Barnaby's Magic Wand
Barnaby was a very fluffy black cat. He looked like a soft round cloud with big yellow eyes. Barnaby lived with an old wizard in a cozy wooden cottage. Every day, Barnaby watched the wizard do magic tricks. The wizard could wave a wooden stick to make things float. Barnaby wanted to be a magical cat too.
One sunny afternoon, the wizard went outside to pick berries. He left his shiny magic wand on a purple chair. Barnaby jumped up onto the soft chair. He tapped the wand with his front paw. The wand began to glow with bright green light. Barnaby wanted to turn his dry kibble into tasty fish treats. He took a deep breath and said, "Meow-cadabra!"
A loud pop echoed across the kitchen floor. Pink bubbles shot out from the tip of the wand! The bubbles did not make any fish treats appear. Instead, they floated all over Barnaby and popped on his nose. Then, the bubbles turned into tiny yellow rubber ducks. The ducks hit the rug with funny little squeaks. Barnaby jumped high into the air with surprise.
- cozy:
- Warm, comfortable, and pleasant.
- wand:
- A special stick used to do magic.
- echoed:
- Made a sound that bounced around a room.
- surprise:
- A feeling caused by something unexpected happening.
- swished:
- Moved quickly with a soft sweeping sound.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts â all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What kind of animal is Barnaby?
- 2Where does Barnaby live?
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
âBarnaby's Magic Wandâ is a short story reading passage about A fluffy cat practicing magic spells, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (262 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.