Lesson 23: A Carpet of Books

Our family has just moved into a new house. There are boxes and cartons everywhere. There is a lot
of noise and confusion because we are still settling in.
I have been very busy sorting out my things. This is not easy because I own a large number of books.
To make matters worse, my bedroom is rather small and there is not enough space.
So I have temporarily put my books on the floor. They cover every inch of floor space, and I have to
walk around them carefully to get in or out of the room.
This morning, my sister helped me carry one of my bookcases up the stairs. She went into my
bedroom and was surprised to see all the books spread out on the floor.
“This is the most beautiful carpet I have ever seen,” she exclaimed. “You don’t need bookcases at all.
You can sit here in your spare time and read the carpet.”

A) Vocabulary
Carton – a small box or container
Confusion – uncertainty, panic, disorder, jumble
Temporary – lasting for only a short period of time; not permanent
Bookcase – a cabinet containing shelves on which to keep books
Carpet – a rug or floor covering made from thick woven fabric
Exclaim – cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain

B) Please make sentences with the words below. The sentences must show
that you understand the meaning of the word.
Box
Carton
Noise
Confusion
Temporary
Floor
Careful
Bookcase
Beautiful
Carpet
Exclaim
Spare

C) Please read the story aloud. Pay close attention to the words above. Do
you know how they are pronounced?

D) Discussion Points
1. Why was the woman busy?
2. What was her most difficult task?
3. How many books did she have?
4. Where did she put her books?
5. Who came to help her?
6. What did the two people carry?
7. How did the sister describe the display of books?
8. What did the sister jokingly tell the woman to do?

E) Written Exercise
Write a short paragraph on your favourite book or author. What do you like
about the book or author?

F) Poem
Open a Book
– By Jane Baskwill

Open a book
And you will find
People and places of every kind;
Open a book
And you can be
Anything you want to be;
Open a book
And you can share
Wondrous worlds you find in there;
Open a book
And I will too
You read to me
And I’ll read to you.

Revised July 2020

Audio courtesy Tara Kriplani: