Sample
from
The Blue Rose and Other Folk Tales from China
Raintree English Readers
Grade 4
retold by
Elizabeth Fowler
Golden Hammer and Stone Ram
One day Golden Hammer was walking in the high mountains. He was looking for a rock to carve into the shape of a dragon. He discovered a dried pond. Suddenly he noticed a bright light shining from the middle of the pond. He watched the amazing light for a while.
The next day he went there again. This time he had a spade with him. He wanted to dig into the centre of the pond where the bright light shone.
Using his spade, he dug out mud, dirt and sand. After an hour of digging, he could see that the bright light was coming from a stone. Golden Hammer lifted the stone from the hole he had dug. He examined the stone. The shape of the stone made Stone Hammer think of a ram.
The ram speaks
Excitedly, he carried the bright stone home. He carved bits of stone away to form a ram's body and feet. 'Ping! Ping! Ping!' sang the young stone carver's hammer.
Golden Hammer's parents watched what he was doing. 'That stone ram looks so real!' they both said.
The young stone carver used his hammer and tools to carve the ram's horns. 'Ping! Ping! Ping!' He finished by carving the ram's lips.
Then the Stone Ram's tail moved! Its ears moved! Its lips moved too! The Stone Ram was alive! Golden Hammer was so surprised that he dropped his hammer.
More of this and other stories in
The Blue Rose and Other Folk Tales from China
retold by
Elizabeth Fowler
Raintree English Readers
Grade 4
ISBN 967 65 4163 X
This text is copyright Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. (008974-T) 1997.
If you can read this sample easily, you can enjoy any Raintree English Reader from Grade 1 through to Grade 4.
Return to the Raintree English Readers bibliography
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