mr.McGonigal and
his friends a box of candy.
Mr. McGonigal and some of the other men
were busy constructing a large wooden stable on
the lawn. It was a dearly loved tradition in Peacedale
that on Christmas Eve the children of the town
would walk in a procession that ended in front of
Mr.McGonigal's stable. A few of Mr. Brown's
animals would be tethered around the living creche
and other pets would come with the children.
Mothers, fathers and grandparents would wait
and watch with children who were too young to
join in the procession. At midnight the procession
would arrive and everyone would join in the singing
of Christmas carols, welcoming the most joyous
day of the year.]]
"Guess what, Mr. McGonigal," said Bobby as
he handed him his Christmas present.
"My guess is it's a box of old bananas - but we
thank you anyhow," said Mr. McGonigal with smile.
Bobby laughed. "That's not what I meant. This
year, Mr. Brown is going to
let me ride Carla in the
procession!"
"That's terrific, Bobby, we'll
be here waiting for
you. Oh, and Bobby,
thank you for
the candy."]]
A few minutes later, Bobby had finished giving
Carla and the other animals their Christmas carrots.
Bobby hurried home remembering that Poofin
would be waiting.
"Can I take my milk and cookies to my room,
Mom?" Bobby asked.
"Of course, but please don't forget to bring the
glass and the plate back to the kitchen," his mother
replied.
Bobby edged his door open with his elbow
and stepped into his room. One look and he almost
dropped his cookies and milk.
A beaming Poofin hovered near the back wall.
"I changed things a little bit. Do you like it?" he
asked.
Bobby's bed was now 'V' shaped, with high
legs on either end. His desk was two levels. Shelves
were slanted so that all the books were piled at one
end. Bobby's baseball glove had eight fingers and
his favorite baseball bat was so big he knew he
couldn't even lift it.
"Oh, Poofin," Bobby lamented, "this is awful
... I can't sleep in a bed like that ... people must lie
flat. I can't select a book because they are piled on
top of each other. I have only four fingers and a
thumb, so my glove is ruined, and I will certainly
not be able to swing that huge bat."]]
"I just wanted to do something for you," said
Poofin, "for allowing me to stay."
"Yes, Poofin, I understand, but won't you please
make my room just the way it was?"
Poofin nodded sadly and closed his eyes.
Everything began to change. Soon Bobby was able
to sit down at his desk and eat his cookies.
"Poofin, I must go shopping to buy two more
gifts. One for my mother and father and one to
carry with me in the Christmas procession. Do you
want to come with me?"
Poofin' s face brightened and he quickly
flattened out, drifting out the slight! y open window.
Bobby waved to his animal friends as he walked
quickly past Mr. Brown's farm. Poofin followed
along above him. Strings of brightly colored lights
crisscrossed above the streets in the shopping area.
Christmas wreaths decorated the doors of stores
and behind their large windows, gifts were tied
with big red ribbons. Between two buildings, a
man was selling Christmas trees, and holiday music
from his radio filled the air.
Bobby paused, looked up and motioned to
Poofin that he was going into the store. It took
Bobby fifteen minutes to select the presents.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, he was amazed to
see that a large crowd had gathered.]]
"I don't believe it." someone shouted.
"No one will buy those trees now,"
somebody else said.
"My business is ruined!" cried the
owner of the Christmas trees.
Bobby slowly made his way to the
front of the crowd. At first he couldn't
believe his eyes. All the Christmas
trees were now at least
35 feet tall.
"They' re too big to
put in a house,"
everyone agreed.]]
Bobby looked upward and spotted Poofin
looking down at all the people. He looked very
pleased with himself. He thought he had done
something good even though he didn't see any of
the people smiling.
"Poofin, listen to me," Bobby called," people
can't use these Christmas trees now. They are too
big for our houses. Bigger is not better, even though
you probably thought so. Please make the Christmas
trees the same size as they were."
Poofin understood. He sadly closed his eyes.
"Oh, my!" the crowd said in unison as the
trees began to shrink to their normal size. "Thank
goodness!" exclaimed the Christmas tree owner.
"Thank-you, Poofin ... let's go home," said
Bobby.
In his room, Bobby talked quietly with Poofin,
reassuring him that he knew Poofin's intentions
had been good. Changing the size of the Christmas
trees just wasn't a practical idea.
"Why, we would have to change the size of all
our houses," Bobby thought out loud. Then he saw
Poofin start to smile. "No, no, don't even think of it,
Poofin," said Bobby. "No one wants their house
any different, not one little bit."]]
"Maybe there is something else you can do ... "
Bobby didn't finish the sentence. He had fallen
asleep.
Mr. Brown always met in the morning with the
children who were going to lead or ride his animals
in the Christmas procession. As Bobby approached
Mr. Brown's main gate, he could see other children
and some parents inside the fence. The wail of
crying children and the "Oh no' s" of upset parents
combined to make an awful chorus.
First he spotted Mr. Brown sitting on a large
boulder, his head in his hands, and he too was
crying.
"I can't look ... I can't look anymore," he
moaned.]]
The tearful children continued to sob and their
parents stared in disbelief. There were Mr. Brown's
animals ... no, they really weren't exactly his animals.
Carla, Corrine and Carol were standing together.
Before, each camel had two humps. Now they
didn't even have one! Willie, the pig and his brothers
and sisters now were covered with feathers. Harriet,
Mr. Brown's favorite cow, wore a coat of fluffy
white wool. All the animals were changed in one]]
way or another. And they all looked terribly sad.
"Oh, no, no, no," said Bobby, and he too began
to cry. He couldn't look into Carla's sorrowful eyes
another moment. He turned and ran for home.
Bobby rushed into his room and threw himself,
sobbing, on the bed.
"What is the matter, Bobby?" Poofin asked
softly. "I have a surprise for you. I think you will
like it." Poofin had returned and was once again
floating above Bobby's desk.]]
When he had heard Poofin' s voice, Bobby
quickly sat up. "Oh,Poofin,if your surprise concerns
Mr. Brown's animals, it is no surprise and I don't
like it."
Poofin looked confused and a little afraid.
"I thought that since people change their clothes
that Mr. Brown's animals would like to change and
wear different coats, too. Wasn't that a good idea?"
"No, Poofin," Bobby said gently. "I'm sorry,
but that wasn't a good idea. It was a very bad idea.
Animals do not want to change. There is a reason
why some animals have fur and others skin or
feathers. They are content with their shapes and
their sizes. You have made Mr. Brown, his animals
and all the children very unhappy. They are still
crying. Please go back to Mr. Brown's farm and
change the animals back to the way they were."
Poofin was crushed ...
everything he did was
wrong. He felt discouraged
and spiritless.
His efforts had only
made things worse.
Heartbroken, he drifted
out of the window
towards Mr. Brown's farm.]]
Late in the evening, Bobby, dressed like a Wise
Man, went with his parents to Mr. Brown's farm.
All the animals had been changed back to the way
they had always looked. Mr. Brown, the children
and parents were happy.
It was a cold night. On a table near the gate,
some parents were pouring hot chocolate. Each
child was taken by Mr. Brown to an animal. Every
child carried a gift which would be given to children
in hospitals or to poor families on Christmas day.
The parents kissed their children good-bye. They
would wait on top of the hill.
Mr. Brown and his helpers, who were dressed
like shepherds, quickly led the costumed children
and their animals to their places in the procession.
Strong hands gently picked Bobby up and placed
him on Carla's back between her two humps.
Mr. Brown went first, leading a donkey which
carried a woman wearing a long white robe.
On top of the hill a large crowd was gathered
around Mr. McGonigal' s stable. Each person held a
lighted candle. As more and more people arrived,
the hill began to glow.]]
Below, the procession silently
wound its way through the streets.
Sitting on Carla's back, Bobby was the
first to see how beautiful the shining hill looked
in the distance. Stars sparkled like diamonds in the
almost clear night sky. Only a solitary small white
cloud floated above Mr. Brown and the children.
It was almost midnight by the time the
procession began to climb the hill. Hundreds of
voices welcomed them, singing Christmas carols.
Mr. Brown helped the woman off the donkey
and they both entered the creche. The woman held
a baby in her arms and the children began taking
their presents one by one to the manger. Bobby sat
quietly on Carla, watching and waiting his turn.]]
Poofin was watching too. He was very, very
sad. He had grown to love Bobby and all the people
of Peacedale. He had learned the reason for and the
true meaning of giving but had been unable to
contribute anything to this wonderful night. He
had never felt so sad. He began to cry.
It was so cold that Poofin's tears immediately
turned to large snowflakes which slowly drifted
down onto the creche. As his sobbing increased, the
snow came down faster and faster! People raised
their heads and began to smile and then hug each
other. It was snowing again in Peacedale!
Bobby, too, had looked up. "Poofin, Poofin,"
he shouted," what a wonderful gift you are giving
us. We have wanted snow for so long ... you are
making everyone so happy!"
At first Poofin could hardly believe Bobby's
words. Then his feelings changed from sorrow to
joy, but he continued to cry ... only now they were
tears of happiness!
After the final gift was placed in the manger,
families began to leave. Everyone thought how
lovely it was to walk in the soft silence of falling
snow.]]
The following morning Bobby awoke early.
Bright sunlight streamed in his window. He had
left the window open a crack, hoping Poofin would
return. Looking outside the window, Bobby gasped
with delight. Deep snow covered the ground as far
as one could see.
Bobby dressed quickly. He couldn't wait to try
out the old sled that had belonged to his father. His
father had kept it like new and each year had
placed it on the porch at Christmas, hoping for
snow.
Standing on the porch, Bobby looked up at the
blue sky. It was clear except for a small white
angelic cloud that was slowly rising higher and
higher.
Bobby leaped from the porch into the soft
snow. "Poofin, Poofin, please come back," he called.
But the tiny cloud continued to climb higher. Tears
began to roll down Bobby's cheeks. His friend was
disappearing.
Bobby could hear the laughter of children and
their parents who were sledding and making snow
men on Apple Hill. For a moment they paused as
the murmur of a gentle breeze floated over their
heads.]]
Poofin spoke: "Bobby, thanks to you I have learned
about the earth and its people. I know there are
many ways I can help and will spend my life
looking for places and people that need me."
Bobby brushed away a tear. "Will you ever
return to us, Poofin?" Bobby asked.
And Bobby never forgot Poofin' s final words:
"Yes, Bobby, I will return every Christmas ...
I promise!"
YEARS WENT BY ... Bobby grew up, married
and had a family of his own. Each year he told the
story of Poofin's visit to his children and later to his
grandchildren. Everyone loved the story of the
little white cloud. Sometimes the children wondered if
it was a made-up, imaginary story. Yet they knew
that as long as they had lived in Peacedale,
it always snowed on Christmas!]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Dialog: Two speakers

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Mature concepts: With common experiences or clear fantasy

Features

Clear cause/effect

Personification

Topic

*Weather

Trying to please

Snow

Helping

*Feelings, Behaviors

*Holidays, Events, Cele

Christmas

Low Frequency Words

altos	angelic	approached	balconies	baritone
blur	boulder	carols	chorus	concerns
constructing	content	contentedly	contribute	costumed
creche	crisscrossed	diamonds	disappearing	disappointed
discouraged	dromedary	edged	garages	happiness
heartbroken	hither	hoping	hospitals	hovered
imaginary	immediately	improve	increased	intentions
interrupted	joyous	lamented	laughter	lawns
levels	llama	lowered	manger	motioned
murmur	nebulous	nervously	original	paused
pleaded	porches	pouring	practical	procession
questioned	reassuring	responded	responsibilities	responsible
retired	scissors	scotch	select	seriously
shelves	shepherds	shrink	skis	sledding
solitary	sorrow	stable	stammered	streamed
strolling	supervisor	tearful	terribly	terrific
tethered	thompson	thunderhead	towards	townspeople
tradition	unable	unison	upward	wail
whisper	wispy	wrapping	wreaths	yon