Mountain Home NO AUDIO

7/29/2019 Mountain Home NO AUDIO

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by Kate Pistone • illustrated by Paul Casale



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ISBN 0-15-323210-2

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ISBN 0-15-325524-2 (Grade 3 Advanced-Level Collection)

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by Kate Pistoneillustrated by Paul Casale

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2

Erin followed her family into the little plane.

It had seats for only six passengers. She sat by

herself next to the one empty seat. Erin did not

feel like talking. The rest of them were

chattering away as if everything were just fine.

This was the second plane they had taken

today. The first one was a huge silver jet. Erin

had looked out the window as the jet took off

and circled over the city. She said farewell to

the skyscrapers and other buildings. She said

goodbye to the city that had always been

her home.



3

The big jet had flown above the clouds. There

was nothing to look at except clouds, clouds,

clouds. The view from this little plane was

different. Erin could see everything on the

ground. What she saw were trees, trees, trees.

Where was her family going?

She knew they were going to a new house. She

knew the house was in the Appalachian

Mountains. But what would it be like? That she

didn’t know.



4

After the plane ride came an endless car ride.

“Are we there yet?” groaned Shawn. He was

getting restless.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” said Mom.

Erin and Stephanie frowned as they looked out

at endless trees.

The only one who seemed happy about the

move was her dad. Dad was so excited about

moving because he was going to fulfill his dream

of being a cabinetmaker. Grandpa Kline and

Great-grandpa Kline had been cabinetmakers.

They made cabinets, tables, chairs, benches, andother things from wood.



5

Dad wanted to make chairs. In fact, he had

given up his restaurant job in the city so he could

carry on this family tradition. Erin was sorry that her dad had made this decision. She knew she

would miss her friends and her busy city life. She

was convinced that there would be nothing for her

to do in the mountains.

“There it is,” said Mom.“Yes, we’ve arrived before dark,” said Dad.

“You’ll have time to look around and make

yourselves at home.”



6

That night Erin slept in the big room at the top

of the house by herself. She was used to hearing

Stephanie snoring next to her and the honks of

cars and trucks going by. Now she could only hear

the unfamiliar chirping of crickets. Erin missed hernoisy city room.

Unable to sleep, Erin began to cry quietly. She

didn’t want the rest of the family to hear her

wailing. Finally, she seemed to run out of tears.

She turned over on her side and fell asleep.



7

The next day, Erin went for a walk with her

mom. It didn’t take long for Erin to be interested

in her new surroundings. Even though Erin was

stubborn about moving, she was also curious about

this strange place. She had lived in an apartment

building all her life. When she went for a walk in

the city, there was a lot to see, but this was so

different.

The noises were different here, too. Erin

heard something gurgling by the side of the road.

She stopped Mom to see what was making the

funny noise.



8

It was a little river. The stream’s bed was

covered with rocks and pebbles. Tiny underwater

plants grew between the stones. Insects with wispy

legs danced on the water’s surface. Dragonflies

hovered close to the stream, darting from one

flower to another.

“Look at that, Mom!” shouted Erin. “It’sa fish!”

“Do you know what kind of fish that is?” her

mom asked. Erin shook her head.

“That is a rainbow trout,” Mom told her.

“Maybe we can go fishing tomorrow and seeif we can catch some trout.”



9

Suddenly, the trout leaped out of the water.

Its scales glistened in the summer sun. As the

fish dove back into the water, it opened its

mouth and took a gulp of something. Erin bent

down to see.

“The trout just ate these little worms!”

“Those aren’t worms, Erin. They’re baby

insects,” replied Mom. “They’re probably

dragonfly larvae.”

“Trout eat baby insects? That sounds like a

dreadful meal! Why do they eat insects?”

“It’s only natural for the trout, honey. That’s

just what they eat,” answered Mother.



10

Erin and Mom continued to walk deeper into

the woods. “What’s that up ahead?” asked Erin.

“It looks like something blocking the stream.”

She ran to look at the mysterious object. Her

eyes widened in amazement as she realized what

she had found.

“Could this be a beaver dam, Mom? It’s made

of sticks!” Just then, they heard a high shrill

scream. Erin was scared, but Mom kept her wits

about her.

“Erin, keep still,” Mom whispered.



11

A huge bird dove down from the sky. Erin

thought it would hit the water head first. Before

she knew it, the bird stuck out its claws and caught

a fish. Then it turned and flew away over the

trees. The fish was clutched tightly in the bird’s

claws.

Erin let out a sigh of relief. “That was kind

of scary!” she exclaimed. “I was brave, wasn’t I,

Mom?”

“You were very brave, Erin,” answered Mom.

“That big bird was an osprey.”



12

“We’ve had a very exciting walk!” Erin said.

“It’s made me thirsty. Can we go home and make

some lemonade?”

When they got home, Erin decided to draw a

map of the places she had seen on her walk. She

found her markers in one of her unpacked boxes

and began drawing. She started with their house,

then added the forest, the stream, the beaver dam,

and the osprey.



13

As Erin drew, she began to think about what

she was drawing. The living things in the

environment around her house all depended oneach other. The insects depended on the water so

that they could lay their eggs. The rainbow trout

depended on the insects for food. The osprey

depended on the rainbow trout for food, and the

beavers depended on the trees for branches tobuild their dam. Erin put down her crayons and

ran to find Dad.



14

“Dad!” she called. “I need to tell you somethingimportant.”

“What is it, honey?” Dad replied.

“If you cut down all these trees and turn them

into chairs, the beavers will have no way to build a

dam! If that happens, the ospreys won’t be able tocatch fish!”

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” said Dad.

“What I mean is, Mom and I saw all of these

wonderful creatures on our walk today. They all

depend on the trees. If you cut them all down,none of the animals will survive.”



15

“Thanks for your good advice, Erin,”replied Dad. “You’re right. I know how the

environment works. I’m not going to cut

down all of the trees. I will change the

environment a little, but I’ll be careful not

to change it too much. Part of my job ismaking sure that the environment stays

balanced.”



16

Erin was glad that she had spoken with Dad.

She was glad that there would be food and shelter

for all the creatures in the forest.

Erin realized that her new mountain home was

just as exciting as her old city home, but in a

different way. That night, in her big, new room,

she listened happily to the lullaby of the crickets as

she drifted off to sleep.



1Who is the main character in the story?

2Why do you think the writer included

information about how animals depend on

the environment?

3What do you think Erin learns at the end of

the story?

4What have you learned about living in the

country from reading this story?

5How do Erin’s feelings about her new home

change from the beginning of the story tothe end?

6How would you feel if you moved away from

your home?

Journal Entry Imagine that you are Erin.You are keeping a nature journal to record your

experiences at your new home. Write an entry

describing what you see on a walk in the woods.

Think and Respond

School-Home Connection Talk with family

members about trips or outings you have taken.How were the places you visited the same as

where you live? How were they different?

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Mountain Home NO AUDIO