"Glad". Why was it glad? It was glad that the
"Children" came to play on its banks.

Yes, it felt just as you feel when your friends
come over to your house to play. Do you see any
other words that make you think it is like a
person? Yes, it is "Swift and strong and
happy". It rushes and it sings.

What is it like now? It is like a big, strong,
happy boy.

Why did the children come to play on its banks?
They came to pick the flowers.

What line shows you that? "Blossoms floating."
The children picked the flowers and threw some
on the stream to watch the current carry them
away.

What else were the children doing? They were
sailing toy boats in the water.

What words show you that? "Mimic boating."

What else did the children enjoy? They liked to
see the "Fishes darting past" them. The fishes
were timid.

The brook makes some very pleasant sounds. What
words show you that? "Rippling", "Bubbling",
"singing", "ringing".

When does the water make these sounds? When it
is running "over pebbles" or down the steep
places.

You must fancy you hear the brook make its
gentle music when it is running over the
pebbles. What does the water look like when it
ripples? It is not smooth; it has tiny waves
upon it.

You have heard the water bubble and gurgle, and
then, when the stream grows large and runs
faster, you can hear it "singing" and "ringing"
in the distance. The poet tells us some pretty
things about the brook. Tell me some of them.
It was "Cool and clear and free".

Why was it "Cool"? It had flowed among the
grasses and had come from a spring in a
mountain.

Why was it "clear"? It was such pure water that
you could see the stones at the bottom of the
brook.

Why does the poet say it was "free"? There were
no logs nor big stones to stop its course. It
ran freely on its way.

Do you see any other words that describe its
appearance? It is "Flecked with shade and sun".

Now "Flecked" is a hard word. It means
_spotted_ or _striped_. Can you tell me what
that means? Sometimes the brook is br