We listen and look. Suddenly we see the small animal. It is climbing up the umbrella. It is… Oh, it is a mouse!

"Oh, help!" cries Pinky. Pinky is a kitten, but she is afraid of mice. She jumps upon a shelf and hides behind the books.

Now the mouse can see us. It looks at us and cries, "Oh, help!" and climbs down the umbrella back into the vase.

"There is a mouse in the vase!" cries Blackie. "It is big and fat and I am hungry!"

"Oh no!" cries Pinky on the shelf. "Don't eat it! Please, don't eat it!"

But Blackie doesn't listen to Pinky. He puts his paw into the vase. He wants to catch the mouse but he can't. Then Blackie says. "I can climb into the vase and catch the mouse."

Blackie climbs into the vase. We can only see his tail now.

"It is too dark here!" cries Blackie. "I can't see the mouse!" He is very angry.

Suddenly we can see the mouse. It climbs up Blackie's tail and out of the vase.

"Blackie!" I say. "The mouse is not in the vase!"

"Where is it?" cries Blackie.

The mouse climbs down the vase and runs into a hole in the floor.

"It is under the floor," says Pinky. "Blackie, climb out!"

"But I can't!" cries Blackie. "Help me!"

I look at Pinky, and she looks at me.

"Then jump out!" we say.

"I can't jump here!" says Blackie.

"What can we do?" I ask Pinky.

"Take the umbrella and put it in the vase," says Pinky. "Then this hungry animal can climb out."

I put the umbrella in the vase. Soon we can see Blackie's head, then his body and his tail.

"Thank you," he says.

"The mouse is in that small hole in the floor," says Pinky. "You can climb in and catch it."

Blackie looks at the small hole.

"No," he says. "The mouse is very small and thin, and I am not very hungry."

"Then let's go to bed. It is very late," says Pinky.

Exercises

1 True or false?

1. It is morning.

2. The kittens are in the garden.

3. They want to go to bed.

4. There is a big animal in the vase.

5. A mouse climbs up the umbrella.

6. Reddy is afraid of mice.

7. Blackie doesn't listen to Pinky.

8. Blackie climbs down the umbrella.

9. The mouse is behind the books.

2 What is it?

1. You can put flowers in it.

2. You take it with you, when it is raining.

3. It is small. Mice live there.

4. People put books on it.

3 Fill in: up, in, to, at, of.

1. It is climbing _____ the umbrella.

2. We put the umbrella _____ the vase.

3. The mouse looks _____ us.

4. Pinky is afraid _____ mice.

5. Blackie doesn't listen _____ Pinky.

6. We run _____ the vase.

7. We can hear a noise _____ the vase.

4 Answer the questions.

1. Where is the noise?

2. What do the kittens put in the vase?

3. What is there in the vase?

4. Where does Pinky hide?

5. Who is hungry?

6. Does the mouse climb out of the vase?

7. Where does the mouse hide?

IX. Ted

It is a happy day today. We are going to a party. It is Ted's birthday today. Ted is Mrs Paw's son. He is one year old today.

We take our present and go to the white house. Mrs Paw opens the door and we go in. Ted comes to us. He is a small grey kitten. He has got kind big green eyes and a short tail. We give him the present and sing "Happy birthday to you!" for him. Ted opens his present. It is a toy fish.

Then we have lunch. There is a lot of food. There are French fries and cheese, sandwiches and biscuits, fruit and ice cream.

"I like French fries," says Blackie. "I hope you don't like French fries?" he asks Ted.

Ted looks at Blackie. He thinks and thinks, then he says: "No, I don't. I like cheese and biscuits. You can eat the French fries. And I can eat some cheese and biscuits."

I am listening to them and I am very angry.

"I like French fries," I say suddenly.

"No, you don't like them," cries Blackie. He is angry. "I know. You like sandwiches and biscuits. You can eat them."

"No," I say, "today I like French fries."

I take a lot of French fries and say: "Ted, we can eat French fries together."

Ted is happy because he likes French fries. Blackie is angry because he likes French fries, too.

After lunch we play and watch TV. Now everyone is happy. Ted's birthday is great.

Exercises

1 Circle the odd word.

1. sandwiches, cheese, French fries, juice

2. son, kitten, brother, mother

3. paws, tail, eyes, head

4. small, short, fat, grey

2 Match the opposites.

3 Fill in: am, is, are.

1. There _____ a lot of food.

2. There _____ French fries.

3. I _____ angry.

4. Today it _____ a happy day

5. Everyone _____ happy.

4 Answer the questions.

1. What day is it today?

2. Where are the kittens going?

3. What is Ted's present?

4. Does Ted like French fries?

5. Does Reddy like French fries?

6. Why is Blackie angry?

7. When do they play and watch TV?

X. A Magic Tub

It is Sunday today. Our mummy is coming today. We love our mum. She is kind and she loves us. Our mum is very clean and she likes when we are clean, too.

Now we can hear a noise at the door. It is our mum. She is coming in.

"Hello, my little kittens," she says. "How are you?"

"We are fine," we mew.

Our mum goes to the bathroom. There is a big tub in the bathroom. Our mum washes in the tub.

Then she says: "I am clean. Now it is time to wash your bodies, paws and heads."

We like our tub because it is magic. Pinky jumps into the tub first. Then Blackie and I jump in.

Our mum washes our heads, bodies and paws. We are very funny now. We are wet and very thin. I look at Blackie and see a white spot on his nose.

"Blackie," I say. "Here is your white spot."

"Oh great!" cries Blackie. "I have got my beautiful white spot again."

"Oh Reddy!" cries Pinky. "Your ears are yellow again. You are handsome with these ears."

I run to the mirror and look in it. I can see my yellow ears again. They are very nice.

"But Pinky," we say, "you are always white."

"Yes," says Pinky. "I am always white. And my ears and nose are always pink. It is because I clean my ears, nose and body every day."

"But it is not interesting," we say. "You are white every day, your nose is pink every day."

"Why? What is interesting?" asks Pinky.

"It is interesting to lose the white spot on your nose," says Blackie, "or your yellow ears," I say, "and then suddenly find them in the magic tub."

"And then you meet your friends and they say…" starts Pinky.

Suddenly we hear a noise at the door. It is Ted. He often visits us now. He comes in, looks at us and says: "Hello, Pinky! Hello, everyone! And where are your brothers?"

We look at Ted and cry: "But we are here! You are looking at us!"

"No, you are not Pinky's brothers. Blackie hasn't got a white spot on his nose, and Reddy hasn't got yellow ears," says Ted. "OK, I can come in the evening. Are your brothers at home in the evening?"

Pinky looks at us. "I don't know," she says.

Ted is sad. He goes away.

We look at Pinky and say: "What can we do?"

"Go to the garden and jump into a magic puddle," she says.

Exercises

1 Answer the questions.

1. Who is coming today?

2. Where does mummy go?

3. Why do the kittens like their tub?

4. What colour is Pinky?

5. Who visits the kittens?

2 Put the sentences in the correct order.

1. Pinky jumps into the tub.

2. Reddy can see his yellow ears again.

3. Blackie has got a white spot on his nose.

4. Mum comes.

5. Ted comes.

6. Ted is sad.

3 Match the opposites.

4 What is it?

1. You can sit and wash in it.

2. When you put on your new clothes, you look in it.

3. There are a lot of them when it is raining.

4. They are an animal's hands.

XI. An Escape

Mummy is at Mrs Paw's house today. Ted is ill. And we are playing in the garden. Suddenly we see a woman. She is coming to us.

She comes up and looks at us. She looks at Blackie and me, then she looks at Pinky.

Suddenly she takes Pinky in her arms. She goes out of our garden with Pinky.

"Help!" cries Pinky.

"Bite her!" cries Blackie.

But Pinky can't bite. She is very kind.

The woman walks and walks and we run after her.

She comes to a house, opens the door and goes in. Then she closes the door.

Blackie and I are sitting at the door now. We are sad and afraid.

Suddenly I see an open window. I jump into the window. Then Blackie jumps into the window, too. Now we are in a very big room. But where is Pinky?

We hear a noise at the door and we hide under the sofa.

The woman comes in. She is holding Pinky in her hands. She goes to the window and closes it.

"Oh no," Blackie and I say. We are looking at her from under the sofa.

The woman puts Pinky on the sofa and says: "This is your home, little kitten. You are my little Pussy. Pussy, you are my pet now. You can sleep on the sofa. You can walk on the floor, but don't jump on the table, cupboard or bookcases. I don't like it."

The woman goes out and closes the door. We climb out.

'"Pinky," we say, "we are here."

"Oh," she cries, "thank you. I am afraid. I don't want a new home. What can I do?"

"We can jump on the cupboard, bookcases, shelves and table."

"Why?" asks Pinky.

"Look!" I say. I jump onto the bookcase. There is a big beautiful vase there. I push the vase and it is on the floor. Then I jump onto the shelf and all the books are on the floor. Blackie jumps onto the cupboard. Now there are a lot of cups, plates and glasses on the floor.

Pinky is looking at us.

"What are you doing?" she cries.

Now we can hear a noise at the door. The woman is coming back.

"Where is my little Pussy?" she says behind the door. She opens the door and looks around.

"Oh!" she cries and sits down on the floor.

She is sitting and looking at the broken vase, cups and plates.

Then she comes up to Pinky. She takes her with one hand, opens the window and throws Pinky out.

Blackie and I jump out of the window together.

"Run, Pinky!" we