Surprises According to Humphrey Read online

  Madam, I’m Adam

  Here are some other palindromes:

  Enid and Edna dine

  Now I see bees! I won!

  Too fat a foot

  Was it a car or a cat I saw?

  Yo! Banana Boy!

  Try your hand at figuring out what these palindromes are:

  1. Three first names. (Hint: The first two are girls’ names and the third one is a boy’s name.)

  A — — —

  H — — — — —

  B — —

  2. Part of your face: E — —

  3. Something you paddle in the water: K — — — —

  4. A sound a horn makes: T — — —

  5. A year: 1 — — —

  6. Another year: 2 — — 2

  7. A word that looks the same when it’s upside down and backward: S — — — —

  8. A time of day that, in capitals, looks the same forward, backward, and upside down: N — — N

  Turn to page 151 for the answer key!

  Fire Safety Quiz

  Firefighter Jeff teaches the students of Room 26 some tips about fire safety that everyone should know. Take this quiz to see how much you know about fire safety. Circle the correct answers:

  1. It’s okay to play with matches if you’re outside.

  T / F

  2. If your clothes catch fire, you should Stop, Drop, and Roll.

  T / F

  3. It’s okay to re-enter a burning building.

  T / F

  4. If your house is on fire, call 911, then leave.

  T / F

  5. Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm once a year.

  T / F

  6. Never open doors that are hot to the touch.

  T / F

  7. You should always sleep with your bedroom door open.

  T / F

  8. Have a plan with escape routes from every room in the house.

  T / F

  9. If you’re in a building that’s on fire, stay low and go.

  T / F

  10. It’s okay to go back in a burning building to save your pet.

  T / F

  Turn to page 152 for the answer key!

  Questions for Readers

  Surprises

  Humphrey says there are surprises that are fun and surprises that aren’t so much fun.

  • Can you remember a surprise that was especially wonderful (a gift, a party, a visitor)? Describe how you felt.

  • Can you remember a surprise that wasn’t so great (a grade, an injury, a canceled trip)? Describe how you felt.

  • Make a list of five nice surprises your teacher would like…or five surprises a member of your family would like. Have your class plan five nice surprises for your custodian.

  Aldo’s Spanish

  Humphrey doesn’t know what’s going on when Aldo starts speaking Spanish. Do you know any Spanish words?

  • Aldo says, “Me llama Aldo.” What is he saying? If you don’t know, ask other people if they know. (Hint, Aldo is his name.)

  • Can you think of another time Humphrey heard a language other than English? Whose family was he visiting? Who was trying to learn English in that family?

  Mrs. Wright Rules

  The P.E. teacher, Mrs. Wright, is very strict about following the rules. Sometimes Humphrey finds this annoying.

  • Why do we need rules in a classroom? At a swimming pool? In the library?

  • What is an example of a rule you think is good? Why? What is an example of a rule you don’t agree with? Why?

  • When would it be a good idea to disobey a rule? When would it be a bad idea to disobey a rule?

  • If you thought a rule was unfair, what could you do to change it? At home? At school?

  Garth and A.J.

  Garth was upset when his best friend, A.J., didn’t pick him for his team. A.J. said that Garth isn’t good at softball and if he picked him, he’d let down his team.

  Have you ever been picked last for a team? Do you remember how it felt?

  • If you were A.J., how would you have handled the team selection? Would you have picked Garth? Why or why not? Can you think of other ways that A.J. could have handled the situation?

  Garth isn’t good at playing softball, but he can play guitar. A.J. isn’t good at playing guitar, but he’s good at playing softball.

  • Name three things that you’re good at (for example: math, singing, eating cookies). Name something you’d like to be able to do better. List three things you could do to improve your skills.

  Aliens

  Because of a movie he’s seen, Humphrey lets his imagination run away with him when he thinks that Aldo has been abducted by aliens.

  • Have you ever let your imagination run away with you? When you were younger, did you imagine situations that were not real? What were they?

  • If you saw a spaceship from another planet land in your yard, what’s the first thing you would do?

  Hamster Ball

  Humphrey enjoys his hamster ball and spins his way through the halls of Longfellow School for the first time.

  • Draw a map of the layout of your school. Make sure to mark your room, the playground, the principal’s office.

  • If you were inside a hamster ball, how would things look and sound to you? How would you make it move from place to place?

  Heidi’s Hand

  Raise-Your-Hand-Heidi Hopper has a difficult time remembering to raise her hand.

  • Why do you think Heidi always forgets to raise her hand? Think of three things Heidi could do to remember to raise her hand.

  • Some students never volunteer to answer questions. Why do you think that is?

  Suggestion Box

  Humphrey writes down his idea about a party for Mrs. Brisbane and puts it in the school suggestion box.

  • If you had a suggestion box in your classroom or home, what ideas would you submit?

  • If you don’t have a suggestion box, how else can you get your ideas across to people?

  Sweetums the Cat

  In Humphrey’s eyes, Sweetums is a horrible creature. Re-read the section where Humphrey meets Sweetums in the backyard.

  • How do you think Sweetums would write about this situation, as seen through her eyes. How would she describe Humphrey?

  • How would other things look through the eyes of a hamster? How do you look to your pet? Write a description of yourself as a pet might see you.

  Answers According to Humphrey

  Humphrey’s Answers to

  BAFFLING BRAIN BENDERS

  1. Mt. Everest was still the highest, even before it was discovered.

  2. All of them

  3. He jumps out of a second-story window.

  4. An egg

  5. Caught between a rock and a hard place

  6. Tomorrow

  7. Arrange the letters like this: ONE WORD

  8. Lunch and dinner

  9. The letter “e” appears once in the word “year” and twice in the word “decade.”

  10. A table

  11. It’s not raining!

  12. Mary, of course

  Humphrey’s Answers to

  VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE

  Humphrey’s Answers to

  HUMPHREY MEETS THE ALIENS

  Hamster Ball

  Brisbane

  Guitar

  Softball

  Sweetums (that was a tough one)

  Wacky

  Fire Drill

  Surprise

  Alien

  Humphrey says: Take me to your leader.

  Humphrey’s Answers to

  WACKY WORDS

  1. Anna, Hannah, Bob

  2. Eye

  3. Kayak

  4. Toot

  5. 1771, or 1991, 1661, 1551, etc.

  6. 2002

  7. SWIMS

  8. NOON

  Humphrey’s Answers to

  FIRE SAFETY QUIZ

  1. False: Never, ever play with m
atches—anywhere!

  2. True: Practice with your friends.

  3. False: Don’t go into a burning building for anything—the firefighters will go in and rescue anyone or any pets inside.

  4. False: Leave first, then get to a phone and call 911.

  5. False: Your family should replace them on a schedule twice a year, preferably when Daylight Savings time starts and ends.

  6. True: That’s a clear sign there’s fire on the other side.

  7. False: You should sleep with your door closed. Then if there’s a fire, it won’t spread quickly to your room.

  8. True: The whole family should sit down and make a plan for how to escape in a fire from each room.

  9. True: Smoke—which is dangerous—rises. If you stay low to the ground as you escape, you have less risk of suffering smoke inhalation.

  10. False: It’s just not safe. The firefighters will go in for your pet. They rescue pets all the time!