29 The Barnyard Bandit

The
Barnyard Bandit

by LaToya Simms
illustrated by John Wallner

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

The
Barnyard
Bandit

by LaToya Simms
illustrated by John Wallner

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02733-3
ISBN-10: 0-547-02733-8
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Spinner the spider was
hungry. She hurried to her web
to see if she had trapped any
bugs for breakfast. That was
when she saw that her web was
missing.

“A bandit has been here!”
Spinner cried.

2

Hank the horse poked his
head over his stall door. “What
happened?”

“My web is gone.”
“Maybe you just forgot where
you made it,” said Fuzz the cat.

3

Spinner looked hurt. “I
worked hard to weave that web.
Now I have no food, and it will
take all day to make a new web.”

Just then, Hank let out a
snort. “My hay!” he cried.

4

“Someone took my special
hay!” he said. “Each day, I collect
the sweetest bits of hay from my
meal. I save them for a treat.”

“We need to catch the
bandit who is taking our special
things,” said Spinner.

5

Just then, Fuzz let out a
loud “Meow!” He held up a tiny
ball of red yarn. “I had a big
ball of yarn and NOW look at it!
Someone has been stealing it.”

Fuzz looked at Hank and
Spinner. “Don’t just stand there.
Go catch that yarn bandit!”

6

“I have an idea,” said
Spinner. “I’ll make a new web.
When the bandit tries to take it,
we’ll catch him.”

Spinner’s new web was almost
six feet wide! Hank, Fuzz, and
Spinner hid behind a pile of hay
and waited.

7

The three friends grew tired
and fell asleep. They woke up
and saw that the web was gone!
The bandit had struck again!

Spinner studied the ground.
“There aren’t any footprints,”
she said. “But I see something.”

8

Spinner came closer. “I see
feathers,” she said. “Now I
know why we didn’t find
footprints. Our bandit can fly!”

The clues led to a big bush.
Hank, Spinner, and Fuzz peeked
through the leaves of the bush.

9

“Hello,” said a bird. She
was sitting on a nest made out
of the yarn, hay, and web. Eggs
sat in the nest.

The three friends smiled.
The bird needed their special
things more than they did.

10

Responding

TARGET SKILL Cause and Effect
What does the barnyard bandit
do in this story? Why does she
do it? Make a chart.

Talk About It
Text to Text Think of another
story about someone who loses
something. How does he or she
feel? How does he or she find
what was lost?

11

WORDS TO KNOW

almost gone idea
any
behind happened leaves

hello

LEARN MORE WORDS

bandit collect weave

TARGET SKILL Cause and Effect
Tell what happens and why.

TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Picture
what is happening as you read.
GENRE A mystery is a story about
a character who solves a puzzle.

12

Level: K
DRA: 20
Genre:
Mystery
Strategy:
Visualize
Skill:
Cause and Effect
Word Count: 371

1.6.29

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

ISBN-13:978-0-547-02733-3
ISBN-10:0-547-02733-8

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