One day a poor farmer wanted to plant a vegetable garden. He liked turnips, but his wife and children did not. His wife liked peas. His son liked beans. His daughter liked carrots. So they played a game of cards to find a winner. The farmer won.

The farmer planted a turnip. He watered it everyday. The turnip became very big.

At the end of the summer, it was time to pull the turnip out of the soil. The farmer pulled and pulled, but the turnip was so big that it would not come out. His wife and son came to help him, but the turnip would not come out.

Finally, the little girl came out to help. They all pulled together. The giant turnip came out of the ground. They carried the turnip home and cooked turnip soup. Everyone loved it!

I. Word List

turnip: a round, white vegetable

peas: very small, round, green vegetables

soil: dirt for growing vegetables

II. Answer these questions with a partner.

1. Everyone in the family liked a different vegetable. What kind of vegetable do you like?

___________________________________________________________.

2. Why did the turnip come out when the little girl helped?

___________________________________________________________.

3. What are some things that you and your family do together?

___________________________________________________________.

III. Fill in the blanks—Read the sentences carefully and fill in the correct words from the story.

1. The little girl liked ______________.

2. The turnip was very ____________.

3. The farmer was the winner of the _________.

4. They cooked ________________.

5. They had to _________ the turnip out of the ground.

IV. Words that rhyme—Find words in the story that rhyme with these words.

For example: dinner-winner. These words rhyme.

1. boil—s _ _ _ 3. pig—b _ _ 5. hoop—s _ _ _

2. won—s _ _ 4. bull—p _ _ _ 6. dome—h _ _ _