In the "Beacon Second Reader" the author has chosen for his stories only those of recognized literary merit; and while it has been necessary to rearrange and sometimes rewrite them for the purpose of simplification, yet he has endeavored to retain the spirit which has served to endear these ancient tales to the children of all ages. The fairy story appeals particularly to children who are in the second school year. - Summary from the Preface
This school reader is an excellent resource for anyone learning to read English, children and adults alike. Reading along while listening is a great way to develop reading skills. The tables at the end of the reader provide lists of common word patterns to promote both reading and writing skills. Reading along is especially helpful for this part of the book.
Chapters
1
Preface Read by Evan Smith 2:23
2
The Ship Read by Evan Smith 0:51
3
The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids Read by Evan Smith 5:00
4
They Didn't Think Read by Evan Smith 1:23
5
Tom Thumb Read by Evan Smith 6:15
6
Suppose Read by Evan Smith 1:11
7
Cinderella Read by Evan Smith 4:37
8
Raindrops Read by Evan Smith 0:48
9
The Four Friends Read by Evan Smith 6:32
10
Little Birdie Read by Evan Smith 0:54
11
Mother Frost Read by Evan Smith 6:25
12
If Ever I See Read by Evan Smith 0:55
13
Why the Bear's Tail Is Short Read by Evan Smith 2:47
14
Rumpelstiltskin Read by Evan Smith 8:33
15
Bed in Summer Read by Evan Smith 0:49
16
The Golden Touch Read by Evan Smith 4:52
17
Over in the Meadow Read by Evan Smith 1:47
18
The Bell of Atri Read by Evan Smith 3:15
19
The Baby Read by Evan Smith 0:49
20
Bruce and the Spider Read by Evan Smith 2:22
21
The Wise Little Pig Read by Evan Smith 1:23
22
An Indian Story Read by Evan Smith 6:44
23
A Good Play Read by Evan Smith 0:55
24
Dick Whittington Read by Evan Smith 6:55
25
The New Moon Read by Evan Smith 1:11
26
Briar Rose Read by Evan Smith 6:40
27
All Things Beautiful Read by Evan Smith 0:57
28
The Baker Boys and the Bees Read by Evan Smith 4:15
29
Falling Snow Read by Evan Smith 0:51
30
Little Goody Two Shoes Read by Evan Smith 10:48
31
One Step and Then Another Read by Evan Smith 0:39
32
Good Night and Good Morning Read by Evan Smith 1:37
33
David and Goliath Read by Evan Smith 4:54
34
Phonetic Tables – Introduction Read by Evan Smith 0:51
35
Table 1 – Review of Short Vowels Read by Evan Smith 1:20
36
Table 2 - Two Consonants Following a Vowel Read by Evan Smith 2:42
37
Table 3 - Two Consonants Preceding a Vowel Read by Evan Smith 2:50
38
Table 4 – Words with “wh” and Review of Tables 2 & 3 Read by Evan Smith 2:51
39
Table 5 – Final “e” (Long Vowel Sound) Read by Evan Smith 3:11
40
Table 6 – Long and Short Vowels; Words Ending in “se” Read by Evan Smith 2:58
41
Table 7 – Effect of “r” and “re” on Preceding Vowel Sound Read by Evan Smith 3:04
42
Table 8 – Words with “ea” / “ee” (Long “e” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 3:09
43
Table 9 – Words with “ai” / “ay” (Long “a” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 1:52
44
Table 10 - Words with “oa” / “oe” (Long “o” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 1:27
45
Table 11 - Words with “ie” / “y” (Long “i” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 1:23
46
Table 12 - Words with “ew” / “ue” (Long “u” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 1:08
47
Table 13 - Words with “oi” / “oy” Read by Evan Smith 1:22
48
Table 14 - Words with “au” / “aw” Read by Evan Smith 1:27
49
Table 15 - Words with “ou” / “ow” Read by Evan Smith 1:56
50
Table 16 - Words with “oo” Read by Evan Smith 2:02
51
Table 17 - Words with “qu” Read by Evan Smith 1:20
52
Table 18 - Review Read by Evan Smith 5:46
53
Table 19 - Soft “c” Sound Read by Evan Smith 1:47
54
Table 20 - Words with “g” / “dg” Read by Evan Smith 1:42
55
Table 21 - Words with “k” / “ck” Read by Evan Smith 3:03
56
Table 22 - Words with “ch” / “tch” Read by Evan Smith 1:54
57
Table 23 - Words with “th” Read by Evan Smith 1:39
58
Table 24 - Words with “ie” (Long “e” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 0:56
59
Table 25 - Words with “o” (Short “o” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 0:58
60
Table 26 - Words with “a” (Short “o” Sound) Read by Evan Smith 0:54
61
Table 27 - Two Vowels Sounded Separately Read by Evan Smith 0:53
62
Table 28 - Words Ending in “tion” / “sion” Read by Evan Smith 0:55
63
Table 29 – Review Read by Evan Smith 3:17
64
Table 30 - Common Suffixes Read by Evan Smith 6:40
65
Table 31 - Common Prefixes Read by Evan Smith 5:24
66
Table 32 - Single Consonant (Long Vowel Sound); Double Consonants (Short Vowel Sound) Read by Evan Smith 3:25
67
Table 33 - Silent Letters Read by Evan Smith 3:25
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens gutenberg.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
