
Reading Lesson
L. Frank Baum
Enchanting fantasy by creator of beloved 'Oz' stories whisks young readers away on an exciting underwater adventure where they meet a school of beguiling mermaids, an aristocratic codfish and a bashful octopus, attend an elegant banquet, confront an awesome sea monster, and much more.
'Nobody,' said Cap’n Bill solemnly, 'ever sawr a mermaid an’ lived to tell the tale.' 'Why not?' asked Trot, looking earnestly up into the old sailor’s face. They were seated on a bench built around a giant acacia tree that grew just at the edge of the bluff. Below them rolled the blue waves of the great Pacific. A little way behind them was the house, a neat frame cottage painted white and surrounded by huge eucalyptus and pepper trees. Still farther behind that—a quarter of a mile distant but built upon a bend of the coast—was the village, overlooking a pretty bay.
Children