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Pets Theme Unit

A Plethora of Pets

A Plethora of Pets
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 4
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.35

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    assortment, canine, hoodies, ignorance, long-tailed, paddock, terrarium, worthy, livestock, actually, video, pony, onto, hermit, pets, upstairs

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A Plethora of Pets
By Mary Lynn Bushong 		  
1     "So tell me," asked Henry after he had finished the grand tour outside of his friend's house. "How many pets do you have?"
 
2     "Let's see," Marty replied, starting to count on his fingers. "We have eight rabbits, not counting the litter of bunnies born last week. Then there are the two goats, Nick and Nan, plus Jack the pony in the paddock behind the garage." He paused a moment to think, and Henry started talking.
 
3     "What about those?" He pointed to some chickens scratching in the dirt.
 
4     "The hens aren't pets. They are livestock," Marty explained. "The ducks are Mom's pets, though. She named them Shilly and Shally because they sit around waiting for handouts near the back door."
 
5     Henry laughed. "Those are the weirdest names and pets! How do you decide if something is or isn't a pet?"
 
6     "Pets are things like dogs and cats..." began Marty.
 
7     "Don't forget ducks and goats," added Henry.
 
8     "Yes, those, too, pretty much anything that is worthy of a name," said Marty. "You want to go in and play a video game?"

Paragraphs 9 to 25:
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