Donald Quixote - NO AUDIO
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Sandra looked around. She didn’t see anything special. “What? Where?” she asked.
“Do you see those giants over there?” Donald pointed to a construction site, where tall cranes towered over trucks and building equipment.
“You mean those cranes?” asked Sandra.
“Let’s pretend they are giants!” Donald declared. “They have plagued our land too long! I’ll teach them to destroy our trees!”
Donald sped off across the parking lot. Sandra followed.
They stopped at a fence and looked up at the tall cranes. Construction workers were busy putting cement blocks on a lift.
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“Did you really go fishing near here once?” asked Sandra.
“I sure did,” said Donald. “We picked apples, too. When I was your age, there was an apple orchard at this very spot.”
“What happened to it?” asked Sandra.
“The land was eaten up by all these giant cranes. Maybe the giant cranes ate all the apples, too,” said Donald, with a wink.
“I hope they got indigestion,” laughed Sandra. 
Then she added, sadly, “I wish the countryside was still here. This isn’t a nice place to ride bikes anymore.”
Donald prepares to attack.
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“I wish the orchard was still here, too,” said Donald. “Some of these construction companies seem like giants. They’ve taken over most of the little farms in the valley.”
“The sign says they’re building a pizza place,” said Sandra.
“But there are already plenty of pizza places,” Donald said.
Just then one of the cranes turned and moved its “head” up and down.
“Look!” shouted Sandra. “See? The giant crane seems to be nodding. It agrees with you!”
Sandra and Donald agree that this may not be the right quest for them after all.
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“Pretty cool!” said Donald. “Construction cranes sometimes look to me like a kind of dinosaur,” he continued. “You know—the ones with the long skinny necks.”
“Brachiosaurus!” said Sandra. “Yeah, they do. And some of them have sharp teeth that make them look more like Tyrannosaurus rex.” 
“I think these dinosaur cranes look hungry,” mused Donald. “We’d better stay out of their way.”
“I agree. Where to now, Señor Donald Quixote?” asked Sandra.
“I have an idea for one more quest,” said Donald. “Let’s go on a quest for the perfect ice cream cone!”
Sandra smiled. That was her favorite kind of quest. They turned their bicycles around and rode off towards the ice cream store. They had to get off their bikes and walk part of the way because of the traffic.
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Sandra and Donald succeed in their quest for ice cream.
A short while later, as they ate their ice cream, Sandra sighed, “I wish I could live in the past.” 
“That’s what Don Quixote tried to do,” said Donald. “It got him in big trouble.”
“I guess,” agreed Sandra. “But it was more exciting.”
“If you want excitement, try tackling some problems in the present,” said Donald. “Apple orchards, bike trails—you can fight for those things.”
“I could rescue an orchard in distress instead of a maiden in distress,” laughed Sandra.
“And you can always count on me, Donald Quixote, to help you succeed in your quest!” promised her cousin.
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Responding
TARGET SKILL Understanding Characters
What do Uncle Donald’s thoughts, actions, and words show about his character? Find details from the story and add them to the chart below.
Thoughts |
Actions |
Words |
thinks in |
? |
“Wait here while I |
imaginative ways |
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put on my anti- |
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boredom disguise.” |
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Write About It
Text to World In Donald Quixote, Donald pretends construction cranes are giants. Think of another object in the real world that people might imagine to be a giant. Write a paragraph describing the object. Explain what kind of giant it might be.
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TARGET VOCABULARY |
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antique |
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pierced |
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exploits |
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plagued |
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faithful |
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quests |
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ignorance |
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thrust |
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noble |
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transformed |
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TARGET SKILL Understanding Characters Use text details to explain why characters act, speak, and think as
they do.
TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions about a selection before you read, as you read, and after you
read.
GENRE Humorous Fiction is a story that is written to entertain the reader.
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Level: Q
DRA: 40
Genre:
Humorous Fiction
Strategy:
Question
Skill:
Understanding Characters
Word Count: 1,300
5.4.20
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13:978-0-547-02587-2
ISBN-10:0-547-02587-4
1032508