This book is dedicated to all my school kiddos who work so hard every day.

In a land far away lived a king. The greedy king demanded that he would have the best of everything in the kingdom.

As he paced around his thrown, he began to think of a method to have all his subjects give him several offerings at once. However, he did not want to say a number more than two so that the kingdom might not think he was gluttonous. So, he sent out a decree to all the lands demanding groups of items instead.

To my loyal subjects,

From here on out, on the first day of the month, you will bring me the spoils of your labor. I demand the largest grouping of these items you can put together.

-Your honorable king

When the old witch read to the decree, she quickly ran to the king to warn him against his plot.

Dearest king, what you seek are collective nouns. A collective noun word for a specific group of items. Until you find the correct collective noun, you will be cursed.

I must break the curse on my kingdom! Bring in all the collective noun offerings.

A batch of cookies for the king.

After the first offering was given, the king realized it would take time to find the one that would break the curse. Day after day, he waited to see all the kingdom had to offer.

A company of actors for the king.

To my king, a gang of thieves.

My king, I have searched the seas to provide you with an armada of ships to fight the enemy.

Will a herd of cattles, a flock of sheep, or a brood of hens not break this curse?

The last offering the kingdom has to offer is behind you deep in the forest, behind a thicket of trees. If this does not undo the witch's curse, I fear we are doomed.

For you, my king, I have captured a blaze of dragons. They are under the spell of the wizard and are at your command.

At the castle, the king thought of all his possessions. None of these had broken the curse. A bundle of nerves, worried for his sake and the kingdom, he called to his adviser.