Tammy and the Fairy
Reading Comprehension Activity
Tammy finds a dollar under a rock each morning on her way to school. When she buys candy and toys, her mother becomes suspicious about the source of Tammy’s sudden wealth. After reading the story, students will answer questions on the plot and the theme.
Topic(s): Fairy Tales & Fables. Skill(s): Theme, Summary, Story Elements. Genre(s): Prose
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Every morning Tammy walked to school. It was a long walk on a dirt road.
One morning Tammy heard singing on the other side of a stone wall by the road. She stretched on her tippy-toes and looked over the wall. There was no one there. But sticking out from under a stone was a dollar bill!
Tammy struggled over the wall and took the dollar.
After that morning, Tammy would hear the singing on the other side of the wall every day. She’d struggle over the wall and take another dollar. She never looked to see who was singing, nor did she look for the owner of the money.
After a month, Tammy’s mother questioned her. “Tammy, I found a bag full of candies and a number of toys in your room. Where did you get them from?”
Tammy looked down at the floor. “Ugh . . . I found them.”
Her mother narrowed her eyes. “You found candy and toys? Where did you find them?”
Tammy shuffled her feet. “Ugh, on my way to school.”
“That’s interesting,” said Tammy’s mother. “Why don’t you show me exactly where you found them?”
Off Tammy and her mother went to where Tammy found the dollar bills.
“This is the spot,” said Tammy.
Tammy’s mother looked around. “I don’t see anything. Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes. Every morning there is candy and a little toy. Since no one is around, I take them.”
Just then a fairy appeared. “Ah, ha! I’ve been looking for the person who has been taking the money from under the stone. Do you know what you’ve done?” The fairy buzzed around Tammy. “I left that money for the old lady down the road. She used it to pay the rent. Because you took her money, she was kicked out of her home. She is heartbroken.”
Tammy’s eye’s opened wide, her mouth dropped, and her heart sank. She turned to her mother. “Mommy, I’m sorry.”
Tears streamed down her mother’s cheeks.
“I didn’t know. I’ll make it up,” shouted Tammy. “Oh, fairy, please tell me what to do!”
The fairy landed on the top of the wall. “You’ve been stealing. That money didn’t belong to you. Because of what you did, you’ll have to take care of the old woman as long as she lives. You will find her under the bridge.” As suddenly as the fairy appeared, she disappeared.
“Mommy, let’s go. We have to find the old woman. I have to take care of her.”
Tammy dragged her mother to the bridge. They found the old woman asleep on the ground, huddled under a blanket.
“We have to take her home,” said Tammy.
Tammy’s mother shook her head. “What have you done? We just have enough money to take care of ourselves. I don’t know how we’ll manage!”
Tammy looked at the bundle on the ground. “I’ll work. I have to take care of her. I’ll clean houses. I’ll do anything I have to.”
The old woman began to move. She threw off the blanket. It was the fairy, only bigger. “Tammy, I’m glad you realize what you did was wrong and were ready to take care of the woman. I’ve been replacing the dollar you took each day, so the woman is fine. Just remember to never take what doesn’t belong to you.”
Tammy threw her arms around the fairy. “I’ll never do that again. I was so worried about the old woman. Thank you for helping her.”
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