Name:
Class:
Snow Pony
By Krista Curran
2021
In this story, a boy and his family play together in the snow. As you read, take notes on how Asher’s feelings
about his sister change throughout the story.
[1]
Asher had rolled enough balls to make a snowman,
1
but he couldn’t stack them. “Dad! It’s too heavy for
me!” Asher called.
Dad was pulling Becky on the sled. He came over,
stamping and neighing like a pony. He dropped the
2
sled rope and helped Asher wrestle the middle ball
up into place.
“Pony, pony!” Becky called to Dad.
Dad said, “In a minute! Asher, where’s the head?”
[5]
While they were busy, Becky climbed on the
snowman. Before they could stop her, Becky and the
snowman both tumbled over in a heap.
3
“Becky!” Asher shouted. “I was working on that!”
"Untitled" by Heshan Perera is licensed under CC0.
Dad patted Asher’s shoulder. “Shall we try to put it back together?”
4
Asher scooped up an angry snowball. He threw it as hard as he could, smack against the side of the maple
tree.
When he was ready, he turned to Dad. “Will you help me?”
[10]
Together, Dad and Asher piled pieces of the snowman back up.
5
While they were busy, Becky climbed on the snowman’s head. It crumbled under her. She started crying.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stack (verb) to put, store, or arrange things in a neat pile
Wrestle (verb) to struggle or fight with
Heap (noun) many things lying on top of one another, a pile
Scoop (verb) to pick up quickly
1
Asher scooped up another angry snowball. He threw it as far as he could, away across the field.
“It’s time for Becky to go inside and warm up,” Dad said. “Asher, I can watch you from the kitchen window if you
want to stay outside a little longer.”
6
7
“Good idea,” Asher said. He looked around at his smashed snowman. Spikes of grass stuck up where he had
rolled away snow.
[15]
When he was ready, Asher rolled another huge snowball, and then another. Shadows grew long and blue. The
yard seemed very quiet.
Asher would never be able to lift these big balls up all by himself. Maybe he could make a sleeping snowman?
No, he had a better idea! A snow pony! He rolled a new head, put it on one of the balls, and then gathered even
more snow. He patted and shaped it.
“Asher!” Dad called from the door. “Dinner’s ready!”
“Almost done!” Asher called back. He went to the edge of the yard and broke off a handful of last year’s weeds
for a tail. “Dad! Look! For Becky to climb on!”
[20]
Dad looked out the door again. “What a great idea! We’ll let the snow harden overnight so she can’t smash it so
easily.”
Asher scooped up a happy snowball. He threw it as high as he could, straight up to the sky. “When morning
comes, she’s going to love it so much!”
And when morning came, she really did.
"Snow Pony" by Krista Curran, Ladybug, © by Cricket Media, Inc. Reproduced with permission. All Cricket Media
material is copyrighted by Cricket Media, Inc. and/or various authors and illustrators. Any commercial use or
distribution of material without permission is strictly prohibited. Please visit http://www.cricketmedia.com/childrenscontent-licensing for licensing and http://www.cricketmedia.com for subscriptions.
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
5.
6.
7.
Crumble (verb) to fall into little bits
Smashed (adjective) broken into small pieces by hitting, throwing, or dropping
Spike (noun) a sharply pointed object
2
Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What sentence best supports the idea that Asher needs help to make his snowman?
A.
"'Dad! It's too heavy for me!' Asher called." (Paragraph 1)
B.
"He dropped the sled rope and helped Asher wrestle the middle ball up into place."
(Paragraph 2)
C.
"'Asher, I can watch you from the kitchen window if you want to stay outside a little
longer.'" (Paragraph 13)
D.
"He rolled a new head, put it on one of the balls, and then gathered even more snow."
(Paragraph 17)
How does paragraph 5 add to the story?
A.
It shows that Asher feels mad about what happened.
B.
It shows that Becky wants to play with her brother.
C.
It shows that Asher loves playing in the snow.
D.
It shows that Becky wrecked the snowman.
What lesson does Asher learn throughout the story?
A.
Playing in the snow by yourself can be dangerous.
B.
It is important to find friends who can help you.
C.
Sometimes people are too busy to help.
D.
Helping others makes us feel better.
How do Asher's feelings about his sister change throughout the story?
3
Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share
your original ideas in a class discussion.
1.
In the text, Asher finds a way to do something nice for his sister. Have you ever tried to do
something nice for a family member? What did you do? Why did you do it? How did it make you
feel?
2.
In the text, Asher and his family played together in the snow. Have you ever been somewhere while
it was snowing? What did you do in the snow? What other kind of weather have you played in?
Which is your favorite type of weather to play in? Why?
3.
In the text, Asher felt angry when his sister wrecked his snowman. Has someone else ever broken
something that was important to you? How did it make you feel? How did you respond? Based on
what Asher did, what ideas do you have for what might make you feel better next time?
4