The Tree of Glowing Leaves
Deep in the quiet forest, autumn arrived. The cool air turned the grass brown.
In the middle of the woods stood a very special oak tree. Its name was the Lantern Tree.
The Lantern Tree did not grow plain leaves. Its leaves glowed with soft, warm light.
Some leaves shone bright yellow like the sun. Other leaves shone bright orange like pumpkins.
Every evening, the sun went down behind the hills. The woods grew very dark and shadowy.
One chilly evening, a little squirrel named Sammy lost his way. He had spent the whole day gathering nuts.
Now the forest floor was dark. Sammy could not see his path back to his cozy tree hollow.
He felt nervous and cold. Sammy sat on a mossy log and dropped his bushy tail.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew through the branches above. A glowing orange leaf floated down from the Lantern Tree.
The leaf landed right in front of Sammy's paws. It shone bright enough to light up the dark dirt.
"Follow the glow, little friend," hooted a gentle owl from a branch. Sammy picked up the glowing leaf with both paws.
The leaf felt warm, like a tiny nightlight. Sammy walked along the bright path.
He walked past the big gray rocks. He stepped carefully over a quiet brook.
- autumn:
- The cool season between summer and winter when leaves change color.
- lantern:
- A light that you can carry to see in the dark.
- shadowy:
- Full of dark shapes where light does not reach.
- hollow:
- An empty space or hole inside something solid, like a tree trunk.
- brook:
- A small, gentle stream of running water.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself — answer key included where it counts.
fix the sentence
Sentences from the passage with the capitals and punctuation removed — rewrite each one correctly.
vocabulary worksheet
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
- All 4 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this fiction passage for Lower Elementary
“The Tree of Glowing Leaves” is a fiction reading passage about Helping Forest Animals, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (260 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.