Fiction

A
t a s t i c
Fan Day!

by Clara Strongfoot
illustrated by Brian Dumm

PAIRED
Poetry
READ
 STRATEGIES & SKILLS
Comprehension Vocabulary
Strategy: Summarize create, dazzling,
Skill: Point of View imagination, seconds

Phonics ELL Vocabulary

r-controlled vowel syllables amusement, overhead

Vocabulary Strategy
Metaphors Word count: 697

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A
 Genre Fiction

Essential Question
Where can your imagination take you?

A
n t a s t i c
Fa Day!
by Clara Strongfoot
illustrated by Brian Dumm

Chapter 1
A Lake Made of Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2
Getting the Job Done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3
Sweet Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Respond to Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PAIRED
Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
READ
Focus on Literary Elements . . . . . . . . 20
 Chapter 1

A Lake
Made of Milk
counter kitchen

cookie

Ramon sat in the kitchen. Mom gave

him a glass of milk and two cookies.

Ramon thought, “The cookies look like

two big eyes staring back at me!” Ramon
had a great imagination.

2
 Mom said, “I’m going to clean the
living room now. Grandma is coming for
dinner tonight.”

“Okay, Mom,” said Ramon. He stared

at the big sponge on the sink. Ramon
thought, “Wow! That sponge looks just
like a cloud!”

sink sponge

3
 Mom began to vacuum. Ramon
thought, “That humming noise sounds just
like an airplane!”

Ramon reached for a cookie. His hand

knocked over the glass of milk. The milk
spilled across his plate. That was when
Ramon’s imagination really took over!

milk

took control. En español: se encargo

de todo.

4
 island

airplane

The spilled milk began to create a

lake. The lake had two cookie islands
in the middle. Two noisy airplanes flew
overhead.

Ramon thought, “Wow! The airplanes

are scooping up the cookie islands!”

5
 cloud
lake

Soon Ramon saw a fluffy cloud floating

down to the lake. The lake started to
shrink. Ramon thought, “The cloud is
soaking up the lake!”

The lake and islands were gone. Then

the cloud floated away.

6
 Mom came back into the kitchen. She
used a napkin to wipe a cookie crumb
off Ramon’s cheek. Then Mom said, “Let’s
clean up your room now, dear.”

glass

plate

STOP AND CHECK

How has Ramon used

his imagination so far?
7
 Chapter 2

Getting the Job Done

toys

books

“I know—it’s a big mess!” Ramon said

to his mom. They stood in the middle of
his messy room. There were toys, blocks,
clothes, and books all over the floor.
Ramon’s bed wasn’t made

Just then, the phone rang. “I’ll see

who that is, but you can start cleaning,”
Mom said.

Then is an adverb that tells when.

Find another adverb that tells when
on page 6.

8
 Mom left and Ramon’s imagination
took over again. He saw his toys come
to life! Ramon thought, “My toys can
help me clean!”

bookworm

Ramon’s books inched over to the

bookcase. Ramon thought, “Look at the
bookworms! They are crawling to the
right spot.”

9
 tornado

Seconds later, a tornado whirled

through the open window. Ramon said,
“Look at this thing spin and swirl!” It
blew all the dirty clothes into the basket.
It blew the sheets into place on the bed.

Mom looked in the room. It was clean

and tidy. She said, “Good job! Grandma
will be here soon. Let’s go cook dinner.”

STOP AND CHECK

How did Ramon’s room

really get clean and tidy?
10
 Chapter 3

Sweet Dreams
Grandma

napkin
table

At dinner, Ramon told Grandma about

his fantastic day. He told her about the
airplanes, islands, clouds, and lake.

Grandma laughed. “You have quite an

imagination!”

Ramon told Grandma how his toys

helped him clean his room. He wanted
to tell her about the tornado, but it was
time for bed.
11
 Ramon put on his pajamas and got
into bed. Grandma tucked him in and
read him a story.

“Sleep tight, my dear,” Grandma said.

Ramon said, “But I’m not sleepy,

Grandma.”

“You can count sheep,” she suggested.

Then she turned off the light and left
the room.

Good night. En español: buenas noches.

pillow

12
 sheep

fence

Ramon thought of sheep jumping over

a fence. Then he stopped. “Sheep are
boring. I could think of something more
interesting,” Ramon thought. Then his
imagination took over again!
13
 The moonlight became a dazzling
ocean. Ramon saw dolphins leap through
his bedroom window. He climbed onto
the largest dolphin’s back.

Ramon thought, “This is as much fun

as an amusement park ride!”

Largest is an adjective. Find another

adjective on this page.

window

dolphin

14
waves

Ramon rode with the dolphins to a

sandy beach with rolling waves. “Whee!
I’m a surfer!” he thought.

Soon, Ramon felt sleepy. “Even surfers

have to nap,” he mumbled. Ramon curled
up on the beach. Soon he was fast
asleep.

STOP AND CHECK

How did Ramon’s imagination

help him go to sleep?
15
Summarize
Point of
Use the chart Character Clue
View

to summarize A
Fantastic Day!

Text Evidence
1. Is this story fiction or nonfiction?
How do you know? Genre

2. What is Ramon’s point of view

about the spilled milk? Include
details. Point of View

3. What is the metaphor on page 5?

Metaphors

4. Write about Ramon’s point of view

and his mother’s point of view.
Write About Reading

16
 Genre Poetry

Compare Texts
Now read some poems about where your
imagination can take you.

dog
door

Pablo and I
When Pablo and I go walking,
I do all the talking!
And he listens well
To all the things I have to say!

We never, ever go too far,

Sometimes we don’t even leave the yard!
Illustration: Ron Lieser

Unless my Mama
Says that it’s okay!
17
 leash

collar

Pablo may not talk a lot,

But he’s the best friend I’ve got!
He likes it
When I tell him what I know.

I love Pablo’s hair, so black,

Wet nose in front and tail in back,
That wags and wags
And says he loves me so.

18
 My T iny Fr iend
Suzy’s in my pocket,
Suzy’s in my ear,
Suzy is my tiny friend,
She’s with me all the time.

Do you have a friend like Suzy,

That no one else can see?
My Suzy keeps me company,
She’s with me all the time!

Make Connections
Where does Ramon’s imagination take
him? Essential Question
Illustration: Ron Lieser

How do people in the poems use their

imaginations like Ramon does? Text to Text
19
Dialogue Dialogue is the words that
characters say to each other. Dialogue
can help you understand a  character’s
point of view.

What to Look for As you read

a  story, look for quotation marks,
like these: “ ”. They show the words
characters say to each other. Look at
this example from the story.

“You can count sheep,” she suggested.

Your Turn
Write a story that includes dialogue.
Have your characters go on an
adventure in their imaginations. Use
quotation marks around the words
each character says.

20
 Literature Circles

Fiction

Setting
Where does A Fantastic Day! take place?

Characters
Who is the main character in
A  Fantastic Day!? Who are the other
characters?

Sequence of Events
What happened first, then, next, and
last in this story?

Make Connections
Describe a time when you used your
imagination to solve a problem.