First Reading: Level Three. The classic fairy story of greed, gold and geese retold for a young audience. Titles in this
level encourage the reader to develop reading stamina, increasing to 48
pages. This will include the main story (up to 450 words) as well as
character sheets or maps. The story includes a strong element of
reprise or repetition, with the familiarity of repeated language chunks
helping the reader to gain in confidence. Subjects include classic
folktales from around the world as well as original fiction, all with
quirky and humorous illustrations. Will be enjoyed with equal
enthusiasm if read alone or together with a parent.
A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it. Then, they thought, they could obtain the whole store of precious metal at once; however, upon cutting the goose open, they found its innards to be like that of any other goose.
Mairi Mackinnon was born in England, went to school in Scotland, studied in France and Italy and worked in Spain before finally settling down in London, where she lives with her husband, three children and several thousand books. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking for friends, and playing the fiddle in a dance band at parties from Portree to St Petersburg.
