This textbook is a primary-grade reader focusing on silent reading of interesting selections to build control of eye movements that lead to careful silent reading with good comprehension and a long attention span. Silent reading is the complex process of getting thought from the printed page and involves an entirely new pedagogy. In the selection of reading matter, two main purposes have been dominant: first, to provide selections which will so interest the child that he will develop a habit of extensive silent reading; and second, to deal with situations that children actually encounter in real life and that are within the realm of possible rather than fancied experiences. [For the Second Reader, see ED623740.]