LEVELEDBOOK?N

HorseshoesAren’tJustForGoodLuck

WrittenbyDeborahAmbrozaIllustratedbyMarcyRamsey

HorseshoesAren’tJustForGoodLuck

WrittenbyDeborahAmbrozaIllustratedbyMarcyRamsey

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HorseshoesAren’tJustForGoodLuck?LevelN

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TableofContents

TOC\o"1-1"\h\z\u

Introduction 4

LifebytheSea 5

MySummerHome 7

HorseshoeCrabs 9

Rescuing 14

Glossary 16

Introduction

IhadmybestsummervacationwhenIwasnine.IwenttovisitGram,mygreat-grandmother,andIsawtheoceanforthefirsttime.

LifebytheSea

Irodeonatrainfromthecity,allbymyself.GramandherfriendJimmetmeatthetrainstation,andwedrovetoGram’sbiggrayhouse.Inhersmallbeachtown,mostpeoplewalkedorrodebicycles.Ievensawhorsecarriages!

Gram’shousehadacolorfulflowergardenandabigfrontporch.

ShetoldmetopickthebedroomIwanted,soIpickedtheyellowroom.Ithadawindowthatfacedtheocean.

MySummerHome

ItwasveryquietinGram’shouse,butIcouldhearthesoundofthewaves.Iwantedtoseethemupclose!Irandownstairstogotothebeach.Gramstoppedme.ShesaidIcouldn’tgotothebeachaloneuntilIhadlearnedtherulesofthesea.

Wetookoffourshoesandwalkedtothebeachtogether.

GramsaidIcouldwalkalongthebeachbetweentworockjetties(JET-ees).Thejettieswerewallsofrocksthathelpedtokeepthebeachsandfromeroding(ih-RO-ding)awayintothesea.

GramsaidnottogointothewaterunlesssheorJimwerewithme.

Shetoldmeaboutcurrents(KUR-ents).Thecurrentswerestrongflowsofwaterthatcoulddragmefaroutintotheocean.Ilearnedalot.Thatnight,moonlightstreamedintomyroom.Iwenttosleeplisteningtothewaves.

HorseshoeCrabs

Iwokeupwiththesunshiningonmyface.IdressedquicklyandrandownstairsasGramcalled,“Remembertherules!”InoddedasIhurriedoutthebackdoor.

WhenIgotdowntothebeach,Isawthesandwascoveredinbrownish-grayroundthings.Theyhads sandpointedtails.Someofthemwerelyingontheirbacksandwiggling.

Atbreakfast,IaskedGramwhatthosecreaturesonthebeachwere.Shesaidtheywerehorseshoecrabs,atypeofarthropod(AR-throw-pod).Shesaidthewavescarrythemontothebeach.

ItoldGramaboutthewigglingonesturnedupsidedown.Shesaidtheyusetheirtailstotrytoturnthemselvesbackontotheirlegs.

Iftheycan’tturnover,theygettoohotanddie.

Gramtoldmethatwhenthetidegoesout,somecrabsareleftstrandedonthebeach.

Tostaycool,theytrytodigintothewetsand.Shesaidthefemalecrabslaygreen,jellylikeeggsafewinchesunderthewetsand.Onefemale

horseshoecrabcanlayeightythousandeggsinoneseason!

Gramsaidthatwithintwoweeks,thelarvae(LAR-vee)thatdevelopfromtheeggswashouttotheocean.Thenewlarvaedon’thavetailsyet.Toward ofsummer,theymolt,orshedtheirskin.Thentheygrowtails.

Afterbreakfast,wewalkeddowntothebeach.Gramturnedovertheupside-downcrabs.Shealsoputstrandedonesbackintotheocean.

Shesaidwhencrabsgettiredofswimming,theyturnoverontotheirbacksandfloatontheirshlikelittleboats.Whentheyarehungry,theyletthemselvessinkslowlytothebottomoftheocean.Onthebottom,thecrabseatnts,smallclams,worms,andother

tinyseaanimals.Theygrindfoodwiththeirlegs,sotheyhavetobewalkingtochewtheirfood!

Scientistsstudyhorseshoecrabs

tolearnmoreabouttheirnineeyesandnervoussystems.Also,theirbloodcanbeusedtotestforsomehumandiseases(diz-EEZ-es)

andtotestnewdrugs.GramsaidhorseshoecrabshavebeenaroundsincedinosaursroamedtheEarth!

Rescuing

Gramgavemeajobtodo.EverymorningIhurriedtothebeachtosaveasmanycrabsasIcould.Iwouldturnthemoverandtossthembackintotheoceanwaves.

SometimesI’dtossthemfromtheendofthejettyandwave“goodluck”tothem.IalsotriedtochasebirdsawaywhenIsawthemeatingtheeggs.ButGramtoldmenottodothatbecausethebirdsneededtheeggsasfoodtosurvive.

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Onemorning,allthehorseshoecrabsweregone.WhenIranbacktothehouse,Gramsaidtheyweredonelayingeggsuntilnextyear.

ShetoldmethatnextyearIwouldhavetocomebackandsavemorecrabs!

Iwalkedbacktothebeachandlaydownonthewarmingsand.Savingthecrabswa citing,butmysummervacationhadjustbegun.WhatwouldIdonow?

Glossary

arthropod(n.) ananimalthathas

jointedlegs,abodywithtwoormoreparts,andaskeletonontheoutsideofitsbody;arthropodsincludeinsects,crustaceans(suchascrabs),andspiders(p.10)

diseases(n.) illnesses(p.13)

eroding(v.) wearingawaycaused

bywind,water,orice(p.8)

larvae(n.) thenewlyhatched

formsofcertainanimalsthatlookverydifferentfromtheirparentsandthatchangegreatlyinappearanceasthey

eadults(p.11)

molt(v.) toshedskin,fur,feathers,oras

beforetheyarere cedwithnewgrowth(p.11)

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Noteabouttheseries:HorseshoesAren’tJustforGoodLuckisthefirstbookinathree-partserieswrittenbyDeborahAmbroza.Thebooksthatfolloware:AntsinMyBedandBatsintheAttic.

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Fountas&Pinnell

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