Wendy the Wasp
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Wendy the Wasp is always hungry. She loves to find delicious treats, but one day her sweet tooth gets her in trouble. Students will read the passage and answer follow-up questions about character and other story elements.
Topic(s): Science Fiction / Fantasy. Skill(s): Summary, Character Traits. Genre(s): Prose
Wendy the Wasp loved sweets. Her favorite things to eat were sugary fruits like grapes and raspberries. She lived in a nest in the ground with hundreds of her brothers and sisters. Wendy’s nest was in a park, so it was easy to find bits of fruit that children left behind.
One day, Wendy woke up extra hungry. It was warm and sunny outside. Wendy knew that many children would come to the park on such a nice day. She stretched her wings and flew out of her underground nest.
Wendy buzzed around the grass looking for fruit. She couldn’t find anything except a few bottle caps. Wendy was so hungry!
Next, Wendy flew over to the trash can. Sometimes, when it was full, she could find something yummy near the top. Today the trash can was empty, and Wendy moved on.
Then Wendy saw something very beautiful on a picnic table. It was a tall cylinder that sparkled in the sun. Wendy flew in to take a closer look. It was filled with red liquid! Red was Wendy’s favorite color, and all of the best foods were red or pink. This was the brightest red Wendy had ever seen, and she knew the red water she found would be delicious.
There was even a small stick poking out of the red liquid for Wendy to sit on. She couldn’t wait to take a sip. Wendy flew to the white stick and sat down. She was just about to poke out her long, curved tongue when she heard a loud scream.
“Eek! It’s a yellow jacket! And it’s on my fruit punch!”
A boy with a blue shirt was yelling very loudly, and he began swatting at Wendy with his hands! Wendy flew around the red drink and tried to find a safe place to land, but the boy wouldn’t stop trying to hit her. Wendy was taught to use her stinger only in emergencies, but she was so mad that she was ready to sting that mean boy’s hands to teach him a lesson.
Wendy flew straight to the boy’s nose and landed there. She was afraid to be so close to him. The boy was afraid, too. He screamed even louder, and Wendy flew back to her nest as fast as she could. From now on, she would stick to the healthy fruit she found close to home.
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