Text Leveling System

Too timid to talk

RDQ:	474	Max Word/Sent	29	Total Words	941		Diff Words	379
Lex	630	Ave Word/.Sent	10	Hi Freq occurs	586	62.3%	Hi freq	127	33.5%
AR	2.6	Long Sentences	2.3	Low Freq occurs	43	4.6%	Low freq	35	9.2%

Today is a special day for hedgehog. It is her birthday! Her tummy feels all trembly inside because she is so excited.]]
She would like to ask everyone in the forest to help her celebrate. They could have a party. It would be lots of fun, but she would need help to get everything ready.]]
Hedgehog trundles off to see who is around. The squirrels are running up and down the trees in a very busy way. They chatter loudly as they leap from branch to branch.]]
Hedgehog opens her mouth to ask for their help, but the squirrels look so focused. She gets a little nervous. A tiny squeak is all that comes out.]]
Hedgehog scurries away. She catches sight of Bunny, who looks very busy indeed. He is gathering lots of food in his basket. Someone is going to have a feast today.]]
Hedgehog hides herself away and watches him work. She is too scared to interrupt as he rushes around.]]
There is a lot of noise coming from the clearing nearby. Hedgehog tip toes over and sees bear pulling away fallen branches and sweeping up leaves.]]
Hedgehog loves bear. He is so big and friendly. She whispers, it's my birthday. But bear doesn't hear her.]]
Hedgehog cheers up when she sees frog blowing up balloons. Maybe he could spare a couple for her birthday party?]]
But frog sees her and quickly hops away before she has a chance to speak. I suppose I am just too prickly for balloons, she sighs.]]
Owl is perched in the branches, teaching her class to sing. They are practicing A jolly tune at the top of their voices.]]
They all fall silent when they see hedgehog listening below. She was going to invite them to sing at her party, but now she is too scared. She Burrows into a pile of leaves instead, until the owls fly away.]]
Hedgehog creeps toward the deer family. They are shy and quiet like she is. Surely she can be brave and ask them for their help on her special day? Mommy deer is busy giving directions as her children cluster around her legs.]]
But the deer here the crinkle of leaves as hedgehog approaches. They look up, startled. Hedgehog feels awkward and decides not to bother them.]]
Then hedgehog feels a strange trembling beneath her feet. Suddenly, mole appears in a pile of dirt. He squints around, then sneaks out a piece of paper from underground and gives it to deer.]]
Mommy deer stops her hoof on the middle of the paper, and mole dives back down into the darkness. Hedgehog wishes she was brave enough to talk to mole, but she was too timid and now he's gone.]]
Hedgehog scurries away so fast that she almost crashes into fox. They both jump in the air, and fox drops a parcel he is carrying. He slides in front of it and puffs up his tail to hide it.]]
Poor hedgehog gets such a fright that she squeezes her eyes shut tightly and curls into a ball. Her heart beats faster as she tumbles away down the hill.]]
Little hedgehog nearly rolled straight into the river. Luckily, she bumps into a pile of logs that stop her. As she uncurls, she sees Beaver.]]
He is eagerly gnawing a tree trunk into lots of smaller pieces. Hedgehog wants to ask him to come to her party, but she hesitates. Can't stop. Mutters Beaver. Lots more of these to make.]]
A splashing in the river catches her attention. It is Otter, diving and tumbling in the water with his friends.]]
As hedgehog watches them play, a tear trickles down her cheek. She wants to spend her special day with friends, too. But everyone is so busy and she is too requirement to bother them and get in their way. She picks her way out of the reeds and heads back into the trees.]]
Hedgehog’s head hangs low as she wanders back home. She doesn't even see badger as he joins her on the path. You look so sad, he says. Can I help?]]
Hedgehog stops and sniffs. I just need a few friends to help prepare a small party for my birthday, but everyone's so busy that I didn't dare ask them. It's OK, comforts badger. Come on, I'll walk you home and cheer you up.]]
He parts the leaves at the edge of the clearing, then nudges hedgehog through the gap in front of him.]]
Surprise! Hedgehog looks around in wonder.]]
The birds burst into a chorus of happy birthday and all the other animals cheer. Fox trots forward with a huge present and Moe has a card that everyone has signed. The deer family has decorated a cake, and bunny's feast is enough to feed all of them.]]
Bear has cleared a huge space for them to have a party and Beaver has gnawed enough seats for everyone. The forest is decorated with frogs balloons, streamers hung by the squirrels, and water lilies collected by the otters. They are so fond of their prickly little friend that they wanted to make sure her day was extra special, even if she was too timid to mention it.]]
Hedgehog spins around gleefully. Her friends have worked so hard and made her so happy. She realizes that her friends will always be there for her, no matter how busy they seem. As she blows out her birthday candles, hedgehog closes her eyes. I wish that I will never be too timid to talk, ever again. And her friends promised that they will help her make that wish come true.

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Two speakers

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Simple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Features

Topic

Birthdays

Fears

Courage

*Animals

Friendship

Animals: Forest

*Holidays, Events, Cele

Low Frequency Words

approaches	chorus	collected	curls	gathering
gleefully	gnawed	gnawing	hedgehog	hedgehog's
hesitates	interrupt	lilies	luckily	mention
nudges	otter	otters	parcel	perched
practicing	prickly	realizes	reeds	requirement
scurries	startled	surely	timid	trembly
trickles	trundles	uncurls	wanders	whispers