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• Mabel Tugbo Yatoc

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Joshua and the Tigers by Kate Mead illustrated by Richard Hoit

Copyright © by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to School Permissions and Copyrights, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887–6777. Fax: 407-345-2418. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt, Inc., registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in Mexico ISBN 10: 0-15-350650-4 ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350650-5 Ordering Options ISBN 10: 0-15-350599-0 (Grade 2 On-Level Collection) ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350599-7 (Grade 2 On-Level Collection) ISBN 10: 0-15-357831-9 (package of 5) ISBN 13: 978-0-15-357831-1 (package of 5) If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited and is illegal. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 050 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06

Joshua’s family loved music. There was always music playing in their house. Everyone was terrific at doing something with music, except Joshua. He wondered why. 3

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Joshua’s sister played the violin. When she moved the bow over the strings, the warm sound of the violin filled the house. She liked to entertain people when they came to visit.

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Joshua tried to play the violin. He tucked the violin under his chin and held the bow just like his sister did. When he rubbed the strings with the bow, it sounded like a screeching seabird. He never entertained people! 5

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Joshua’s brother was a dancer. When he moved to the beat of the music, his arms and legs seemed to fly like a kite in the wind. His feet were so light on the floor that they barely seemed to touch it. 6

Joshua tried to dance like his brother. He stomped to the music and made the floor shake. His steps were so heavy that even the cups in the cupboard shook.

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One weekend, Joshua went to the park with his dad. Some boys were playing basketball, and Joshua watched them run up and down the court. He wanted to play basketball with them, but he was too timid to ask. 8

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When Joshua got home, he searched for a ball. When he found one, he threw it into the air. He spread out his fingers to catch it. He felt carefree as he caught the ball.

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Joshua brought his ball to school. He raced up and down the schoolyard with his friends. They threw the ball to each other. Joshua dribbled, jumped, and made a basket. 10

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Mrs. Diaz watched the boys playing. She noticed that Joshua could run fast and that Joshua was good at catching the ball.

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That evening, Joshua’s parents had their conference with Mrs. Diaz. She sipped hot tea as she told them how good Joshua was at playing ball. “Perhaps in a few years he can join the school basketball team, the Tigers,” she said. 12

“Is that something you would like to do, Joshua?” Joshua’s mom asked him when they got home. “I’d love to!” he said excitedly. “It’s great to have an athlete in our family—it’s a nice change from music and dance!” said Joshua’s dad. 13

Joshua grinned. At last, he had found what he was good at. He couldn’t wait to be a Tiger! 14

Think Critically 1. What were the three different settings in the story? 2. What were Joshua’s sister and brother good at doing?

3. How do you think Joshua felt when he couldn’t play the violin or dance well?

4. Why do you think Mrs. Diaz was important in the story?

5. Would you like to play basketball? Why or why not? Social Studies Write a Paragraph Mrs. Diaz noticed what Joshua was good at doing. Write a paragraph about someone who has helped you find out what you are good at doing. School-Home Connection Talk about the story with family members. Then talk about things they are good at doing and things they find difficult.

Word Count: 401

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