Level: L

DRA: 24
Genre:

Peacock’s Tail
Folktale
Strategy:
Question
Skill:
Sequence of Events
Word Count: 344
by Patrick Doherty
illustrated by Stephan Daigle

1.3.12

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

ISBN-13:978-0-547-02710-4
ISBN-10:0-547-02710-9

1032738
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN

1_027104_AL_LRSE_CVR_L12_PEACO.indd 1 5/17/10 5:34:34 PM

 Peacock’s Tail

by Patrick Doherty
illustrated by Stephan Daigle

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.
Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02710-4
ISBN-10: 0-547-02710-9
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 Long ago, Crow and Peacock
were very good friends. They
looked alike, too. Both birds had
plain white feathers.
One day, the friends went for a
walk to look at the flowers. They
liked all the pretty colors.
2
 “Wouldn’t it be nice to have
colored feathers?” asked Crow.
“I know a way to change our
feathers!” Peacock said. “We can
paint them.”
“Okay,” said Crow. “I’ll paint
yours. Then you can paint mine.”
3
 Peacock agreed. So Crow
poured some paint out of a can
and dipped his brush in it. Crow
painted Peacock’s feathers blue,
green, and black.
“Paint eyes on my tail feathers
so I can see myself,” Peacock said.
4
 So Crow painted eyes on
Peacock’s tail feathers. Peacock
had never seen such a fine display
of feathers! He started to strut
around, showing off his tail.
“I am the most beautiful bird in
the world!” Peacock said.
5
 “Now it’s my turn,” said Crow.
But Peacock didn’t want to
paint Crow. He wanted to look at
his own beautiful tail.
So Peacock asked Crow, “Do
you like brown or black?”
“I like black,” Crow said.

6
 So Peacock picked up a can
of black paint and poured it on
Crow’s head! Crow could not get
the black paint off his feathers.
Peacock left Crow standing
alone, dripping with paint. Then
Peacock took a trip around the
world to show off his feathers.
7
 Crow stayed at home in the
forest. His shiny black feathers
were beautiful, but he still felt sad.
Crow had lost his best friend.
Peacock showed off his feathers
all over the world, but he was
lonely, too. One day he went back
to the forest.
8
 Peacock found Crow in the
forest. “I traveled around the
world to show off my beautiful
tail,” Peacock said. “I have been
too proud. I’m sorry.”
“I missed you!” said Crow.

9
 “I missed you, too!” cried
Peacock. “When I was away, I
learned an important lesson. Now
I know that pride does not make
you happy!”
Since that day, Crow and
Peacock have been best friends.
10
 Responding
TARGET SKILLSequence of
Events What happened first
in the story? What happened
next? What happened last?
Make a chart.

Write About It
Text to Text Think of a different
story that tells why an animal
looks the way it looks. Write
two sentences about the animal
and why it looks that way.

11
 WORDS TO KNOW

been never own

brown off very
know out
LEARN MORE WORDS

display strut

TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events

Tell the order in which things
happen.

TARGET STRATEGYQuestion
Ask questions about what you
are reading.

GENRE A folktale is a story that is

often told by people of a country.
12
 Level: L
DRA: 24
Genre:

Peacock’s Tail
Folktale
Strategy:
Question
Skill:
Sequence of Events
Word Count: 344
by Patrick Doherty
illustrated by Stephan Daigle

1.3.12

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

ISBN-13:978-0-547-02710-4
ISBN-10:0-547-02710-9

1032738
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN

1_027104_AL_LRSE_CVR_L12_PEACO.indd 1 5/17/10 5:34:34 PM