1. The Donkey in the Mud

2. One day, a man looked out his window onto the salinas and saw a donkey stuck in the mud. He said to himself, “I’m going to pull that donkey out.”

3. He pulled and pulled, but he couldn’t pull the donkey out.

4. He asked his wife, “Would you help me to pull the donkey out? When I pull, you pull on me.” The man pulled on the donkey and the wife pulled on the man. They pulled and pulled, but they couldn’t pull the donkey out.

5. The wife asked the dog, “Would you help us pull the donkey out? When I pull, you pull on me.”

6. The man pulled on the donkey, the wife pulled on the man, and the dog pulled on the wife. They pulled and pulled, but they couldn’t pull the donkey out.

7. The dog asked the flamingo, “Would you help us pull the donkey out? When I pull, you pull on me.”

8. The man pulled on the donkey, the wife pulled on the man, the dog pulled on the wife, and the flamingo pulled on the dog. They pulled and pulled, but they couldn’t pull the donkey out.

9. The flamingo asked the lizard, “Would you help us pull the donkey out?” When I pull, you pull on me.”

10. The man pulled on the donkey, the wife pulled on the man, the dog pulled on the wife, the flamingo pulled on the dog, and the lizard pulled on the flamingo. They pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled.

11. And at last the donkey was out of the mud. He was so happy and thanked everyone who helped.

12. Thank you, man. Thank you, wife, Thank you, dog, Thank you, flamingo Thank you, little lizard.

13. The End

14. 1.Which of the following best describes what was wrong with the donkey? A. He had a sore foot. B. He was carrying too many things. C. He was hungry and thirsty. D. He was stuck in the mud.

15. 2. Which of the following best describes the man who saw the donkey in the mud? A. Mean B. Caring C. Rich D. Tall

16. 3. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of this story? A. If you want to reap the benefits of hard work, then you need to be willing to work hard. B. Money doesn’t bring you happiness. C. Some problems can only be solved by working together.

17. History