ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01742-6ISBN-10: 0-547-01742-1

1031585

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

3.5.21

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: M

DRA: 28

Genre:Fantasy

Strategy:Monitor/Clarify

Skill:Story Structure

Word Count: 1,276

by Antonia Burtonillustrated by Ashley Wolff

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01742-6ISBN-10: 0-547-01742-1

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2

Very early one fine fall morning, Perri asked her mom if she could go for a walk all by herself. Perri wanted to look at the beautiful colored leaves in the forest. She wanted to watch the geese flying south. She wanted to lie in the high, soft grass that covered her favorite meadow.

“You can go,” Perri’s mother said, surprised that her daughter wanted to be out and about during the day. “But just don’t wander close to town. It’s dangerous for young possums.”

Perri promised that she’d be careful.As Perri reached the other side of the meadow,

she heard a puzzling sound—a roaring sound she had never heard before.

3

Perri peered through the weeds to get a look—and she couldn’t believe her eyes!

“These must be cars and buildings,” she said to herself. “Mother is always saying that I should be careful around these.”

But it all seemed so interesting—Perri wanted a closer look. She felt like a scout discovering a new territory.

But before Perri could dart across the street, she heard an even more dangerous sound.

4

Perri turned to see a huge, snarling dog with enormous teeth! It looked at Perri as if she were a bucket of fried chicken.

Perri tried to run, but the dog blocked her path. She tried to run in another direction, but the dog was too fast.

The dog’s glassy eyes narrowed to a terrifying squint. He growled violently.

Shaking to the tips of her tiny possum toes, Perri tried to remember what her mother had told her to do when danger came.

Play dumb? No.Play tag? No. Play piano? No.Then she remembered.PLAY DEAD!Perri closed her eyes and dropped to the ground.

She lay as still as a rock. The dog gave her a sniff, and walked all the

way around her. He gave her another sniff and began to relax.

5

It was working! The dog thought she was dead and had lost interest.

As quickly as he had come, the dog turned and disappeared. Perri just lay still, afraid to move.

But playing possum for too long has its drawbacks.

Just as Perri was about to get to her feet, she heard another loud rumbling sound, then a screech and a slam.

She opened her eye the tiniest bit and saw a tall, skinny man in blue coveralls coming toward her.

6

The man poked Perri with his toe.“Poor possum must have been hit by a car,” he

said. “Guess I ought to get the poor dead creature off the side of the road.”

Before Perri could do anything, the man bent over and scooped her up with his thick, gloved hands.

The man walked toward a big truck and tossed Perri into a can in the back.

The smell in the can was horrible. The can was filled with soggy, stinking garbage! Brown, gooey liquid oozed from a bag at the bottom of the can. Perri knew she had to get out of there—and fast!

7

Perri looked out from the can as the truck began to move. She whizzed past houses, stores, people, and even a few dogs. Perri felt trapped. She didn’t dare jump from the moving vehicle.

A few minutes later, the truck stopped and the man got out. As the man walked away from the truck, Perri inched up to the rim of the can and looked out.

Now was her chance! She jumped out of the can and down from the truck. Then she ran as fast as she could.

Unaware of her surroundings, Perri jumped into a big box of sand near where the truck had stopped. She didn’t notice the child playing in the sand until it was too late.

“Mama!” a small voice squealed. “Look! A little doggy!”

Perri froze in her tracks, dropped on her side, and closed her eyes.

“That’s not a doggy,” said a woman’s voice. “That’s a poor little injured possum. Get away from it, Tanner! Let Mama take care of it.”

8

Before long, Perri felt a big piece of cardboard slide under her. The woman raised her on the cardboard and then slid her into a little box and covered the box tightly. Perri could see a little out of the box because there were tiny holes poked all around it.

9

“We’ll just take this poor creature home until Daddy can take it to the animal shelter,” said the woman to her little girl.

Perri bounced along inside the box as the woman carried her home. Tanner poked at the box with a stick.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” Perri thought. “That kid will put out my eye!”

Soon the bouncing stopped, and Perri heard the woman speak.

“We’ll just put the box here in the garage until your father comes home from the police station,” she said.

Perri felt the box plop down on hard ground and heard the woman and Tanner walk away.

She tried to poke the top of the box off with her head. It wouldn’t budge. Frustrated and scared, she lay in the box and wondered what to do next.

10

“Hi, little doggy,” Perri heard Tanner’s voice whispering through the holes in the box. The little girl pulled the box lid off.

“No need to play dead now,” Perri thought. “This kid knows I’m very much alive.”

With all the fierceness in her, Perri hissed at the little girl, showing her pointy possum teeth. The little girl screamed as Perri jumped out of the box and raced out the garage door.

“Mama!” Perri heard. “The doggie got out!”

11

Perri ran as fast as she could across one beautiful patch of grass after another. Each one was covered with colorful leaves and had a big house and a garage behind it.

Perri raced to the nearest hiding place she could find—an open basement window. She jumped through the window and landed in a soft, warm pile. It felt as cozy as her underground den back home. She listened for the sound of danger, but everything was quiet, warm, and still.

Soon Perri fell asleep.

12

Perri woke up just in time to feel the cozy soft pile pulled from around her. Once again, Perri lay completely still.

“Oh, look!” said a woman. “Mrs. Hartwig left some lovely old clothes for the rummage sale—and look at this beautiful fur hat!”

The woman lifted Perri into the air—and put the possum on her head!

“The ladies at the rummage sale will be so envious,” said the woman as she picked up the pile of clothes and headed out.

As the woman strolled down the street, Perri kept still. All around her, she saw people staring and pointing. Soon a small crowd of people surrounded the woman.

“Why in the world must you people stare at my hat?” the woman demanded.

“It isn’t a hat!” a little boy said. “That’s a possum—and I think it’s alive.”

The woman screeched. Perri leapt from the woman’s head, dodged through a narrow opening in the crowd, and skittered down the street. No more playing dead today!

13

14

Perri rocketed past the rummage sale. She zipped past Tanner’s garage. She zoomed past the park where she’d escaped from the garbage truck.

She didn’t slow down until she arrived back in her own familiar meadow.

Familiar scents filled her possum snout. Perri trotted down the forest path, hardly noticing the colorful leaves.

Soon Perri was home.“Mama!” she squealed, and she buried herself in

her mother’s warm, cuddly fur. Playing dead was an adventure. But being alive was much better!

15

RespondingTARGET SKILL Story Structure Perri’s

problems began when she started to play dead. Copy the story map below. Complete the story map to show the story structure.

Text to Text Think of another animal character you have read about. Write two paragraphs that tell about an adventure that character might have with Perri possum.

Write About It

Characters Perri possum

SettingsA town

Plot?Problem??Solution?

16

glassyliquidnarrowpuzzlingscout

soggysurroundedunawareundergroundviolently

TARGET VOCABULARY

TARGET SKILL Story Structure Name the setting, character, and plot in a story.

TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/Clarify As you read, find a way to clear up what doesn’t make sense to you.

GENRE A fantasy is a story that could not happen in real life.

drawbacksenviousinched

territoryvehiclewander

EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01742-6ISBN-10: 0-547-01742-1

1031585

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

3.5.21

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: M

DRA: 28

Genre:Fantasy

Strategy:Monitor/Clarify

Skill:Story Structure

Word Count: 1,276