LEVELED READER • Q

The Footprint
A Reading A–Z Level Q Leveled Reader
Word Count: 966 The
Footprint

Written by Lynn Fulton

Illustrated by Marilee Harrald-Pilz

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Footprint

The Footprint
Level Q Leveled Reader
© 2005 Learning Page, Inc.
Written by Lynn Fulton Written by Lynn Fulton
Illustrated by Marilee Harrald-Pilz
Illustrated by Marilee Harrald-Pilz Correlation
ReadingA–ZTM LEVEL Q
©ProQuestLearningPage
Fountas & Pinnell N
All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 21
www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com DRA 30
 A Dull Day

It was Saturday morning, and Angie and

Jared were already bored. Their mother had
gone to work, their father was busy cleaning
the house, and their older sister, Sara, was
getting ready for a diving trip to Mexico.

Table of Contents

A Dull Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Is It a Dinosaur? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Is It a Bird? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Jared Solves the Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

3 4
 Then their little brother, Benjamin, came
stomping in from the kitchen, trailing his
blanket behind him. “YARGH!!” he yelled.
“I’m a MONSTER! Act scared!”

But Angie and Jared were tired of acting

scared for Benjamin. He was always playing
monster.

“Come on, Jared,” said Angie. “Let’s get

out of here before Dad makes us baby-sit.”

“Where’s my snorkel?” Sara shouted.

“Where’s my mask?”

Jared shrugged and Angie sighed. “Sara

gets all the fun,” Jared said. “We never get to
go anywhere.”

5 6
 “Something with webbed toes made this,”
Angie said. “That must mean it lives in the
water.”

“It’s way too big to be a duck,” said Jared.

“And look, here’s a mark that looks like its tail
is dragging in the mud.”

“Maybe it’s a completely new kind of

animal,” Angie said.

“Or maybe it’s a fossil—a dinosaur print!”

Jared exclaimed.

The Footprint

They decided to go exploring by the creek

that ran behind their apartment building.
As they walked along the bank, Jared saw a
strange imprint in the mud. “Hey, Angie, look
at this!”

They both stared at the print, shaped

somewhat like a narrow fan.

7 8
 Jared picked up a stick and poked at the
dried mud. The stick broke. “See, this mud is
Is It a Dinosaur?
hard. It’s petrified!”
Angie and Jared ran home and came back
Angie looked doubtful. “It’s just dry
with a notebook, pencil, and tape measure.
because it hasn’t rained for weeks.”
Jared measured the length and width of the
“You think some living creature made footprint, while Angie drew a sketch of it and
this?” Jared asked. “That’s pretty scary. the tail marks behind it.
Suppose it comes after us?”
“We should also make a map of where the
“Well,” said Angie, “we’d better creek is and where we found the print,” she
investigate!” said. “Then we’ll go to the library.”

9 10
 But when they stepped into the city library The librarian led them to a computer and
with their map and drawing, they felt typed in a website address. “Here’s the site,”
overwhelmed. So many shelves of books, she said. “See if this helps; then come to me if
all the way to the ceiling—they did not know you have any more questions.”
where to begin.
Jared and Angie crowded up to the
“Can I help you?” asked a librarian. computer screen.
They read about
Jared nudged Angie, and she stepped
dinosaur prints
forward to explain what they were looking for.
that were found
“My brother thinks this is a dinosaur print,”
when a top layer
she ended by saying, “but I think it might be
of earth was
some kind of water bird.”
turned over.
“I believe some dinosaur footprints were
“But our print
recently discovered in Utah,” said the librarian.
was right there
“We’ll see if they’re anything like your print.”
on the surface,”
said Jared. “That
means it can’t
be a fossil, after
all. Maybe it’s
a bird, like you
thought.”

“Maybe,”
Angie agreed. Susan Lamb exposes dinosaur tracks in
the Painted Desert of Arizona.

11 12
 Is It a Bird?

They went back to the librarian.

“Where can we find out about birds?”

Angie asked. The librarian pointed to an old
man sitting at a table, surrounded by books.

“You’re in luck,” she whispered. “That’s

Professor Featherwhite; he’s an expert on
water birds. I’m sure he’ll be interested in
your footprint. I’ll introduce you.”

The professor looked closely at Angie’s

drawing and made a clucking noise.

“Hmm, hmm. Very unusual. I don’t know

of any birds in this area that could have made
that print. It’s quite large, but perhaps a
migratory bird from some faraway place . . .”

“Got blown off course?” asked Jared,

finishing the professor’s sentence.

“Well, yes, possibly,” said the professor.

“Here’s a book that might help you. Good
luck!”

13 14
Blue-footed boobies “I don’t think we’ll find any bird big
Chinstrap penguin
enough to leave a print like that,” said Jared.
“And besides, what about the tail marks?”

“It could be a bird with a long tail, like a

peacock,” said Angie.

“Peacocks aren’t water birds!” cried Jared.

“Oh, well, maybe we’ve discovered the

new water-peacock,” Angie said.

Canada goose

Red-bellied tree duck

It was a large book, full of pictures, and so

heavy that Angie and Jared had to take turns
carrying it home. They took the book straight Suddenly there was a banging on the door.
to Angie’s room and pored over page after
“Let me in! Let me in!”
page of birds with webbed feet. But nothing
looked right. It was Benjamin.

15 16
 Jared Solves the Mystery “Oh, no—of course!” Angie said, slapping
her forehead, while Benjamin pulled the fin
Angie opened the door, and Benjamin
out from under his shirt.
tumbled in, clutching something under his
shirt. They could hear Sara running down “Ben, were you down by the creek awhile
the hallway outside. “Come back here!” she ago?” Jared asked.
yelled. “Give me my fin!”
“Nooooo.” Ben said innocently. “Well, a
“Benjamin,” Angie said sternly, “Are you long time ago.”
stealing Sara’s swim fins again?”
Meanwhile Angie measured the fin and
Jared closed the door. “Angie—that’s it!” compared it to their drawing and notes.
“You’re right, Jared—it’s an almost perfect
“What?”
fit.” Then she noticed the blanket tucked into
“Sara’s fin made our footprint! Give it to Benjamin’s shorts. “The tail marks must have
me, Ben!” been his blanket!”

17 18
 Glossary
bank a steep, sloping area, often on the side
of a river (p. 7)

creature any living animal, such as a mammal,

bird, or insect (p. 9)

discovered found out (p. 11)

diving swimming beneath the water (p. 4)

expert person with special knowledge of a

subject (p. 13)

fossil the remains of plants or animals that

were quickly sealed off from air and
moisture after death (p. 8)

imprint a mark made on the ground by pressure

Benjamin grinned up at them. “You mean (p. 7)
you found my monster print?” investigate to study a situation in order to learn
the truth (p. 9)
Angie and Jared looked at each other and
laughed. petrified plant or animal matter changed into
stone, or something like stone (p. 9)
“First we thought it was a dinosaur,” said
pored read with great attention (p. 15)
Jared.
snorkel a short tube held in the mouth that is
“Then we thought it was a bird,” said used to breathe underwater (p. 5 )
Angie. “But now we know it was the scariest swim fins flipper-like shoes worn on the feet to
monster in the whole world!” imitate fish fins (p. 17 )

webbed joined by very thin skin (p. 8)

And she gave Benjamin a hug.

19 20