Tico Finds His Family


Tico was a bright and happy bird. He had a very big, colorful beak.
The beak was bright yellow and orange. He lived in the very tall green trees.
One warm day, Tico woke up from a long nap. He looked to the left.
He looked to the right. His family was gone.
Tico was all alone on his branch. "Where did they go?" he asked.
He needed to find his big family. "Hello?" Tico called out.
The rainforest was very loud. He saw a small green frog.
The frog had big red eyes. "Have you seen my family?" Tico asked the frog.
The frog jumped onto a big wet leaf. "No, I have not seen them today," the frog said.
Tico felt a little bit sad. But he did not cry.
Tico flapped his wings. He flew up to a very high branch.
He looked at all the green leaves. He saw a fuzzy brown monkey.
"Have you seen my family?" Tico asked the monkey.
The monkey swung on a long brown vine. "No, I have not seen them here," the monkey said.
Tico did not give up. He knew his family was near.
He sat very still and listened. He heard the wind in the trees.
- Rainforest:
- A thick forest in a warm place that gets a lot of rain.
- Branch:
- A part of a tree that grows out from the main trunk.
- Vine:
- A long, thin plant that can climb or hang from trees.
- Squawk:
- A loud, sharp noise made by a bird.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
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.
Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What colors were on Tico's big beak?
- 2Where did Tico live?
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“Tico Finds His Family” is a short story reading passage about Family, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (334 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.


