it is winter. the canals in holland are frozen over. the ice is very smooth and thick.

all the dutch children have skates. their fathers and mothers have skates, too. everybody that is strong and well skates on the dutch canals in winter.

jan and katrina and their little friends bram and hilda and kassie and karl all have skates. they skate up and down and around and around.

they have skating matches. the one who can skate farthest and fastest beats. sometimes jan beats and sometimes karl does.

the girls cannot skate as fast as the boys.