Crow, Stop Singing! (Compound Words)
Practice Words
Two-syllable compound words formed by joining two smaller words together.
This crow has been flying since sunrise. Its wings hang low and its eyes are half shut after such a long flight. Has this tired bird come from somewhere far away? It glides over the treetops and looks down at the town.
Crow has had a daydream about making new friends. Now he spots a rabbit, a rooster, and a lizard in a sunny backyard under a big tree. Rabbit jumps in surprise. Rooster looks up from the grass. Lizard just smiles from a warm rock. How will Crow win them over?
Crow opens his beak and sings. It does not sound like a birthday song. It is loud and sour, like a siren! Rabbit squeezes her eyes shut tight. Rooster frowns. Even Lizard, who was all smiles a moment ago, scowls at the racket.
Crow sits on a high branch, throws back his head, and sings with his eyes closed. His song is so loud it could reach every rooftop in the land! Up here, he cannot hear a thing over his own singing. The world below has gone silent, or so he thinks.
His friends run for it! Rabbit bolts down the pathway. Rooster dashes across the grass. Lizard zips into the background. Crow sings as loud as a boombox. He thinks they just did not hear the song he made for them.
His new friends are gone. Crow stands alone under a big tree, looking small in the sunshine. No matter. He will find a new spot to sing by himself. He can get really good before the next sunrise. Crow sets off with a hop.
Crow flits from branch to branch. He turns his head and listens. He hops and tries a new spot, looking for the perfect perch. Where will his song catch the breeze just right? He wants it to carry far, maybe all the way to the football field!
Crow lands high in the treetops and looks down. There in the sunshine sits a little wooden post, all alone in the grass. It just sits there, like it is waiting for someone. Crow leans forward, and his eyes go wide. 'Wait a minute,' he says.
To most, it is just a bench. But to Crow, it looks like a stage! He can picture himself in the spotlight, sharing his songs with the whole world. Maybe music is the way to make friends. Not singing at them, but singing for them.
Crow sets up a tall stand on the little wooden stage. He calls down the pathway, 'Come back, friends!' One by one, Rabbit, Rooster, and Lizard come to take a look. Crow grins and asks, 'Who wants to go first?'
'You,' says Crow, pointing at Rooster. Rooster steps up, opens his beak, and out comes a song that makes them all smile. 'Was that me?' he asks, surprised at himself.
'My turn!' said Lizard, hopping onto the stage. She started soft, then sang louder and louder. Her song was so catchy that Rabbit could not stop tapping her feet.
Rabbit spotted the drums on the stage. She tapped a big, loud beat and sang in the sunshine. 'How did you do that?' asked Rooster. Rabbit smiled and said, 'I cannot say!'
All three friends want to hear Crow sing again. This time, no one runs. Crow steps into the spotlight and sings his heart out. Rabbit taps a drum. Rooster spreads his wings. Lizard watches with delight. Crow's daydream of making friends has come true.
The friends have started a Backyard Band! Rabbit bangs the drums. Rooster sings, Lizard plays along, and Crow hops with his wings spread wide, notes floating all around him. Crow made friends by sharing what he loves, and it turned into something even better.