Meanwhile,... the brother and sister, for such they were, seemed to be fastening something to their feet-not skates, certainly, but clumsy pieces of wood narrowed and smoothed at their lower edge, and plerced with holes, through which were threaded strings of rawhide.
These queer-looking affairs had been made by the boy Hans. His mother was a poor peasant woman, too poor even to think of such a thing
as buying skates for her little ones. Rough as these were, they had afforded the children many a happy hour upon the ice
In another moment they were all laughing together, as hand in hand they flew along the canal, never thinking whether the ice would bear
them or not, for in Holland ice is generally an all-winter affalr.
(from Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge)
What is the theme of the passage?
1. Holland gets very cold in the winter.
2. Skating can be a very dangerous sport.
0 3. Families are there to defend each other.
04. Money is not always needed to be happy.