Fifteen decodable storybooks for the Pink Phase — every word a child can sound out.
The Pink Phase lessons give a child words, phrases and isolated sentence cards. They do not give stories. A child becomes a reader by reading connected, meaningful text they care about — and these fifteen little books are the missing rung between "a sentence card" and "a real book in my hands".
A decodable reader is a real story in which the child never meets a word they cannot sound out. Every word is a letter-sound already taught, or a heart word already introduced. Each book "unlocks" after a particular lesson — its gate — and is handed to the child as a milestone, a reward for finishing that run of lessons.
This page holds all fifteen reader manuscripts — the page text, an art brief for every page, and a teacher note — followed by the Teacher Guide and the Canva Production Guide. The manuscripts are the inputs for producing the finished, printed books.
Gate: read after Lesson 17 (single consonants + short a/i/o + ck). Pages: cover + 9 story pages. One sentence per page (the last page has two short ones).
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · and · a · cat · the · can · nap · on · mat · in · pot · map · cap
— 13 words total.
Heart words used: a, the (both introduced by Lesson 11). ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC/CV from letters s, a, t,
p, i, n, m, d, c, k, o — all taught by Lesson 13–17. Sam is a decodable
proper name (s-a-m). Nothing in this book outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: a pattern book. The frame "A cat can nap on/in a ___" repeats so the child can predict it and feel fluent — then page 7 breaks the pattern with a question, page 8 pays it off, page 9 buttons it warm. The words stay flat and simple on purpose; Sam's face does the storytelling — fond → amused → laughing → delighted → sleepy. The art briefs carry that.
Text: Cat Can Nap (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 1")
Art brief: A plump, friendly tabby cat curled into a perfect sleeping circle, tail tucked over its nose, one eye half-open peeking at the reader — the gentle joke that sets up the whole book. Soft cream background, a single small cushion or rug under the cat. Warm, inviting, uncluttered.
Image prompt: A plump, friendly tabby cat curled into a perfect sleeping circle, tail tucked over its nose, one eye half-open peeking at the reader, the gentle joke that sets up the whole book. Soft cream background, a single small cushion or rug under the cat. Warm, inviting, uncluttered. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "Cat" capitalised). Cat centred. Lots of calm space.
Text: Sam and a cat.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam — a young child, about five, gender-neutral, simple warm clothing, round friendly face — sitting on a rug at home, the tabby cat beside them leaning into Sam's side. They clearly belong together. Soft daylight, cosy living room hinted with one or two simple shapes (a window, a plant). Sam is smiling gently down at the cat.
This is the only page that introduces both characters. Design Sam and the cat here — every later book draws them exactly the same.
Image prompt: Sam, a young child, about five, gender-neutral, simple warm clothing, round friendly face, sitting on a rug at home, the tabby cat beside them leaning into Sam's side. They clearly belong together. Soft daylight, cosy living room hinted with one or two simple shapes. Sam is smiling gently down at the cat. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Sam + cat centred above it.
Text: The cat can nap.
Art brief: The cat mid-yawn — wide pink mouth, eyes scrunching shut, settling down into a curl. Sam sits just behind, chin resting on one hand, watching with a fond little smile. The mood: here we go, the cat's off to sleep.
Image prompt: The cat mid-yawn, wide pink mouth, eyes scrunching shut, settling down into a curl. Sam sits just behind, chin resting on one hand, watching with a fond little smile. The mood: here we go, the cat's off to sleep. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat foreground, Sam slightly behind and smaller. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap on a mat.
Art brief: The cat curled fast asleep on a simple woven floor mat, content, breathing slow (little "z" curl optional). Sam visible at the edge of the frame, watching — relaxed, this one's normal. The mat is the clear, unambiguous object.
Image prompt: The cat curled fast asleep on a simple woven floor mat, content, breathing slow. Sam visible at the edge of the frame, watching, relaxed, this one's normal. The mat is the clear, unambiguous object. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat + mat centre. Sam small, frame edge. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap in a pot.
Art brief: First laugh. The cat comically squished inside a round cooking pot — only its head and one paw flopping over the rim, utterly relaxed and unbothered. Sam in frame, eyebrows up, hand to mouth, amused — "how did you even fit in there?" The pot is an ordinary kitchen pot.
Image prompt: The cat comically squished inside a round cooking pot, only its head and one paw flopping over the rim, utterly relaxed and unbothered. Sam in frame, eyebrows up, hand to mouth, amused, "how did you even fit in there?" The pot is an ordinary kitchen pot. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pot + cat centre, slight comic tilt. Sam reacting at the side. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap on a map.
Art brief: The cat flopped flat on its back, all four legs in the air, completely sprawled across a big open paper map on the floor. Peak silly. Sam is now openly laughing — head back, big grin.
Image prompt: The cat flopped flat on its back, all four legs in the air, completely sprawled across a big open paper map on the floor. Peak silly. Sam is now openly laughing, head back, big grin. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Wide low angle, cat spread across the map. Sam laughing at the edge. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap in a cap.
Art brief: The cat curled up snug inside an upturned cap (a soft cap — keep it pink-ish to nod at the Pink series), a perfect cosy fit, one ear poking out. Sweet rather than silly — the cat looks deeply comfortable. Sam crouches close, gentle smile, the laughter settling into warmth.
Image prompt: The cat curled up snug inside an upturned cap, a perfect cosy fit, one ear poking out. Sweet rather than silly, the cat looks deeply comfortable. Sam crouches close, gentle smile, the laughter settling into warmth. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cap + cat centre. Sam close, leaning in. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap on Sam?
Art brief: The hook. The cat is mid-creep toward Sam — stretched out, one paw lifting onto Sam's leg, eyeing Sam's lap. Sam sits cross-legged, looking down at the approaching cat with a surprised, delighted "...me?" expression. The question mark in the text is the page-turn — will it?
Image prompt: The cat is mid-creep toward Sam, stretched out, one paw lifting onto Sam's leg, eyeing Sam's lap. Sam sits cross-legged, looking down at the approaching cat with a surprised, delighted "...me?" expression. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat moving left-to-right toward Sam (movement leads the eye to the page edge). Sam centre-right. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat can nap on Sam!
Art brief: The payoff. The cat is curled into a happy circle on Sam's lap / tummy, fast asleep, completely at home. Sam, sitting back, beams — the biggest, warmest smile of the book — one hand resting softly on the cat. Pure contentment.
Image prompt: The cat is curled into a happy circle on Sam's lap / tummy, fast asleep, completely at home. Sam, sitting back, beams, the biggest, warmest smile of the book, one hand resting softly on the cat. Pure contentment. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam + cat together, centred, the emotional heart of the book. Bottom text band.
Text: Nap, cat. Nap, Sam.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. Sam has now drifted off too — head tipped gently back or to one side, eyes closed, the cat still curled and asleep on them. Soft warm light, maybe a blanket shape, the rug from page 1. Everything calm and quiet. The reader closes the book on stillness and warmth.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. Sam has now drifted off too, head tipped gently back or to one side, eyes closed, the cat still curled and asleep on them. Soft warm light, maybe a blanket shape, the rug from page 1. Everything calm and quiet. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam + cat together, soft and centred, generous calm space. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child after Lesson 17, as a milestone — "you've learned your sounds, here is your first real book." It is a reward, not a worksheet.
The pattern: pages 3–6 all run "A cat can nap [on/in] a ___." Let the child notice the pattern — by page 5 most children predict the sentence and read it almost fluently. That feeling of fluency is the goal of Book 1. Don't rush past it.
The three reads (one sitting or three short ones):
The page-turn: at page 7 ("...on Sam?") pause. Ask "Do you think the cat will?" Let them turn the page to find out.
Comprehension question: "Where did the cat like to nap best?" (Answer: on Sam.) Then: "How do we know Sam was happy about it?" — the child reads Sam's face, not the words. That is the comprehension skill.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the final /t/ in cat, mat, pot and the final
/p/ in nap, map, cap — Mandarin-L1 children drop word-final stops. Use
the tissue test from the lesson content. The repeated pattern is a gift here:
six clean reps of final /t/ and final /p/ in one short book.
Gate: read after Lesson 21 (all five short vowels + r, h). Single consonants s–h, short a/e/i/o/u. Pages: cover + 11 story pages. One or two short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · has · a · pup · the · can · run · hop · tug · up · cat · get · not ·
nap · sun · is · hot · and · in
— 19 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), the (L11), and (L13). All introduced well
before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC from letters taught by
Lesson 21 — has (h-a-s), pup (p-u-p), run (r-u-n), hop (h-o-p), tug
(t-u-g), get (g-e-t), sun (s-u-n), hot (h-o-t), not (n-o-t). Sam and
cat carry over from Book 1. Nothing outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: the pattern returns — "The pup can ___" alternating with an imperative cheer "Run, pup, run!" — so the child predicts and feels fluent. Page 7 breaks the frame: the bouncy pup tries to wake the napping cat. The cat (the calm one from Book 1) just naps on — no rejection, only a gentle joke. The pup runs its energy out in the warm sun and learns the cat's wisdom: the sun is the best place to nap. The words stay flat; the pup's whole body does the storytelling — eager → puzzled → joyful → pleasantly worn out → cosy.
Text: The Pup in the Sun (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 2")
Art brief: A small, round, eager puppy sitting in a warm pool of sunlight, ears up, tongue out in a happy pant, one paw lifted mid-bounce — pure bounce and joy. Behind it, almost out of frame, the tabby cat from Book 1 curled asleep, one eye half-open — the quiet returning joke. Soft cream background, warm gold sunlight.
Image prompt: A small, round, eager puppy sitting in a warm pool of sunlight, ears up, tongue out in a happy pant, one paw lifted mid-bounce, pure bounce and joy. Behind it, almost out of frame, the tabby cat from Book 1 curled asleep, one eye half-open, the quiet returning joke. Soft cream background, warm gold sunlight. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The" and "Pup" / "Sun" capitalised as in the printed line). Pup centred in the sun. Plenty of calm space.
Text: Sam has a pup.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam — drawn exactly as in Book 1, a young child about five, gender-neutral, warm simple clothing, round friendly face — kneeling on the same home rug, both hands gently holding a wriggling, delighted puppy. The tabby cat is curled asleep nearby, unbothered. Sam beams — this is a new friend. Soft daylight, the cosy living room hinted with one or two simple shapes.
This page introduces the pup. Design the pup here — every later book draws it exactly the same: small, round, floppy-eared, eager.
Image prompt: Sam, drawn exactly as in Book 1, a young child about five, gender-neutral, warm simple clothing, round friendly face, kneeling on the same home rug, both hands gently holding a wriggling, delighted puppy. The tabby cat is curled asleep nearby, unbothered. Sam beams, this is a new friend. Soft daylight, the cosy living room hinted with one or two simple shapes. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Sam + pup centred above it, the cat small at the edge.
Text: The pup can run.
Art brief: The pup at a full happy gallop across the rug, ears streaming back, all four paws off the ground, a little motion blur or speed line. Joyful, unstoppable. Sam watches from the edge of the frame, grinning.
Image prompt: The pup at a full happy gallop across the rug, ears streaming back, all four paws off the ground, a little motion blur or speed line. Joyful, unstoppable. Sam watches from the edge of the frame, grinning. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup moving left to right, leading the eye onward. Bottom text band.
Text: Run, pup, run!
Art brief: Sam now up and cheering — arms out, laughing — as the pup tears a wide loop around the room. The pup is having the time of its life. Bright, high-energy, warm.
Image prompt: Sam now up and cheering, arms out, laughing, as the pup tears a wide loop around the room. The pup is having the time of its life. Bright, high-energy, warm. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup mid-loop, Sam cheering at the side. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can hop.
Art brief: The pup caught mid-hop — front paws up, back legs pushing off, ears flying — bouncing like a spring. Comic and sweet. Sam claps.
Image prompt: The pup caught mid-hop, front paws up, back legs pushing off, ears flying, bouncing like a spring. Comic and sweet. Sam claps. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup centred, mid-air, slight upward tilt to the scene. Bottom text band.
Text: Hop, pup, hop!
Art brief: Three little hop-poses of the pup in a row across the page (or one pup mid-hop with small dotted arcs showing the bounce path) — the pup hopping toward something. Sam laughing behind. Pure play.
Image prompt: Three little hop-poses of the pup in a row across the page, the pup hopping toward something. Sam laughing behind. Pure play. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hops travel left to right. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can tug.
Art brief: The pup with a soft sock gripped in its teeth, leaning back hard, bottom in the air, paws braced, tugging with its whole tiny body — utterly determined and utterly comic. Sam holds the other end of the sock, gently laughing.
Image prompt: The pup with a soft sock gripped in its teeth, leaning back hard, bottom in the air, paws braced, tugging with its whole tiny body, utterly determined and utterly comic. Sam holds the other end of the sock, gently laughing. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup and sock centre, the tug-of-war line across the frame. Bottom text band.
Text: Up, cat! Up!
Art brief: The hook. The pup has bounded over to the sleeping tabby cat — front paws planted, nose almost touching the cat, tail a blur, eyes huge and hopeful, clearly saying "play with me!" The cat stays curled in a perfect circle, fast asleep, not stirring at all. Will the cat get up?
Image prompt: The pup has bounded over to the sleeping tabby cat, front paws planted, nose almost touching the cat, tail a blur, eyes huge and hopeful, clearly saying "play with me!" The cat stays curled in a perfect circle, fast asleep, not stirring at all. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup leaning in toward the cat, both centred. Bottom text band. The cat's stillness against the pup's motion is the whole joke.
Text: The cat can not get up. The cat can nap.
Art brief: The payoff to the hook — and it is gentle, not sad. The cat is still curled, deeply asleep, the tiniest contented smile. The pup sits back on its haunches, head tilted, one ear up — puzzled but cheerful, working out what to do. No hurt feelings. Sam watches fondly from the edge.
Image prompt: And it is gentle, not sad. The cat is still curled, deeply asleep, the tiniest contented smile. The pup sits back on its haunches, head tilted, one ear up, puzzled but cheerful, working out what to do. No hurt feelings. Sam watches fondly from the edge. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat curled centre, pup sitting beside it head-tilted. Bottom text band.
Text: The sun is hot. The pup can run and run.
Art brief: A wide, warm scene — a big pool of golden sunlight on the floor (or just outside a low window / open door). The pup is off again, running a joyful loop all on its own, perfectly happy, tongue out. The sunlight is the clear, glowing object of the page.
Image prompt: A wide, warm scene, a big pool of golden sunlight on the floor. The pup is off again, running a joyful loop all on its own, perfectly happy, tongue out. The sunlight is the clear, glowing object of the page. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Wide shot, the sun-pool filling the lower frame, the pup mid-loop within it. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup is hot.
Art brief: The turn. The pup has flopped down in the warm sun — belly on the floor, legs splayed, tongue lolling, eyes drooping — pleasantly, comically worn out. Not distressed: this is the lovely heavy tiredness after good play. The sun glows around it.
Image prompt: The pup has flopped down in the warm sun, belly on the floor, legs splayed, tongue lolling, eyes drooping, pleasantly, comically worn out. Not distressed: this is the lovely heavy tiredness after good play. The sun glows around it. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup flopped centre in the sun-pool. Generous calm space. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can nap. Nap in the sun, pup.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. The pup has curled into a small happy circle in the warm sun — right next to the tabby cat, who is still curled and asleep. The two of them are a matched pair of sleeping circles. Sam sits close by, chin on hands, beaming down at both. Soft gold light over everything. The reader closes the book on warmth and stillness — and the quiet idea that the pup found out what the cat knew all along.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. The pup has curled into a small happy circle in the warm sun, right next to the tabby cat, who is still curled and asleep. The two of them are a matched pair of sleeping circles. Sam sits close by, chin on hands, beaming down at both. Soft gold light over everything. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup + cat together as two circles, Sam close behind, all centred. Two short lines of text, bottom band. Echoes the closing spread of Book 1.
When: hand it to the child after Lesson 21, once all five short vowels
and r and h are secure. It is the second milestone book — "now you know
every short vowel, here is a bigger story."
The pattern: pages 2–6 alternate "The pup can ___" with the cheer ", pup, !" Let the child hear the rhythm — by page 5 most children predict the cheer and read it almost fluently. That feeling of fluency is the goal. Don't rush past the pattern pages.
The three reads (one sitting or three short ones):
The page-turn: at page 7 ("Up, cat! Up!") pause. Ask "Do you think the cat will get up?" Let the child turn the page to find out.
Comprehension question: "Where did the pup nap at the end?" (Answer: in the sun, next to the cat.) Then: "How do we know the pup was not sad when the cat did not play?" — the child reads the pup's face and tilted ear on page 8, not the words. That is the comprehension skill.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the final /t/ in cat, hot, not, get and
the final /p/ in pup, hop, up — Mandarin-L1 children drop word-final
stops. Use the tissue test from the lesson content. run and r generally —
keep the daily R/L minimal-pair drill going; this book gives many warm reps of
initial /r/ in a happy context.
Gate: read after Lesson 24 (single consonants complete through b,
f, l; all five short vowels).
Pages: cover + 11 story pages. One or two short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Mom · has · a · hen · the · is · fun · sit · in · pen · said · did · not ·
ran · can · hop · peck · where · on · log · bag · bed · big · red · hat · up ·
sat · and
— 28 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), the (L11), and (L13), said (L22),
where (L24). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC from letters taught by
Lesson 24 — hen (h-e-n), pen (p-e-n), peck (p-e-ck), log (l-o-g),
bag (b-a-g), bed (b-e-d), big (b-i-g), red (r-e-d), fun (f-u-n).
did, ran, sat are decodable CVC past-tense words. Mom is a decodable
proper name (m-o-m). Nothing outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 3 brings in dialogue — the heart word said unlocks it.
The fussy, funny hen will not sit in its pen. Mom does not force it; she
simply wonders aloud — "Where can the hen sit?" — and the heart word where
turns that into the page-turn hook. The middle pages ("Not in the pen. Not on
a log…") build a small search the child can predict. The payoff is a gentle
joke: the hen picks the one spot nobody offered. Mom stays warm and patient
throughout — her calm face is the emotional anchor of the book.
Text: Mom and the Hen (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 3")
Art brief: A round, fussy, characterful hen mid-fuss — feathers a little ruffled, one foot lifted, beak open in a cheerful squawk, bright alert eye. Beside it stands Mom — warm, soft, patient, a gentle smile, hands loosely clasped — watching the hen with fond amusement. Soft cream background.
Design the hen and Mom here — every later book draws them exactly the same. The hen: plump, expressive, slightly comic. Mom: warm, calm, soft clothing.
Image prompt: A round, fussy, characterful hen mid-fuss, feathers a little ruffled, one foot lifted, beak open in a cheerful squawk, bright alert eye. Beside it stands Mom, warm, soft, patient, a gentle smile, hands loosely clasped, watching the hen with fond amusement. Soft cream background. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "Mom" and "Hen" capitalised as printed). Mom and hen centred. Calm space around them.
Text: Mom has a hen. The hen is fun.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Mom in a simple home yard or kitchen-garden corner, the hen strutting about at her feet, full of bustle and opinion. Mom watches with an easy, fond smile. One or two simple shapes set the scene — a low fence, a plant pot. The mood: this hen is a handful, and Mom loves it.
Image prompt: Mom in a simple home yard or kitchen-garden corner, the hen strutting about at her feet, full of bustle and opinion. Mom watches with an easy, fond smile. One or two simple shapes set the scene, a low fence, a plant pot. The mood: this hen is a handful, and Mom loves it. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Mom and hen centred above it.
Text: "Sit in the pen, hen," said Mom.
Art brief: Mom crouching down to the hen's level, one hand gently gesturing toward a small, simple wooden pen (a low open box or fenced corner with a soft bit of straw). Her face is kind and inviting, not stern. The hen looks back at her, head cocked, plainly considering whether it agrees.
Image prompt: Mom crouching down to the hen's level, one hand gently gesturing toward a small, simple wooden pen. Her face is kind and inviting, not stern. The hen looks back at her, head cocked, plainly considering whether it agrees. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Mom and hen left, the empty pen clearly shown on the right. Bottom text band.
Text: The hen did not sit. The hen ran!
Art brief: The hen bolting away from the pen at full comic speed — wings half-out, legs a blur, an expression of cheerful mischief. The pen sits empty behind it. Mom, in frame, lifts her eyebrows with an amused "…well then" look. Nobody is upset.
Image prompt: The hen bolting away from the pen at full comic speed, wings half-out, legs a blur, an expression of cheerful mischief. The pen sits empty behind it. Mom, in frame, lifts her eyebrows with an amused "…well then" look. Nobody is upset. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hen running left to right, leading the eye to the page edge. Bottom text band.
Text: The hen can hop. Hop, hop, hop!
Art brief: The hen hopping in a cheerful little line — three hop-poses across the page, or one hen mid-hop with small dotted arcs tracing the bounce. Feathers bouncing, thoroughly pleased with itself.
Image prompt: The hen hopping in a cheerful little line, three hop-poses across the page, or one hen mid-hop with small dotted arcs tracing the bounce. Feathers bouncing, thoroughly pleased with itself. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hops travel left to right. Bottom text band.
Text: The hen can peck. Peck, peck, peck!
Art brief: The hen pecking busily at the ground — head down, tail up, tiny puffs of dust, a few seeds or specks scattered. Industrious and comic. Mom watches from the edge, hand on chin, smiling.
Image prompt: The hen pecking busily at the ground, head down, tail up, tiny puffs of dust, a few seeds or specks scattered. Industrious and comic. Mom watches from the edge, hand on chin, smiling. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hen centred, pecking. Bottom text band.
Text: "Where can the hen sit?" said Mom.
Art brief: The hook. Mom stands with a hand resting thoughtfully on her cheek, looking around the yard, genuinely wondering. The hen sits in the middle of it all, blinking innocently, as if it has no idea what the fuss is about. Where will the hen choose?
Image prompt: Mom stands with a hand resting thoughtfully on her cheek, looking around the yard, genuinely wondering. The hen sits in the middle of it all, blinking innocently, as if it has no idea what the fuss is about. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Mom looking off to one side (her gaze leads the reader to turn the page), the hen centred below. Bottom text band.
Text: Not in the pen. Not on a log.
Art brief: A split or two-part scene: the empty pen with a small "no" feeling (the hen clearly not in it), and a mossy log the hen is walking straight past with its beak in the air. Light and funny — the hen is being delightfully particular.
Image prompt: A split or two-part scene: the empty pen with a small "no" feeling, and a mossy log the hen is walking straight past with its beak in the air. Light and funny, the hen is being delightfully particular. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Two simple vignettes side by side, or pen left / log right. Bottom text band.
Text: Not in a bag. Not in a bed.
Art brief: Same idea, two more spots: a soft open bag tipped on its side, and a small pet bed — both empty, the hen strolling past both with its head turned firmly away, comically unimpressed. Mom trails behind, palms up, gently bewildered.
Image prompt: Same idea, two more spots: a soft open bag tipped on its side, and a small pet bed, both empty, the hen strolling past both with its head turned firmly away, comically unimpressed. Mom trails behind, palms up, gently bewildered. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Two vignettes, bag and bed. Bottom text band.
Text: Mom has a big red hat.
Art brief: Mom holding up a large, soft, red sun hat — a wide, inviting, bowl-shaped hat. She isn't offering it to the hen; she's just holding it, maybe about to put it on. But the hen, behind her, has spotted it — eye bright, body leaning toward the hat. The reader sees what is coming.
Image prompt: Mom holding up a large, soft, red sun hat, a wide, inviting, bowl-shaped hat. She isn't offering it to the hen; she's just holding it, maybe about to put it on. But the hen, behind her, has spotted it, eye bright, body leaning toward the hat. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Mom and the red hat centre-left, the hen eyeing it from behind. Bottom text band. The hat is the clear, glowing object.
Text: The hen can hop up. The hen sat on the hat!
Art brief: The payoff. The hen has hopped up and settled itself squarely on top of the big red hat — wings folded, feathers smooth, utterly serene, finally content. It chose the one spot nobody offered. Mom looks up at the hen on her hat with a wide, surprised, delighted laugh.
Image prompt: The hen has hopped up and settled itself squarely on top of the big red hat, wings folded, feathers smooth, utterly serene, finally content. It chose the one spot nobody offered. Mom looks up at the hen on her hat with a wide, surprised, delighted laugh. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hat with hen on top, centred — the comic peak. Mom's laughing face below. Bottom text band.
Text: A hen on a hat! Mom and the hen.
Art brief: Final warm spread. Mom is now wearing the big red hat — and the hen is riding happily on top of it like a small feathered crown, perfectly balanced and perfectly pleased. Mom walks along, beaming, entirely at ease with this arrangement. Soft warm light. The reader closes the book on a funny, cosy picture of two who simply belong together.
Image prompt: Final warm spread. Mom is now wearing the big red hat, and the hen is riding happily on top of it like a small feathered crown, perfectly balanced and perfectly pleased. Mom walks along, beaming, entirely at ease with this arrangement. Soft warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Mom and hat-with-hen, centred, walking. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child after Lesson 24, once b, f, l are
secure and the heart words said and where are on the binder ring. This is
the first reader with dialogue — point that out: "see the marks? someone
is talking."
The pattern: pages 7–8 run the search frame "Not in/on a ___." Let the child feel the rhythm and predict it. Pages 4–5 give the doubled-cheer pattern ("Hop, hop, hop!") — bouncy reps of final /p/ and final /k/.
The three reads:
The page-turn: at page 6 ("Where can the hen sit?") pause. Ask "Where do YOU think the hen will sit?" Take a guess or two, then turn the page.
Comprehension question: "Where did the hen sit in the end?" (Answer: on Mom's big red hat.) Then: "Did Mom mind? How do we know?" — the child reads Mom's delighted face on pages 10–11. That is the comprehension skill: the words never say Mom is happy; the picture does.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the final /n/ in hen, pen, in, can is easy
for Mandarin-L1 children (Mandarin has final /n/) — use these as confidence
words. Watch the final /t/ in hat, sat, not, sit and final /k/ in
peck — the tissue test. The /r/ in red, ran — keep the daily R/L drill.
Gate: read after Lesson 31 (the alphabet is complete — every single
letter, plus ck and qu).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One or two short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · has · a · big · box · fox · the · ran · to · what · is · in · can ·
tap · not · get · tip · did · cat · was · and · sat · nap
— 23 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), the (L11), to (L12), was (L14), and
(L13), what (L27). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC from letters taught by
Lesson 31 — box (b-o-x) and fox (f-o-x) use x from Lesson 28; big
(b-i-g), tap (t-a-p), tip (t-i-p), get (g-e-t). ran, did, sat are
decodable CVC past-tense words. Sam and cat carry over. Nothing outruns
the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 4 is the milestone reader for finishing the alphabet — so
it earns a little more story. A curious fox finds a mysterious box.
The heart word what carries the hook — "What is in the box?" — and the
middle pages build mild, gentle suspense as the fox taps and tips it. The
payoff reaches back across the whole series: the cat from Books 1–3 was
napping inside all along. Fright melts into friendship, and the book closes on
the cosy box-nap the cat has been teaching everyone since Book 1. The words
stay simple; the fox's curiosity and the surprise both live in the art.
Text: The Fox and the Box (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 4")
Art brief: A bright-eyed, slender fox — warm orange, bushy tail, alert pointed ears — peering with intense curiosity over the rim of a plain brown cardboard box, both front paws up on the edge, nose down, sniffing. Just the right amount of mischief in the eyes. The box is shut, ordinary, mysterious. Soft cream background.
Design the fox here — every later book draws it exactly the same: orange, slim, bright-eyed, a touch of mischief.
Image prompt: A bright-eyed, slender fox, warm orange, bushy tail, alert pointed ears, peering with intense curiosity over the rim of a plain brown cardboard box, both front paws up on the edge, nose down, sniffing. Just the right amount of mischief in the eyes. The box is shut, ordinary, mysterious. Soft cream background. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Fox", "Box" capitalised as printed). Fox and box centred. Calm space.
Text: Sam has a big box.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam — drawn exactly as in Books 1–3 — sitting on the home rug beside a large, plain, shut cardboard box. Sam pats the box, pleased with it, the way a child treasures an ordinary box. Cosy living room, soft daylight. (Optional: the faintest hint that the box is not quite empty — a whisker, a tuft of fur — but keep it almost invisible.)
Image prompt: Sam, drawn exactly as in Books 1–3, sitting on the home rug beside a large, plain, shut cardboard box. Sam pats the box, pleased with it, the way a child treasures an ordinary box. Cosy living room, soft daylight. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Sam and the box centred above it.
Text: A fox! The fox ran to the box.
Art brief: The fox arrives — bounding into the room at speed, tail streaming, eyes locked on the box, drawn to it like a magnet. Sam sits back, surprised and delighted, watching this new visitor. Energy and arrival.
Image prompt: The fox arrives, bounding into the room at speed, tail streaming, eyes locked on the box, drawn to it like a magnet. Sam sits back, surprised and delighted, watching this new visitor. Energy and arrival. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox running left to right toward the box, leading the eye. Sam at the side. Bottom text band.
Text: "What is in the box?"
Art brief: The hook. The fox stands right at the box now, leaning in close, nose almost touching it, ears pricked, one paw lifted — every line of the body asking the question. The box stays shut and silent. What IS in there?
Image prompt: The fox stands right at the box now, leaning in close, nose almost touching it, ears pricked, one paw lifted, every line of the body asking the question. The box stays shut and silent. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox and box centred, the fox's whole posture pointing into the box. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox can tap the box. Tap, tap, tap!
Art brief: The fox tapping the side of the box with one careful paw — head tilted, listening hard for any answer from inside. Three little tap-marks or sound-puffs. Comic concentration.
Image prompt: The fox tapping the side of the box with one careful paw, head tilted, listening hard for any answer from inside. Three little tap-marks or sound-puffs. Comic concentration. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox tapping the box, both centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox can not get in.
Art brief: The fox trying to climb the box — front paws scrabbling up the side, back legs pushing, slipping back down — the box too tall and smooth, the lid shut. Determined and a bit comically thwarted. Sam watches, hand to mouth, amused.
Image prompt: The fox trying to climb the box, front paws scrabbling up the side, back legs pushing, slipping back down, the box too tall and smooth, the lid shut. Determined and a bit comically thwarted. Sam watches, hand to mouth, amused. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox mid-scrabble against the box. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox can tip the box.
Art brief: New idea. The fox has put both front paws low on the side of the box and is shoving — body braced, tail out for balance, a clever gleam in its eye. The box leans, just starting to rock.
Image prompt: The fox has put both front paws low on the side of the box and is shoving, body braced, tail out for balance, a clever gleam in its eye. The box leans, just starting to rock. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox pushing low, box tilting. A slight diagonal to the whole scene. Bottom text band.
Text: Tip, tip... the box did tip!
Art brief: The box goes over — caught at the moment it topples onto its side, lid flapping open, a little puff of motion. The fox hops back, eyes wide. Sam leans in. Something is about to come out.
Image prompt: The box goes over, caught at the moment it topples onto its side, lid flapping open, a little puff of motion. The fox hops back, eyes wide. Sam leans in. Something is about to come out. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Box mid-topple, open end starting to face the reader. Fox recoiling at the side. Bottom text band. This is the page-turn page — leave the reader hanging.
Text: A cat!
Art brief: The surprise. Out of the open box rolls the tabby cat from Books 1–3 — sleepy, rumpled, blinking, mid-stretch, distinctly unimpressed at being woken. The fox sits bolt upright, ears flat, eyes huge — a comic fright. Sam bursts out laughing.
Image prompt: Out of the open box rolls the tabby cat from Books 1–3, sleepy, rumpled, blinking, mid-stretch, distinctly unimpressed at being woken. The fox sits bolt upright, ears flat, eyes huge, a comic fright. Sam bursts out laughing. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat tumbling out of the box centre, fox startled at the side. Bottom text band. The fox's frozen surprise is the joke.
Text: The cat was in the box.
Art brief: A calm beat. The cat sits beside the tipped-over box, fully awake now, giving its paw a dignified lick — of course I was in the box, I nap everywhere. The fox stares at the cat, fright fading into wonder. Sam grins.
Image prompt: The cat sits beside the tipped-over box, fully awake now, giving its paw a dignified lick, of course I was in the box, I nap everywhere. The fox stares at the cat, fright fading into wonder. Sam grins. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat and box centre, fox watching. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox and the cat sat.
Art brief: The fox and the cat sitting side by side now, looking at each other — the fox's ears come up, friendly and curious; the cat blinks at it, calm and accepting. A quiet little moment of two becoming friends.
Image prompt: The fox and the cat sitting side by side now, looking at each other, the fox's ears come up, friendly and curious; the cat blinks at it, calm and accepting. A quiet little moment of two becoming friends. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox and cat side by side, centred, facing each other. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox can get in. The cat can get in.
Art brief: The box is righted again, open end up. The fox is climbing in over one side, the cat stepping in over the other — both heading into the box together, tails up, delighted. Sam holds the box steady, laughing.
Image prompt: The box is righted again, open end up. The fox is climbing in over one side, the cat stepping in over the other, both heading into the box together, tails up, delighted. Sam holds the box steady, laughing. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Box centred, fox and cat climbing in from each side. Bottom text band.
Text: A fox and a cat in a box. Nap, fox. Nap, cat.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. The fox and the cat are curled up together inside the box, two warm shapes nested into one — the fox's bushy tail over the cat, the cat tucked in close, both fast asleep. Sam sits beside the box, chin on hands, beaming down at the pair. Soft warm light. The reader closes the book on the same cosy box-nap the cat has been teaching since Book 1.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. The fox and the cat are curled up together inside the box, two warm shapes nested into one, the fox's bushy tail over the cat, the cat tucked in close, both fast asleep. Sam sits beside the box, chin on hands, beaming down at the pair. Soft warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The box with fox and cat curled inside, Sam close behind, all centred. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child after Lesson 31 — the alphabet is complete. Mark it: "you have learned every letter in English. Here is your book for that." Book 4 is a real milestone.
The pattern: Book 4 is less of a strict pattern book and more of a small story with a beginning, a middle and a turn — that is the growth from Books 1–3. The repeated "Tap, tap, tap!" (page 4) and "Tip, tip…" (page 7) still give the child predictable, fluent moments.
The three reads:
The page-turn: at page 7 ("the box did tip!") STOP. Ask "What do you think will come out of the box?" Take guesses. Then turn to page 8.
Comprehension question: "Who was hiding in the box?" (Answer: the cat.) Then: "How did the fox feel when the cat came out? How do you know?" — the child reads the fox's flat ears and huge eyes on page 8. The words never say the fox was startled; the picture does. That is the comprehension skill.
Series note: this is the first book where the cast crosses over — the cat the child has known since Book 1 surprises everyone. If the child has read the earlier books, ask: "Have you met this cat before?"
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the x in box and fox is a /ks/ blend —
Mandarin-L1 children tend to simplify it to /s/ ("bos"). Say it slowly:
"bo-k-s." Watch the final /p/ in tap, tip and final /t/ in cat, sat,
not, what — the tissue test. The /r/ in ran — keep the daily R/L drill.
Gate: read after Lesson 34 (Phase 1 close — every letter mastered, three review lessons done). Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "Sam Can Read" — but read carries the
ea vowel team, which is not taught until the Green Phase. Retitled to a fully
decodable line that also lands the series' closing motif.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
a · cat · and · pup · hen · fox · Sam · Mom · Dad · they · can · run · hop ·
the · nap · on · mat · dig · peck · sit · with · sun · is · hot · it · fun ·
big
— 27 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), and (L13), the (L11), they (L31),
with (L34). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC from letters taught in
Phase 1 — dig (d-i-g), peck (p-e-ck), mat (m-a-t), sun (s-u-n), fun
(f-u-n), big (b-i-g). Sam, Mom, Dad, cat, pup, hen, fox are all
decodable proper names / nouns from earlier books. The whole book is present
tense — no past-tense forms at all. Nothing outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 5 is the Phase 1 capstone — so it gathers the whole
cast the child has collected across Books 1–4. The first three pages are a warm
roll-call: the cat and pup, the hen and fox, then Sam, Mom and Dad. The new
heart word they lets the book speak about the group — "They can run! They
can hop!" — a joyful consolidation of every CVC verb the child now owns. It
closes on the biggest version of the series' signature image: not one sleeper,
but everyone, piled together. The reader finishes Phase 1 on a page that
says, quietly, you know all of these now.
Text: A Big Nap (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 5")
Art brief: The whole cast asleep in one warm heap — Sam in the middle, the cat, the pup, the hen and the fox all curled and nestled against Sam and each other, a single cosy pile of friends. Soft cream background, gentle gold light. Every character drawn exactly as in their first book.
Image prompt: The whole cast asleep in one warm heap, Sam in the middle, the cat, the pup, the hen and the fox all curled and nestled against Sam and each other, a single cosy pile of friends. Soft cream background, gentle gold light. Every character drawn exactly as in their first book. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "A" and "Big"/"Nap" capitalised as printed). The sleeping pile centred, generous calm space around it.
Text: A cat and a pup.
Art brief: The tabby cat and the puppy together — the cat sitting calm and composed, the pup bouncing beside it, ears up. The Book 1–2 pair, side by side, clearly old friends. Soft daylight, the home rug.
Image prompt: The tabby cat and the puppy together, the cat sitting calm and composed, the pup bouncing beside it, ears up. The Book 1–2 pair, side by side, clearly old friends. Soft daylight, the home rug. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Cat and pup centred above it.
Text: A hen and a fox.
Art brief: The hen and the fox together — the hen mid-fuss, feathers lively; the fox bright-eyed beside it, a glint of friendly mischief. The Book 3–4 pair. They are getting along fine.
Image prompt: The hen and the fox together, the hen mid-fuss, feathers lively; the fox bright-eyed beside it, a glint of friendly mischief. The Book 3–4 pair. They are getting along fine. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hen and fox centred. Bottom text band. Mirror the layout of page 1.
Text: Sam, Mom, and Dad.
Art brief: The three people of the series together — Sam in front, Mom and Dad behind, all warm and smiling, a small happy family. (Dad is drawn here for the first full time — warm, soft clothing, a kind face; design him to match Mom's gentle style.) The cosy home around them.
Image prompt: The three people of the series together, Sam in front, Mom and Dad behind, all warm and smiling, a small happy family. The cosy home around them. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The three centred, Sam slightly forward. Bottom text band.
Text: They can run!
Art brief: The big joyful scene — everyone running together across a sunny yard or room: Sam, Mom, Dad, the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox, all in happy motion, tails and feathers and arms streaming. Pure celebration. Bright, warm, full of life.
Image prompt: The big joyful scene, everyone running together across a sunny yard or room: Sam, Mom, Dad, the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox, all in happy motion, tails and feathers and arms streaming. Pure celebration. Bright, warm, full of life. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: A wide scene, the whole cast moving left to right. Bottom text band.
Text: They can hop!
Art brief: The same gang now all hopping — a row of bounces, every character mid-air, big grins, the pup highest of all. Joyful chaos, but clear and uncluttered.
Image prompt: The same gang now all hopping, a row of bounces, every character mid-air, big grins, the pup highest of all. Joyful chaos, but clear and uncluttered. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Wide scene, everyone mid-hop. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat can nap on a mat.
Art brief: A quieter beat — the cat has peeled off from the game and curled up on its mat for a classic Book 1 nap, calm and content, one eye half-open. The others can be hinted at the edges, still playing.
Image prompt: A quieter beat, the cat has peeled off from the game and curled up on its mat for a classic Book 1 nap, calm and content, one eye half-open. The others can be hinted at the edges, still playing. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat and mat centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can dig. Dig, pup, dig!
Art brief: The pup digging with gleeful abandon — front paws blurring, a little spray of dirt or sand flying back, bottom in the air, tongue out. Sam cheers it on from the side.
Image prompt: The pup digging with gleeful abandon, front paws blurring, a little spray of dirt or sand flying back, bottom in the air, tongue out. Sam cheers it on from the side. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup digging centre, small spray of dirt. Bottom text band.
Text: The hen can peck. Peck, hen, peck!
Art brief: The hen pecking busily — head down, tail up, industrious and comic, a few specks scattered around. The hen at its happiest.
Image prompt: The hen pecking busily, head down, tail up, industrious and comic, a few specks scattered around. The hen at its happiest. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hen centred, pecking. Bottom text band. Echo the layout of page 7.
Text: The fox can sit with Sam.
Art brief: A warm, gentle page — the fox has come to sit close beside Sam, leaning lightly into Sam's side, calm and trusting. Sam has an arm softly around the fox. The mischievous fox of Book 4 is settled and content here. Quiet affection.
Image prompt: A warm, gentle page, the fox has come to sit close beside Sam, leaning lightly into Sam's side, calm and trusting. Sam has an arm softly around the fox. The mischievous fox of Book 4 is settled and content here. Quiet affection. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and fox together, centred, close. Bottom text band.
Text: The sun is hot. It is fun!
Art brief: A wide, warm midday scene — the whole cast scattered happily across a sun-filled yard, each doing its own thing, the golden light pouring over everything. The day is at its full, lovely height. Everyone content.
Image prompt: A wide, warm midday scene, the whole cast scattered happily across a sun-filled yard, each doing its own thing, the golden light pouring over everything. The day is at its full, lovely height. Everyone content. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Wide sunny scene, the cast spread across it. Bottom text band.
Text: It is hot. They can nap.
Art brief: The wind-down. One by one the cast is settling — Sam yawning, the pup slowing, the hen tucking its head, the fox circling to lie down, Mom and Dad easing down onto the rug. The warm light softens. Sleep is coming.
Image prompt: One by one the cast is settling, Sam yawning, the pup slowing, the hen tucking its head, the fox circling to lie down, Mom and Dad easing down onto the rug. The warm light softens. Sleep is coming. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The cast drifting toward a central resting spot. Bottom text band.
Text: A cat, a pup, a hen, a fox, and Sam. A big nap!
Art brief: The capstone spread — the full cover image paid off in the story: Sam, the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox (with Mom and Dad softly behind) all curled into one big warm sleeping heap. Every tail tucked, every face peaceful. Soft gold light over the whole pile. The reader closes Phase 1 on the biggest, warmest nap of the series — everyone the child has met, together.
Image prompt: The full cover image paid off in the story: Sam, the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox all curled into one big warm sleeping heap. Every tail tucked, every face peaceful. Soft gold light over the whole pile. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The sleeping pile centred, generous calm space. The first line is a gentle roll-call; the second line, larger, is the button. Bottom text band.
When: hand it to the child at the close of Phase 1, after Lesson 34. This is the celebration book — "you have finished Phase 1. You can read every short-vowel word. Here is the book with everyone in it."
The pattern: pages 1–3 are a roll-call the child can read with rising pride — each page names friends the child already knows. Pages 4–5 ("They can run! They can hop!") are pure consolidation: short, joyful, fluent. Pages 7–8 bring back the doubled cheer ("Dig, pup, dig!").
The three reads:
The page-turn: Book 5 has no single suspense hook — it is a celebration, not a mystery. Instead, pause on page 3 and ask "Who do you think they will ALL do together?" — then enjoy pages 4–5 as the answer.
Comprehension question: "Who is in the big nap at the end?" (Answer: everyone — the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox, Sam, Mom and Dad.) Then: "Which friend did you meet first?" — a chance to look back across Books 1–4.
A Phase 1 milestone: consider letting the child read this one aloud to a parent or a younger friend. After five books, reading TO someone is the natural next step — and Book 5, with its warm roll-call, is built for it.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: this book is consolidation — use it to check
final stops across the whole cast of words: final /t/ (cat, mat, hot,
it, sit), final /p/ (pup, hop, nap), final /k/ (peck), final /g/
(dig, big, pup… ). Tissue test on any that have gone soft. The /r/ in
run and the /th/ in they, the, with — keep the daily drills going.
Gate: read after Lesson 37 (Phase 2 — short a, i, o drilled to automaticity). Pages: cover + 12 story pages. Two or three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "A Hot Dog and a Big Pig." Retitled to
feature the recurring pup (established cast, Book 2) instead of a one-off
dog — series cohesion. The book still leans on short a / i / o, with the
recurring pup and a handful of short-u words, all taught by Lesson 19.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
The · sun · is · hot · pup · can · not · nap · a · pig · in · mud · bad · hop ·
dig · had · fun · it · and · Sam · ran · to · you · are
— 24 words total.
Heart words used: the (L11), a (L8), and (L13), to (L12), you
(L20), are (L20). All introduced well before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: every other word is pure CVC — pig (p-i-g), mud
(m-u-d), bad (b-a-d), hop (h-o-p), dig (d-i-g), fun (f-u-n), sun
(s-u-n). ran (r-a-n) and had (h-a-d) are decodable CVC past-tense words.
Sam, pup, pig are decodable nouns. Nothing outruns the child's
phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 6 is a real little story — a small want, a doubt, a resolution. The pup is too hot to nap. It finds a pig sitting cool and happy in the mud. The hook is the pup's hesitation — "Is mud bad?" — a doubt the child recognises. The pig shows the way, the pup takes the leap, and the mud turns out to be the best thing in the world. It closes warm and funny: everyone happily filthy. The pup's hesitation and then its joy live in the art — the words only carry the bare facts.
Text: The Pup and the Pig (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 6")
Art brief: The pup (drawn exactly as in Book 2 — small, round, floppy-eared) and a cheerful, round pig sitting side by side at the edge of a glorious brown mud puddle. The pig is already a little muddy and beaming; the pup is clean, eyeing the mud with a mix of longing and doubt. Soft cream background, warm sun.
Design the pig here — plump, friendly, pink, a happy curl of a tail. It is a Phase-2 visitor, not anchored cast, but draw it consistently within this book.
Image prompt: The pup and a cheerful, round pig sitting side by side at the edge of a glorious brown mud puddle. The pig is already a little muddy and beaming; the pup is clean, eyeing the mud with a mix of longing and doubt. Soft cream background, warm sun. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Pup", "Pig" capitalised as printed). Pup and pig centred at the mud's edge.
Text: The sun is hot. The pup is hot. The pup can not nap.
Art brief: A bright, almost too-warm scene. The pup lies on the ground in full sun, panting, ears limp, eyes squeezed half-shut — trying to nap and failing, too hot to settle. The sun blazes gold above. The mood: uncomfortable — the pup wants relief.
Image prompt: A bright, almost too-warm scene. The pup lies on the ground in full sun, panting, ears limp, eyes squeezed half-shut, trying to nap and failing, too hot to settle. The sun blazes gold above. The mood: uncomfortable, the pup wants relief. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup centred, lying down, the big sun above. Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Three short sentences — keep them well spaced.
Text: A pig! The pig is in mud.
Art brief: The pup lifts its head — and there is a round, cheerful pig, sitting right down in a wide brown mud puddle, utterly content, a blissful little smile. The pup stares, ears coming up with interest.
Image prompt: The pup lifts its head, and there is a round, cheerful pig, sitting right down in a wide brown mud puddle, utterly content, a blissful little smile. The pup stares, ears coming up with interest. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig in the mud, centred; the pup at the edge of the frame, lifting its head toward it. Bottom text band.
Text: The pig is in the mud. The pig is not hot.
Art brief: Closer on the pig — eyes shut, smiling, deeply cool and happy in the mud, maybe a tiny "ahhh" of bliss. The point the child should read off the picture: the mud is keeping the pig cool. The pup watches, working this out.
Image prompt: Closer on the pig, eyes shut, smiling, deeply cool and happy in the mud, maybe a tiny "ahhh" of bliss. The point the child should read off the picture: the mud is keeping the pig cool. The pup watches, working this out. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig blissful in the mud, centred. Pup observing from the side. Bottom text band.
Text: "Is mud bad?" The pup can not hop in.
Art brief: The doubt. The pup stands right at the edge of the mud, one paw lifted over it, leaning forward — but hesitating, ears uncertain, brow furrowed. It wants to, but mud looks messy and strange. Will the pup jump in?
Image prompt: The pup stands right at the edge of the mud, one paw lifted over it, leaning forward, but hesitating, ears uncertain, brow furrowed. It wants to, but mud looks messy and strange. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup at the mud's edge, one paw raised, the whole body caught between wanting and worrying. Bottom text band.
Text: The pig can dig in the mud. Dig, pig, dig!
Art brief: The pig demonstrating pure joy — digging into the mud with its snout and trotters, mud flying up in happy brown arcs, grinning hugely. An invitation in motion. The pup watches, doubt starting to crack into a grin.
Image prompt: The pig demonstrating pure joy, digging into the mud with its snout and trotters, mud flying up in happy brown arcs, grinning hugely. An invitation in motion. The pup watches, doubt starting to crack into a grin. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig digging centre, mud arcs around it. Pup at the side, warming up. Bottom text band.
Text: The mud is fun! It is not bad.
Art brief: The pig pauses, looks straight at the pup, and gives a wide, welcoming smile — come on in, it's wonderful. The pup's face has changed: the worry is gone, replaced by an eager grin. The decision is made.
Image prompt: The pig pauses, looks straight at the pup, and gives a wide, welcoming smile, come on in, it's wonderful. The pup's face has changed: the worry is gone, replaced by an eager grin. The decision is made. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig and pup facing each other across the mud's edge, both grinning now. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can hop in!
Art brief: The leap. The pup launches itself into the mud — all four legs out, ears up, a joyful airborne commitment, a big brown splash starting beneath it. Pure glee. The moment of bravery rewarded.
Image prompt: The pup launches itself into the mud, all four legs out, ears up, a joyful airborne commitment, a big brown splash starting beneath it. Pure glee. The moment of bravery rewarded. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup mid-leap over the mud, splash forming. Bottom text band. A high-energy page.
Text: The pup is in the mud! The mud is not bad.
Art brief: The pup sitting right down in the mud now, plastered in glorious brown, eyes wide with delighted surprise — this is the BEST thing. The pig beside it, thrilled to have company.
Image prompt: The pup sitting right down in the mud now, plastered in glorious brown, eyes wide with delighted surprise, this is the BEST thing. The pig beside it, thrilled to have company. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup and pig together in the mud, both centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup is not hot. The pup had fun.
Art brief: The pup cool, relaxed and blissful in the mud — the exact content the pig had on page 3, now on the pup's face. The hot, restless pup of page 1 is gone. Relief and joy.
Image prompt: The pup cool, relaxed and blissful in the mud, the exact content the pig had on page 3, now on the pup's face. The hot, restless pup of page 1 is gone. Relief and joy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup blissful in the mud, centred. Bottom text band. Echo the composition of page 3 — the pup has become the cool, happy one.
Text: The pig and the pup can dig. Dig, dig, dig!
Art brief: The two friends digging side by side in the mud, brown arcs flying everywhere, both laughing — a shared, messy, delighted game. The friendship is sealed.
Image prompt: The two friends digging side by side in the mud, brown arcs flying everywhere, both laughing, a shared, messy, delighted game. The friendship is sealed. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig and pup digging together, mud flying. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam ran to the pup. "You are in mud, pup!"
Art brief: Sam comes running up — and stops, hands flying to mouth, at the sight of a completely mud-caked pup. But Sam's face is pure laughter, not anger — look at the state of you! The pup beams up at Sam, unrepentant and happy.
Image prompt: Sam comes running up, and stops, hands flying to mouth, at the sight of a completely mud-caked pup. But Sam's face is pure laughter, not anger, look at the state of you! The pup beams up at Sam, unrepentant and happy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam arriving at the side, the muddy pup and pig in the mud centred. Bottom text band.
Text: A pig in the mud. A pup in the mud. It is fun!
Art brief: Final warm, funny spread. The pig and the pup are both settled happily in the mud, two cosy muddy shapes, grinning out at the reader. Sam sits at the edge, laughing, and — the last little joke — one of Sam's hands is reaching down to dip a finger in the mud too. Soft warm light. The reader closes the book on shared, silly, cooling-off joy.
Image prompt: Final warm, funny spread. The pig and the pup are both settled happily in the mud, two cosy muddy shapes, grinning out at the reader. Sam sits at the edge, laughing, and, the last little joke, one of Sam's hands is reaching down to dip a finger in the mud too. Soft warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig and pup in the mud, Sam at the edge dipping a hand in. All centred. Two short lines plus the button, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 2, after Lesson 37. This is the first of the "real story" readers — there is a problem (too hot), a doubt (is mud bad?) and a resolution. Point that out: "this one is a proper story."
The pattern: Book 6 is more story than pattern, but the cheers still give fluent, predictable moments — "Dig, pig, dig!" (page 5) and "Dig, dig, dig!" (page 10). Pages 3 and 9 are deliberately composed the same so the child sees the pup has BECOME the cool, happy one.
The three reads:
The page-turn: at page 4 ("Is mud bad?") pause. Ask "Do you think the pup should hop in? What would YOU do?" Then turn to page 5.
Comprehension question: "Why was the pup hot at the start, and not hot at the end?" (Answer: the mud cooled it down.) Then: "Was Sam angry about the mud? How do you know?" — the child reads Sam's laughing face on page 11. The words never say Sam was amused; the picture does.
A note on the doubt: the small lesson of Book 6 is that the scary-looking thing (the mud) turned out to be wonderful. If a child in your class is hesitant about something new, this is a gentle book to read with them.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: lots of short-vowel contrast practice here — pup
/ pig, hot / hop, mud / mad (if compared). Run the minimal pairs.
Final stops: /t/ in hot, not, it; /p/ in pup, hop, nap; /g/ in
pig, dig. Tissue test. The /r/ in ran — daily R/L drill.
Gate: read after Lesson 40 (Phase 2 — all five short vowels drilled, the mixed minimal-pair lesson done). Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to two short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "Cat? Cot? Cut!" — but cut is an
action, not a place, and never fits the hide-and-seek story. Retitled to
Cat? Cot? Cup? — all three words appear in the book, and the trio captures
the short-a / short-o / short-u contrast that Lesson 40 drills.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Where · is · the · cat · said · Sam · on · cot · No · it · a · in · cap · cup ·
bed · bin · sat · was · sad · ran · up · to · sun · had · nap · not
— 26 words total.
Heart words used: Where (L24), the (L11), said (L22), a (L8),
was (L14), to (L12). All introduced well before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the five near-miss words deliberately walk every short
vowel — cot (o), cap (a), cup (u), bed (e), bin (i) — and cat (a)
is the word the child is hunting for. No is a decodable CV word (n-o). said,
sat, ran, had are decodable / heart past-tense words. Nothing outruns
the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 7 is built directly on the Lesson 40 minimal-pair drill —
the search itself is a vowel-discrimination game. Sam hunts for the cat
and keeps finding look-alike, sound-alike words instead. The frame "Is the cat
[place]? No! It is a [thing]." repeats five times — the child predicts it and
reads fluently, while the eye and ear practise telling cat from cot, cap,
cup, bed, bin. Page 7 breaks the frame with a small low point — Sam can't
find the cat — and the resolution is the warm series joke: the cat was in the
sunniest, cosiest, most obvious spot the whole time.
Text: Cat? Cot? Cup? (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 7")
Art brief: A playful puzzle of a cover — the tabby cat in the middle, and around it three look-alike objects drawn at the same size and angle: a small folding cot, and a cup. The cat sits among them with a knowing half-smile, as if enjoying the confusion. Soft cream background, the three shapes spaced out and clear.
Image prompt: A playful puzzle of a cover, the tabby cat in the middle, and around it three look-alike objects drawn at the same size and angle: a small folding cot, and a cup. The cat sits among them with a knowing half-smile, as if enjoying the confusion. Soft cream background, the three shapes spaced out and clear. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "Cat", "Cot", "Cup" capitalised as printed — each followed by its question mark). The cat and objects arranged below with calm space between them.
Text: "Where is the cat?" said Sam.
Art brief: Sam (drawn exactly as in earlier books) standing in the cosy home, hands lifted in a searching gesture, head turning, eyes scanning — clearly looking for someone. The cat is nowhere in sight. The mood: a friendly hunt begins.
Image prompt: Sam standing in the cosy home, hands lifted in a searching gesture, head turning, eyes scanning, clearly looking for someone. The cat is nowhere in sight. The mood: a friendly hunt begins. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam centred, mid-search. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: Is the cat on the cot? No! It is a cot.
Art brief: Sam peering hopefully at a small folding cot — and the cot is plainly empty, just a neat little bed with no cat on it. Sam's face: a small hopeful lift, then a comic nope. The cot is the clear, unambiguous object.
Image prompt: Sam peering hopefully at a small folding cot, and the cot is plainly empty, just a neat little bed with no cat on it. Sam's face: a small hopeful lift, then a comic nope. The cot is the clear, unambiguous object. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the empty cot, centred. Bottom text band. Two sentences — give the "No!" its own breath.
Text: Is the cat in the cap? No! It is a cap.
Art brief: Sam lifting and peering inside a soft cap — the cap is empty, just a hat turned over. Same hopeful-then-comic beat on Sam's face. Keep the cap drawn clearly different from the cot.
Image prompt: Sam lifting and peering inside a soft cap, the cap is empty, just a hat turned over. Same hopeful-then-comic beat on Sam's face. Keep the cap drawn clearly different from the cot. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam holding the cap, looking in. Bottom text band. Echo the layout of page 2.
Text: Is the cat in the cup? No! It is a cup.
Art brief: Sam tilting to look into a large cup — far too small for a cat, which is part of the gentle joke. The cup is empty. Sam's of course not expression.
Image prompt: Sam tilting to look into a large cup, far too small for a cat, which is part of the gentle joke. The cup is empty. Sam's of course not expression. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the cup, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: Is the cat in the bed? No! It is a bed.
Art brief: Sam lifting a blanket on a bed, hopeful — the bed is empty, covers rumpled, no cat. Sam's search is getting a little more anxious now; let the worry begin to show, just slightly, around the eyes.
Image prompt: Sam lifting a blanket on a bed, hopeful, the bed is empty, covers rumpled, no cat. Sam's search is getting a little more anxious now; let the worry begin to show, just slightly, around the eyes. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam at the bed, lifting the cover. Bottom text band.
Text: Is the cat in the bin? No! It is a bin.
Art brief: Sam peering right down into a bin — a last, slightly desperate place to look. The bin is empty. Sam's face has tipped from hopeful into genuinely worried now.
Image prompt: Sam peering right down into a bin, a last, slightly desperate place to look. The bin is empty. Sam's face has tipped from hopeful into genuinely worried now. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam leaning over the bin. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam sat. Sam was sad.
Art brief: The low point — and the frame breaks. Sam sits down on the floor, shoulders dropped, chin in hands, looking small and sad. The cat is still nowhere to be seen. Quiet and gentle — not distressing, just the honest dip before the turn.
Image prompt: The low point, and the frame breaks. Sam sits down on the floor, shoulders dropped, chin in hands, looking small and sad. The cat is still nowhere to be seen. Quiet and gentle, not distressing, just the honest dip before the turn. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam sitting alone, centred, generous empty space around to let the loneliness read. Bottom text band.
Text: "Sam!"
Art brief: The turn. Sam's head snaps up — eyes wide, hopeful — at a sound. A warm beam of sunlight falls across one side of the scene, and at the edge of it, just out of full view, is the tip of a familiar tabby tail. The cat is near.
Image prompt: Sam's head snaps up, eyes wide, hopeful, at a sound. A warm beam of sunlight falls across one side of the scene, and at the edge of it, just out of full view, is the tip of a familiar tabby tail. The cat is near. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam looking up and off toward the light. The hint of tail at the frame edge. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat ran up to Sam.
Art brief: The cat trotting happily across the room straight to Sam — tail high, calm and pleased, entirely unaware it was ever "lost." Sam is already lighting up, arms beginning to open.
Image prompt: The cat trotting happily across the room straight to Sam, tail high, calm and pleased, entirely unaware it was ever "lost." Sam is already lighting up, arms beginning to open. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat moving toward Sam, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat was in the sun. The cat had a nap.
Art brief: A small flashback-feeling image, or the cat looking back over its shoulder toward a warm, sunlit windowsill (or sun-pool on the floor) where a cat-shaped dent is still visible in a cushion. The answer to the mystery: the cat was in the cosiest, sunniest, most obvious spot — exactly where a cat always is — while Sam searched all the odd places.
Image prompt: A small flashback-feeling image, or the cat looking back over its shoulder toward a warm, sunlit windowsill where a cat-shaped dent is still visible in a cushion. The answer to the mystery: the cat was in the cosiest, sunniest, most obvious spot, exactly where a cat always is, while Sam searched all the odd places. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The cat foreground, the sunny napping spot behind it. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat sat on Sam.
Art brief: The cat curled into a contented circle on Sam's lap. Sam, sitting cross-legged, looks down at the cat — the sadness completely gone, replaced by pure relief and warmth. One hand resting gently on the cat.
Image prompt: The cat curled into a contented circle on Sam's lap. Sam, sitting cross-legged, looks down at the cat, the sadness completely gone, replaced by pure relief and warmth. One hand resting gently on the cat. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and cat together, centred — the emotional heart of the book. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam is not sad. The cat is on Sam! Nap, cat.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. Sam sits in the warm sunlight with the cat curled and asleep on their lap — found, safe, home. Sam beams down at it. Soft gold light, generous calm space. The reader closes the book on warmth, the worry of pages 6–7 fully resolved.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. Sam sits in the warm sunlight with the cat curled and asleep on their lap, found, safe, home. Sam beams down at it. Soft gold light, generous calm space. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and cat together, centred, in the sun. Three short sentences — keep them well spaced; the last, "Nap, cat," is the quiet button. Bottom text band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 2, after Lesson 40 — the mixed minimal-pair lesson. Book 7 turns that drill into a story.
The pattern: pages 2–6 run the frame "Is the cat [place]? No! It is a
[thing]." five times. The five "things" — cot, cap, cup, bed, bin —
deliberately walk all five short vowels. As the child reads each one, they are
doing the Lesson 40 vowel-discrimination drill inside a story they care about.
Slow down on each "No!" — it is the child telling cat apart from its
look-alikes.
The three reads:
cot, cap, cup, bed, bin — ask: "Is that the same
as cat? What is different?" The vowel.The page-turn: at page 7 ("Sam was sad") pause. Ask "Where do you think the cat really is?" Then turn the page.
Comprehension question: "Where was the cat all along?" (Answer: in the sun, having a nap.) Then: "Why could Sam not find it?" — Sam looked in odd places (a cup, a bin) and not the obvious cosy sunny spot. A gentle, funny point.
A minimal-pair extension: after the three reads, lay out the picture cards
for cat, cot, cap, cup, bed, bin and play the listen-and-point game
from the Lesson 40 drill. The book has primed the child for exactly this.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: this is THE vowel book. cat / cot / cup is
the a–o–u triangle; bed adds /ĕ/, bin adds /ĭ/. Mandarin-L1 children find
/ă/ and /ĕ/ hardest — mirror work on those two. Final stops: /t/ in cat,
cot, it, not, sat; /p/ in cap, cup, up, nap. Tissue test.
Gate: read after Lesson 41 (Phase 2 close — the FLSZ doubling rule:
f, l, s, z double after a short vowel at the end of a word).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
The · bell · on · hill · Sam · has · a · red · is · fun · ran · up · puff ·
sat · top · of · pup · hit · fell · off · get · said · cat · will · got · and ·
had
— 27 words total.
Heart words used: The (L11), a (L8), of (L15), said (L22), and
(L13). All introduced well before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the FLSZ doubling rule is the new tool, and the book
showcases it — bell (b-e-ll), hill (h-i-ll), puff (p-u-ff), fell
(f-e-ll), off (o-ff), will (w-i-ll). Every other word is plain CVC — red
(r-e-d), top (t-o-p), hit (h-i-t), got (g-o-t). ran, sat, hit,
fell, got, had are decodable past-tense words. Nothing outruns the
child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 8 closes Phase 2 by putting the brand-new doubling rule to
work in a story. Sam carries a bell up a hill — the doubled words are
the title and the setting. The bouncy pup (established cast) knocks the
bell, it fell off, and rolls down — every key beat is an FLSZ word the
child has just learned. The hook is a clean question using the new heart-rule
word will: "Will the pup get the bell?" It closes warm: the bell back on
the hill, the friends together. The chase and the rescue play out in the
art — the words stay short and FLSZ-rich.
Text: The Bell on the Hill (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 8")
Art brief: A bright, simple red bell sitting at the very top of a soft, rounded green hill, a small curl of path winding up to it. Tiny at the bottom of the hill, looking up, are Sam and the pup — the scale makes the hill feel like a real little adventure. Soft cream sky, warm light.
Image prompt: A bright, simple red bell sitting at the very top of a soft, rounded green hill, a small curl of path winding up to it. Tiny at the bottom of the hill, looking up, are Sam and the pup, the scale makes the hill feel like a real little adventure. Soft cream sky, warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Bell", "Hill" capitalised as printed). The hill rising from the lower frame, the red bell at its peak, Sam and pup small at the base.
Text: Sam has a red bell. The bell is fun.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam in the cosy home or yard, holding up a shiny red bell with both hands, delighted by it — the way a child loves one good simple toy. The pup bounces at Sam's feet, eyeing the bell with interest.
Image prompt: Sam in the cosy home or yard, holding up a shiny red bell with both hands, delighted by it, the way a child loves one good simple toy. The pup bounces at Sam's feet, eyeing the bell with interest. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the bell centred, pup below. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: Sam ran up a hill. Puff, puff, puff!
Art brief: Sam climbing the rounded green hill, the red bell tucked under one arm, working hard — cheeks puffed, little effort-clouds, a determined grin. The hill is a proper climb. The pup scrambles up behind.
Image prompt: Sam climbing the rounded green hill, the red bell tucked under one arm, working hard, cheeks puffed, little effort-clouds, a determined grin. The hill is a proper climb. The pup scrambles up behind. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam mid-climb on the diagonal of the hill, pup behind. Bottom text band. The "Puff, puff, puff!" is the fluent, fun line.
Text: The bell sat on top of the hill.
Art brief: Sam has reached the top and set the red bell down right at the peak of the hill. Sam stands beside it, hands on hips, proud — a job done. A wide view of the gentle hill dropping away below. The bell gleams at the top.
Image prompt: Sam has reached the top and set the red bell down right at the peak of the hill. Sam stands beside it, hands on hips, proud, a job done. A wide view of the gentle hill dropping away below. The bell gleams at the top. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The hilltop, the bell placed on it, Sam beside it. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup ran up the hill. The pup hit the bell.
Art brief: The bouncy pup comes barrelling over the top of the hill at full speed — and bumps straight into the bell. Not naughty, just pure puppy-bounce. The bell rocks. Sam's eyes go wide. Uh-oh.
Image prompt: The bouncy pup comes barrelling over the top of the hill at full speed, and bumps straight into the bell. Not naughty, just pure puppy-bounce. The bell rocks. Sam's eyes go wide. Uh-oh. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup colliding with the bell, the bell tilting. Sam reacting at the side. Bottom text band.
Text: The bell fell!
Art brief: The bell topples — caught at the instant it leaves the hilltop, a small puff of motion behind it, starting to roll. The pup freezes, ears flat, eyes huge — what did I do? A single short, dramatic line of text.
Image prompt: The bell topples, caught at the instant it leaves the hilltop, a small puff of motion behind it, starting to roll. The pup freezes, ears flat, eyes huge, A single short, dramatic line of text. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The bell tipping over the edge of the hilltop, the pup recoiling. Bottom text band.
Text: The bell fell off the hill.
Art brief: The red bell rolling away down the long green slope of the hill, gathering speed, bouncing a little. Sam and the pup at the top, both leaning after it, alarmed. The bell is getting away.
Image prompt: The red bell rolling away down the long green slope of the hill, gathering speed, bouncing a little. Sam and the pup at the top, both leaning after it, alarmed. The bell is getting away. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: A wide hillside, the bell rolling down it on a diagonal, Sam and pup at the top. Bottom text band. The downhill line leads the eye toward the page edge.
Text: "Get the bell!" said Sam.
Art brief: Sam pointing down the hill, calling out, urgent but not frightened — a call to action. The pup is already crouched, ready to spring. The cat appears at the edge of the frame, ears up, drawn by the commotion.
Image prompt: Sam pointing down the hill, calling out, urgent but not frightened, a call to action. The pup is already crouched, ready to spring. The cat appears at the edge of the frame, ears up, drawn by the commotion. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam pointing downhill, pup poised, cat arriving. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup ran. The cat ran.
Art brief: The chase. The pup and the cat both pelting down the green hillside after the rolling bell — full speed, ears back, a real dash. Energy and teamwork.
Image prompt: The pup and the cat both pelting down the green hillside after the rolling bell, full speed, ears back, a real dash. Energy and teamwork. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup and cat racing downhill, the bell rolling ahead of them. Bottom text band.
Text: Will the pup get the bell?
Art brief: The hook. The pup is stretched out at a flat run, paw reaching... reaching... toward the bell just ahead of it, almost — but not quite — touching. Frozen at the most uncertain instant. Will it?
Image prompt: The pup is stretched out at a flat run, paw reaching... reaching... toward the bell just ahead of it, almost, but not quite, touching. Frozen at the most uncertain instant. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup at full stretch, bell just beyond its paw, both centred. Bottom text band. Leave the reader hanging.
Text: The pup got the bell!
Art brief: The payoff. The pup has the red bell safe between its front paws, having pounced on it at the bottom of the hill — tail wagging madly, thrilled with itself. The cat trots up beside it, pleased. Relief.
Image prompt: The pup has the red bell safe between its front paws, having pounced on it at the bottom of the hill, tail wagging madly, thrilled with itself. The cat trots up beside it, pleased. Relief. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup with the bell, cat beside it, at the foot of the hill. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam ran up the hill. The bell sat on top.
Art brief: Back at the top — Sam (with the pup) has carried the bell up again and set it firmly on the hilltop, this time nestled into a little dip or held by a small stone so it cannot roll. Everyone looks satisfied. Order restored.
Image prompt: Back at the top, Sam has carried the bell up again and set it firmly on the hilltop, this time nestled into a little dip or held by a small stone so it cannot roll. Everyone looks satisfied. Order restored. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The hilltop, the bell settled safely, Sam and pup beside it. Bottom text band. Echo page 3.
Text: The bell is on the hill. Sam and the pup had fun!
Art brief: Final warm spread. Sam, the pup and the cat sit together at the top of the hill in the soft evening light, the red bell safe beside them, all three looking out over the gentle view. A good day, a small adventure, friends together. The reader closes the book on calm and warmth.
Image prompt: Final warm spread. Sam, the pup and the cat sit together at the top of the hill in the soft evening light, the red bell safe beside them, all three looking out over the gentle view. A good day, a small adventure, friends together. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The three friends and the bell on the hilltop, centred, generous calm sky around them. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child at the close of Phase 2, after Lesson 41 — the FLSZ doubling lesson. Book 8 puts that brand-new rule straight to work.
The pattern: the doubled-FLSZ words are deliberately the load-bearing words
of the story — bell, hill, fell, off, puff, will. As the child
meets each one, pause and ask: "Why are there two letters at the end?" — the
short vowel before it. The child is applying the Lesson 41 rule inside a story.
The cheer "Puff, puff, puff!" (page 2) is the fluent, predictable moment.
The three reads:
bell, hill, fell,
off, puff, will — note that the doubled letters say ONE sound.The page-turn: at page 9 ("Will the pup get the bell?") STOP. Ask "Do you think the pup will catch it?" Then turn to page 10.
Comprehension question: "How did the bell end up safe at the end?" (Answer: the pup caught it, and Sam carried it back up and settled it so it could not roll again.) Then: "Was the pup in trouble? How do you know?" — it was an accident, and the friends simply fixed it together; no one is cross on any page.
An FLSZ extension: after the three reads, find every doubled-letter word in
the book together (bell, hill, fell, off, puff, will) and have the
child say the short vowel that comes before each one. The book has primed
exactly this.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the doubled ll, ff say one sound — Mandarin-L1
children may want to say it twice ("be-l-l"). One finger-sweep, one sound.
Final stops: /t/ in hit, sat, got, it; /p/ in up, top. Tissue test.
The /r/ in red, ran — keep the daily R/L drill.
Gate: read after Lesson 43 (Phase 3 — the digraphs sh and ch: two
letters, one sound).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to two short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · has · a · fish · the · is · in · dish · chick · ran · up · to · what ·
sat · at · it · can · dash · chat · not · get · be · pal · Yes · over · and ·
had · fun · nap
— 29 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), the (L11), to (L12), what (L27), be
(L19), over (L42), and (L13). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the new digraphs carry the book — sh in fish,
dish, dash; ch in chick, chat. Every other word is plain CVC — pal
(p-a-l), Yes (y-e-s), get (g-e-t). ran, sat, had are decodable
past-tense words. Nothing outruns the child's phonics — and no vowel-team
words (the lesson lists beach/reach under ch, but ea is a later
phase, so they are kept out). ✓
The shape: Book 9 opens Phase 3 by making the two new digraphs the heart of
the story — a fish (sh) and a chick (ch) — and the verbs lean on
them too: the fish can dash, the chick can chat. The mirrored cheer pages
("Chat, chick, chat!" / "Dash, fish, dash!") give the child two fluent,
predictable beats. The gentle question at the centre — can two so different
be friends? — is a universal one for the ESL classroom, and the answer is
warm: yes, even across the rim of a dish.
Text: A Fish and a Chick (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 9")
Art brief: A round glass dish (a simple fish bowl) with one bright, cheerful fish inside it — and, perched right at the rim looking in, a small fuzzy yellow chick, beak open in friendly chatter. The two animals, one in water and one out, meeting at the glass. Soft cream background, warm light.
Design the fish and the chick here — the fish: bright, simple, round-bodied, big friendly eye. The chick: small, round, fuzzy yellow, lively. Both are Phase-3 visitors; draw them consistently within the book.
Image prompt: A round glass dish with one bright, cheerful fish inside it, and, perched right at the rim looking in, a small fuzzy yellow chick, beak open in friendly chatter. The two animals, one in water and one out, meeting at the glass. Soft cream background, warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "A", "Fish", "Chick" capitalised as printed). Dish centred, chick perched at the rim.
Text: Sam has a fish. The fish is in a dish.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam (drawn exactly as in earlier books) sitting beside a round glass dish on a low table, watching the bright fish inside it with quiet delight. Cosy home, soft daylight. The fish is clearly happy in its watery home.
Image prompt: Sam sitting beside a round glass dish on a low table, watching the bright fish inside it with quiet delight. Cosy home, soft daylight. The fish is clearly happy in its watery home. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the dish centred. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: A chick! The chick ran up to the dish.
Art brief: A small fuzzy yellow chick comes hurrying across the floor — quick little legs, wings half-lifted, drawn straight toward the glass dish by curiosity. Sam looks round, surprised and pleased at the visitor.
Image prompt: A small fuzzy yellow chick comes hurrying across the floor, quick little legs, wings half-lifted, drawn straight toward the glass dish by curiosity. Sam looks round, surprised and pleased at the visitor. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick running toward the dish, leading the eye. Sam at the side. Bottom text band.
Text: "What is in the dish?" The chick sat at the dish.
Art brief: The chick has settled right at the foot of the glass dish, tilting its head up, peering in with huge round eyes — full of wonder. The fish inside is just becoming aware of the small visitor.
Image prompt: The chick has settled right at the foot of the glass dish, tilting its head up, peering in with huge round eyes, full of wonder. The fish inside is just becoming aware of the small visitor. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick at the base of the dish, looking up and in. Bottom text band.
Text: It is a fish! The fish can dash.
Art brief: The fish darting brightly through the water — a quick, happy flick of movement, a little trail of bubbles. The chick's eyes follow it, delighted.
Image prompt: The fish darting brightly through the water, a quick, happy flick of movement, a little trail of bubbles. The chick's eyes follow it, delighted. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fish mid-dash inside the dish, chick watching from the rim. Bottom text band.
Text: The chick can chat. Chat, chick, chat!
Art brief: The chick chattering away at the fish — beak open, wings giving little excited flaps, clearly telling the fish all about everything. Pure friendly bustle. The fish watches, charmed.
Image prompt: The chick chattering away at the fish, beak open, wings giving little excited flaps, clearly telling the fish all about everything. Pure friendly bustle. The fish watches, charmed. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick at the rim, mid-chatter, fish attentive inside. Bottom text band.
Text: The fish can dash. Dash, fish, dash!
Art brief: The fish answering in the only way a fish can — a joyful zoom around the dish, looping and darting, showing off for its new friend. The chick watches, thrilled, head turning to follow.
Image prompt: The fish answering in the only way a fish can, a joyful zoom around the dish, looping and darting, showing off for its new friend. The chick watches, thrilled, head turning to follow. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fish looping inside the dish, chick following with its eyes. Bottom text band. Mirror the layout of page 5 — the two friends each speaking their own way.
Text: The chick can not get in the dish.
Art brief: A gentle, quiet beat. The chick presses up against the glass, one wing flat on it, looking in at the fish — wanting to be closer, knowing it cannot go into the water. Not distressed, just a small wistful moment. The fish presses close to the glass from its side.
Image prompt: A gentle, quiet beat. The chick presses up against the glass, one wing flat on it, looking in at the fish, wanting to be closer, knowing it cannot go into the water. Not distressed, just a small wistful moment. The fish presses close to the glass from its side. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick and fish each at their side of the glass, the glass between them. Bottom text band.
Text: Can a chick be a pal to a fish?
Art brief: The hook — drawn as a thoughtful, hopeful question. The chick sits back from the dish a little, head tilted, working it out. The fish hovers in the water, also still, also wondering. Sam, at the edge, watches with a soft, knowing smile. Can they?
Image prompt: Drawn as a thoughtful, hopeful question. The chick sits back from the dish a little, head tilted, working it out. The fish hovers in the water, also still, also wondering. Sam, at the edge, watches with a soft, knowing smile. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick and dish centred, both characters paused and thoughtful. Bottom text band.
Text: Yes! The chick sat at the dish.
Art brief: The answer. The chick settles itself happily and firmly right against the base of the glass dish — choosing to stay, to be close even through the glass. Content and decided. The chick's whole posture says I will simply be here with you.
Image prompt: The answer. The chick settles itself happily and firmly right against the base of the glass dish, choosing to stay, to be close even through the glass. Content and decided. The chick's whole posture says I will simply be here with you. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick settled snug against the dish, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The fish can dash over to the chick.
Art brief: The fish swims straight to the side of the dish nearest the chick and hangs there in the water, right at the glass, as close to the chick as it can get — meeting its friend halfway. Two faces almost touching, the glass the only thing between.
Image prompt: The fish swims straight to the side of the dish nearest the chick and hangs there in the water, right at the glass, as close to the chick as it can get, meeting its friend halfway. Two faces almost touching, the glass the only thing between. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fish and chick close together at the glass, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The chick and the fish had fun.
Art brief: A warm, happy scene — the chick chattering, the fish darting and looping, the two of them playing together in the only way they can, on either side of the glass, both clearly delighted. Friendship, found across a difference.
Image prompt: A warm, happy scene, the chick chattering, the fish darting and looping, the two of them playing together in the only way they can, on either side of the glass, both clearly delighted. Friendship, found across a difference. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Chick at the rim, fish lively inside, both joyful. Bottom text band.
Text: A fish in a dish. A chick at the dish. Nap, fish. Nap, chick.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. The fish rests quietly near the bottom of the dish, and the chick is curled up asleep right beside the glass, tucked against it — as close as two such different friends can be. Sam sits nearby, beaming. Soft warm light. The reader closes the book on the quiet truth that friends do not have to be the same.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. The fish rests quietly near the bottom of the dish, and the chick is curled up asleep right beside the glass, tucked against it, as close as two such different friends can be. Sam sits nearby, beaming. Soft warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Dish with the resting fish, chick asleep against it, Sam behind. All centred. Two short lines plus the two-line button, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 43 — once sh
and ch are secure. Book 9 makes those two digraphs the whole story.
The pattern: the mirrored cheers — "Chat, chick, chat!" (page 5) and
"Dash, fish, dash!" (page 6) — are the fluent, predictable beats, and they
are also ch and sh practice. Pause on fish, dish, dash, chick,
chat and remind the child: two letters, one sound.
The three reads:
sh and ch together — one sweep, one sound.The page-turn: at page 8 ("Can a chick be a pal to a fish?") pause. Ask "What do you think — can they be friends?" Let the child decide, then turn the page.
Comprehension question: "The chick could not get into the water. So how did the chick and the fish stay friends?" (Answer: the chick stayed close at the glass, and the fish swam over to meet it — they met in the middle.) A gentle, real point about friendship across difference — worth a few moments of talk in an ESL classroom of many backgrounds.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: English sh is forward and flat; Mandarin sh
(shī) curls the tongue back — mirror work. Same for ch. The digraphs say
ONE sound — Mandarin-L1 children may want two ("c-h-at"). One sweep. Final
stops: /t/ in chat, at, it, not; /k/ in chick. Tissue test.
Gate: read after Lesson 46 (Phase 3 — the digraphs th voiceless,
wh, and th voiced).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to two short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
A · moth · and · is · in · the · cat · can · not · nap · up · sat · on · this ·
that · hat · mat · ran · to · get · did · When · sit · Then
— 24 words total.
Heart words used: A (L8), and (L13), the (L11), this (L30), that
(L34), to (L12). All introduced before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the three new digraphs all feature — voiceless th in
moth; wh in When; voiced th in Then. The heart words this and
that are also the Lesson 46 voiced-th words, so they double as digraph
practice. Every other word is plain CVC. sat, ran, did are decodable
past-tense words. (The gate also opens the heart words any/many; neither
fits this story naturally, so they are simply not used — available is not the
same as required.) Nothing outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 10 turns the new th/wh digraphs into a gentle chase. A
soft moth flutters into the room and the cat cannot settle. The frame
"The moth sat on this / on that…" repeats — predictable, fluent, and pure
voiced-th practice. The hook uses the new wh word: "When can the cat get
the moth?" The answer is the warm series joke — the cat never catches the
moth by chasing; it gives up, sits still, and the moth comes to it. The
cat's playful frustration and final delight live in the art.
Text: This, That, and the Moth (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 10")
Art brief: A soft, pale, pretty moth with gently patterned wings, fluttering in the middle of the page — small dotted loops tracing its drifting path. Below it, looking up, the tabby cat from earlier books, one paw lifted, eyes following the moth, utterly absorbed. Soft cream background, calm warm light — an evening-indoors feeling.
Design the moth here — soft, rounded, gentle wings, never sharp or scary. Draw it consistently within the book.
Image prompt: A soft, pale, pretty moth with gently patterned wings, fluttering in the middle of the page, small dotted loops tracing its drifting path. Below it, looking up, the tabby cat from earlier books, one paw lifted, eyes following the moth, utterly absorbed. Soft cream background, calm warm light, an evening-indoors feeling. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "This", "That", "Moth" capitalised as printed). Moth centred and drifting, cat below.
Text: A moth! A moth is in.
Art brief: Establishing shot. The cosy home in soft evening light. A pale moth has drifted in through a window and floats gently in the middle of the room. Sam notices it from one side, and the cat is already alert, head up. The mood: a soft, quiet visitor has arrived.
Image prompt: The cosy home in soft evening light. A pale moth has drifted in through a window and floats gently in the middle of the room. Sam notices it from one side, and the cat is already alert, head up. The mood: a soft, quiet visitor has arrived. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth drifting centre, Sam and cat noticing it. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: The cat can not nap. The moth is up.
Art brief: The cat is trying to curl up on its mat — but its head keeps lifting, eyes tracking the moth fluttering above. It cannot possibly sleep with something this interesting in the air. Comic, fond restlessness.
Image prompt: The cat is trying to curl up on its mat, but its head keeps lifting, eyes tracking the moth fluttering above. It cannot possibly sleep with something this interesting in the air. Comic, fond restlessness. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat half-curled on its mat, head and eyes up toward the moth. Bottom text band.
Text: The moth sat on this.
Art brief: The moth has landed — softly, wings folding — on a small object
(let it be a clearly drawn lamp, a book, a pot). The word this is the moth's
first perch. The cat creeps a step closer, eyes huge.
Image prompt: The moth has landed, softly, wings folding, on a small object. The word this is the moth's first perch. The cat creeps a step closer, eyes huge. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth settled on its perch, the cat creeping in from the side. Bottom text band.
Text: The moth sat on that.
Art brief: The moth has lifted and re-landed on a different object across
the room — that. The cat's head swings to follow it. Keep the two objects
(this/that) clearly different so the words have visible meaning.
Image prompt: The moth has lifted and re-landed on a different object across the room, that. The cat's head swings to follow it. Keep the two objects clearly different so the words have visible meaning. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth on the second perch, cat's gaze swinging toward it. Bottom text band. Echo page 3.
Text: The moth sat on a hat. The moth sat on a mat.
Art brief: The moth's tour continues — shown as two little vignettes, or one scene with the moth's dotted path looping from a hat to a mat. Light and playful. The cat trails after it, thoroughly led around the room.
Image prompt: The moth's tour continues, shown as two little vignettes, or one scene with the moth's dotted path looping from a hat to a mat. Light and playful. The cat trails after it, thoroughly led around the room. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hat and mat with the moth visiting each, the cat following. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat ran to get the moth.
Art brief: The cat finally makes its move — a soft, playful pounce-run toward the moth, front paws reaching up, body stretched, full of eager play. Nothing fierce — this is a cat delighting in a game.
Image prompt: The cat finally makes its move, a soft, playful pounce-run toward the moth, front paws reaching up, body stretched, full of eager play. Nothing fierce, this is a cat delighting in a game. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat leaping up toward the moth, both centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat did not get the moth.
Art brief: The moth has drifted easily up and away — completely safe, unbothered, still fluttering its gentle loops. The cat lands back down on its paws, looking up, comically out-foxed. (Keep the moth visibly fine — the chase is gentle play, never danger.)
Image prompt: The moth has drifted easily up and away, completely safe, unbothered, still fluttering its gentle loops. The cat lands back down on its paws, looking up, comically out-foxed. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth drifting up out of reach, cat landed below looking up. Bottom text band.
Text: When can the cat get the moth?
Art brief: The hook. The cat sits, tail twitching, watching the moth circle high above — visibly thinking, plotting, when? The moth loops on, serene. Sam, at the edge, smiles a small knowing smile.
Image prompt: The cat sits, tail twitching, watching the moth circle high above, visibly thinking, plotting, The moth loops on, serene. Sam, at the edge, smiles a small knowing smile. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat sitting and watching, moth circling above. Bottom text band.
Text: The moth sat on this. The moth sat on that.
Art brief: The moth's tour resumes — landing here, landing there — and the cat is still padding after it, a step behind every time, never quite catching up. The repeated frame returns: the chase will not be won by chasing.
Image prompt: The moth's tour resumes, landing here, landing there, and the cat is still padding after it, a step behind every time, never quite catching up. The repeated frame returns: the chase will not be won by chasing. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth perching, cat one step behind. Bottom text band. Echo pages 3–4.
Text: The cat sat. The cat did not get the moth.
Art brief: The turn — quiet and important. The cat stops chasing. It sits down on its mat, settles, and simply watches the moth, calm now, content to let it be. The eager game has softened into peaceful watching.
Image prompt: Quiet and important. The cat stops chasing. It sits down on its mat, settles, and simply watches the moth, calm now, content to let it be. The eager game has softened into peaceful watching. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat sitting calmly on its mat, the moth drifting gently above. Generous calm space. Bottom text band.
Text: Then the moth sat on the cat!
Art brief: The funny, warm turn. Now that the cat is still, the moth has drifted down and landed softly right on the cat's head (or back) — a tiny pale visitor perched on the calm tabby. The cat's eyes go wide with delighted surprise — it came to ME. It holds perfectly still so as not to disturb it.
Image prompt: The funny, warm turn. Now that the cat is still, the moth has drifted down and landed softly right on the cat's head, a tiny pale visitor perched on the calm tabby. The cat's eyes go wide with delighted surprise, it came to ME. It holds perfectly still so as not to disturb it. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Moth perched on the still cat, both centred. Bottom text band.
Text: A moth on a cat. Sit, moth, sit.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. The cat is settled on its mat, perfectly still and content, the soft moth resting on it — the chase is over, and the cat got its friend simply by being calm. Sam sits nearby in the soft evening light, smiling. The reader closes the book on stillness and a quiet little lesson: some things come to you when you stop chasing them.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. The cat is settled on its mat, perfectly still and content, the soft moth resting on it, the chase is over, and the cat got its friend simply by being calm. Sam sits nearby in the soft evening light, smiling. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Cat on its mat with the moth perched on it, Sam behind. All centred, gentle light. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 46 — once
voiceless th, wh and voiced th are all introduced. Book 10 uses all three.
The pattern: the frame "The moth sat on this / on that…" repeats on pages
3–5 and 9 — predictable and fluent, and every this and that is voiced-th
practice. Pause on moth (voiceless th), When (wh), Then and this,
that (voiced th) and let the child feel the difference: voiceless th has
no throat-buzz, voiced th does.
The three reads:
th word, run one
finger under both letters — one sound. Hand on throat: does it buzz?The page-turn: at page 8 ("When can the cat get the moth?") pause. Ask "Do you think the cat will ever catch the moth?" Then read on — and notice the answer is a surprise: it does not catch it; the moth comes to it.
Comprehension question: "The cat chased and chased and never caught the moth. So how did the moth end up on the cat?" (Answer: the cat sat still, and the moth landed on it on its own.) A gentle point worth a moment of talk — sometimes being calm and still works better than chasing.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: th is the hardest English sound for Mandarin-L1
children — there is no th in Mandarin, so moth may become "mos" or "mot".
Tongue tip BETWEEN the teeth, visible. Mirror work on every th page. Voiced
th (this, that, then) buzzes; voiceless th (moth) does not. Months
of patience — celebrate small progress.
Gate: read after Lesson 48 (Phase 3 — ending blends: st, nd, mp,
nk, nt, lt).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · and · the · pup · ran · to · sand · Jump · in · said · can · dig · Come ·
What · is · felt · lump · a · up · Will · it · be · rock · junk · shell · had ·
best · fun
— 28 words total.
Heart words used: and (L13), the (L11), to (L12), said (L22),
Come (L47), What (L27), a (L8), be (L19). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the new ending blends are the load-bearing words —
nd in sand, mp in jump/lump, lt in felt, nk in junk, st in
best. shell uses sh (L42) + the FLSZ doubling rule (L41); rock uses
ck (L17). Will uses FLSZ doubling. ran, said, felt, had are
decodable past-tense words. Nothing outruns the child's phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 11 turns the new ending blends into a small treasure hunt.
Sam and the pup jump and dig in the sand — every key word is a blend
the child has just learned. The cheers ("Jump, jump, jump!" / "Dig, dig,
dig!") give fluent beats. The hook is a guessing question — "Will it be a
rock? Will it be junk?" — and the payoff is a small, clean treasure: a
shell. It closes warm. The growing excitement of the dig lives in the
art.
Text: Jump in the Sand (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 11")
Art brief: Sam caught mid-jump — both feet off the ground, arms flung up, pure joy — landing into a soft golden patch of sand, with a little spray of sand kicking up. The pup leaps right beside Sam, ears flying. Soft cream sky, warm sun, a wide inviting stretch of sand.
Image prompt: Sam caught mid-jump, both feet off the ground, arms flung up, pure joy, landing into a soft golden patch of sand, with a little spray of sand kicking up. The pup leaps right beside Sam, ears flying. Soft cream sky, warm sun, a wide inviting stretch of sand. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "Jump" and "Sand" capitalised as printed). Sam and pup mid-leap, sand spray below.
Text: Sam and the pup ran to the sand.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam and the pup running together toward a big, soft, golden patch of sand — a sandpit, or a sandy corner of the yard — both eager and happy, a sunny day. The sand stretches invitingly ahead of them.
Image prompt: Sam and the pup running together toward a big, soft, golden patch of sand, a sandpit, or a sandy corner of the yard, both eager and happy, a sunny day. The sand stretches invitingly ahead of them. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup running left to right toward the sand. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: "Jump in the sand!" said Sam. Jump, jump, jump!
Art brief: Sam jumping into the sand with both feet, arms up, sand flying — joyful and silly. The pup bounces in alongside. Sand sprays in happy arcs. Pure play.
Image prompt: Sam jumping into the sand with both feet, arms up, sand flying, joyful and silly. The pup bounces in alongside. Sand sprays in happy arcs. Pure play. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup mid-jump, sand spray around them. Bottom text band. The cheer "Jump, jump, jump!" is the fluent line.
Text: The pup can jump. The pup can dig.
Art brief: The pup demonstrating both — one little drawing of it leaping, one of it digging hard into the sand, back legs braced, sand spraying behind. Eager and comic.
Image prompt: The pup demonstrating both, one little drawing of it leaping, one of it digging hard into the sand, back legs braced, sand spraying behind. Eager and comic. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup jumping and digging, two beats. Bottom text band.
Text: "Come and dig!" said Sam.
Art brief: Sam dropping to knees beside the pup, sleeves pushed up, calling the reader and the pup into the game — a wide welcoming grin, hands already in the sand. The pup is thrilled to have company.
Image prompt: Sam dropping to knees beside the pup, sleeves pushed up, calling the reader and the pup into the game, a wide welcoming grin, hands already in the sand. The pup is thrilled to have company. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam kneeling at the sand, pup beside, both about to dig. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the pup dig in the sand. Dig, dig, dig!
Art brief: Sam and the pup digging side by side — a real hole forming, sand piling up around it, both of them grinning, fully absorbed. Teamwork and fun.
Image prompt: Sam and the pup digging side by side, a real hole forming, sand piling up around it, both of them grinning, fully absorbed. Teamwork and fun. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup digging together, a hole between them. Bottom text band.
Text: "What is in the sand?" The pup felt a lump.
Art brief: A beat of discovery. The pup's paw has stopped — pressed flat on a spot in the sand, head cocked, ears up. It has felt something hard down there. Sam leans in, eyes widening. A small bump shows in the sand.
Image prompt: A beat of discovery. The pup's paw has stopped, pressed flat on a spot in the sand, head cocked, ears up. It has felt something hard down there. Sam leans in, eyes widening. A small bump shows in the sand. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup's paw on the spot, a faint lump in the sand, Sam leaning in. Bottom text band.
Text: A lump in the sand!
Art brief: Sam and the pup brushing sand away to reveal the top of a hard lump half-buried in the sand — its shape not yet clear. Both characters are lit up with curiosity. What could it be?
Image prompt: Sam and the pup brushing sand away to reveal the top of a hard lump half-buried in the sand, its shape not yet clear. Both characters are lit up with curiosity. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The half-revealed lump centred, Sam and pup either side. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the pup dig up the lump.
Art brief: A burst of energetic digging — Sam and the pup working together to free the lump, sand flying everywhere, both fully committed, grins wide. The lump is nearly out.
Image prompt: A burst of energetic digging, Sam and the pup working together to free the lump, sand flying everywhere, both fully committed, grins wide. The lump is nearly out. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup digging hard, sand flying, the lump emerging. Bottom text band.
Text: Will it be a rock? Will it be junk?
Art brief: The hook. Sam holds the still-sandy lump up in both hands, turning it, peering at it — eyebrows up, mouth open, guessing. The pup stares at it too. The lump is caked in sand; the reader cannot tell yet either. What is it?
Image prompt: Sam holds the still-sandy lump up in both hands, turning it, peering at it, eyebrows up, mouth open, guessing. The pup stares at it too. The lump is caked in sand; the reader cannot tell yet either. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam holding the mystery lump up, pup looking on. Bottom text band. Leave the reader guessing.
Text: It is a shell!
Art brief: The reveal. The last of the sand brushed away — it is a smooth, lovely, curved shell, catching the sun. Sam's face is pure delight; the pup wags its whole body. A small, real treasure.
Image prompt: The last of the sand brushed away, it is a smooth, lovely, curved shell, catching the sun. Sam's face is pure delight; the pup wags its whole body. A small, real treasure. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The shell held up, gleaming, Sam and pup beaming at it. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam had the shell. The shell is the best!
Art brief: Sam cradling the shell in both hands, holding it close, looking at it the way a child treasures a real find. The pup leans its head against Sam's arm, sharing the moment. Warm and proud.
Image prompt: Sam cradling the shell in both hands, holding it close, looking at it the way a child treasures a real find. The pup leans its head against Sam's arm, sharing the moment. Warm and proud. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the shell, pup leaning in, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: A shell in the sand! Sam and the pup had fun.
Art brief: Final warm spread. Sam and the pup sit together in the soft sand in the late golden light, the shell set carefully between them, both content and a little sandy after a good day's dig. The reader closes the book on a small treasure and a happy tiredness.
Image prompt: Final warm spread. Sam and the pup sit together in the soft sand in the late golden light, the shell set carefully between them, both content and a little sandy after a good day's dig. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup sitting in the sand, the shell between them, warm light. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 48 — once the ending blends are introduced. Book 11 puts them straight to work.
The pattern: the ending-blend words are the load-bearing words of the
story — sand, jump, lump, felt, junk, best. As the child meets
each, point out the two consonants at the end and say each sound, then quickly
together — never break the cluster into separate syllables. The cheers
("Jump, jump, jump!" / "Dig, dig, dig!") give the fluent, predictable
moments.
The three reads:
sand, jump, lump, felt, junk, best — say the last two sounds
close together, no pause between them.The page-turn: at page 9 ("Will it be a rock? Will it be junk?") STOP. Ask "What do YOU think is in the sand?" Take guesses, then turn to page 10.
Comprehension question: "How did the pup know something was in the sand?" (Answer: the pup felt a lump under its paw.) Then: "Why was Sam so happy with the shell?" — it was a real find, dug up with their own hands.
An ending-blend extension: after the three reads, find every two-consonant
ending in the book together — sand, jump, lump, felt, junk, best —
and have the child say each blend slowly, then fast.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: ending blends are the Mandarin-L1 wall — Mandarin
has no consonant clusters, so sand may become "san" and jump may become
"jum" or "ju-mu". The fix: keep the mouth moving from one consonant straight
into the next, no reset, no extra vowel between them. Slow first, then quick.
Be patient — this takes months.
Gate: read after Lesson 50 (Phase 3 — beginning blends: the s-blends
sl sm sn sp st sw and the l-blends bl cl fl gl pl).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "Stop! Spin! Splash?" — but splash is a
triple blend (spl), not taught until Lesson 53. Retitled to a fully decodable
story line; the book still drives hard on s-blends (stop, spin, slip,
sled) and l-blends (glad, flip).
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · has · a · sled · the · pup · ran · to · got · on · is · big · hill · can ·
slip · went · fast · glad · spin · Who · stop · said · Don't · it · fun · flip ·
fell · off · up · had · and
— 31 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), the (L11), to (L12), Who (L50), said
(L22), Don't (L50), and (L13). All introduced by the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the new beginning blends carry the story — s-blends in
sled (sl), slip (sl), spin (sp), stop (st); l-blends in glad (gl),
flip (fl). hill, fell, off use FLSZ doubling (L41); went (nt) and
fast (st) use ending blends (L47–48). ran, got, went, fell, had,
said are decodable past-tense words. Nothing outruns the child's
phonics. ✓
The shape: Book 12 makes the new beginning blends into a fast, funny ride.
The bouncy pup gets on a sled at the top of a hill — and the
sled's verbs are all blends the child has just learned: it can slip, it can
spin, Sam wants it to stop. The hook uses the new heart word Who —
"Who can stop the sled?" — and the joke is the pup's answer with the other
new word: "Don't stop! It is fun!" It closes warm: the pup tumbles off,
unhurt and delighted. The speed and the glee live in the art.
Text: The Pup on the Sled (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 12")
Art brief: The pup riding a small wooden sled at full tilt — ears streaming straight back, tongue out, eyes wide with thrilled glee, the sled tilting on a downhill slope with little speed-lines behind it. Pure, fast joy. Soft cream sky, a sweep of green hill.
Image prompt: The pup riding a small wooden sled at full tilt, ears streaming straight back, tongue out, eyes wide with thrilled glee, the sled tilting on a downhill slope with little speed-lines behind it. Pure, fast joy. Soft cream sky, a sweep of green hill. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Pup", "Sled" capitalised as printed). Pup and sled racing on the diagonal.
Text: Sam has a sled. The pup ran to the sled.
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam standing beside a small wooden sled — and the pup racing straight toward it, eyes locked on, drawn to it like a magnet, clearly desperate for a ride. A sunny day, a gentle hill behind them.
Image prompt: Sam standing beside a small wooden sled, and the pup racing straight toward it, eyes locked on, drawn to it like a magnet, clearly desperate for a ride. A sunny day, a gentle hill behind them. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and the sled, the pup running in. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: The pup got on the sled.
Art brief: The pup has scrambled up onto the sled and sits squarely on it, front paws gripping, body braced, an enormous expectant grin — ready! Sam steadies the sled, smiling.
Image prompt: The pup has scrambled up onto the sled and sits squarely on it, front paws gripping, body braced, an enormous expectant grin, ready! Sam steadies the sled, smiling. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup planted on the sled, Sam holding it. Bottom text band.
Text: The sled is on a big hill.
Art brief: A wider view — the sled (pup aboard) is now at the very top of a big green hill, the slope dropping away ahead and below. The drop looks long and exciting. The pup peers down it, thrilled.
Image prompt: A wider view, the sled is now at the very top of a big green hill, the slope dropping away ahead and below. The drop looks long and exciting. The pup peers down it, thrilled. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The hilltop, the sled at its edge, the slope falling away into the lower frame. Bottom text band.
Text: The sled can slip. Slip, slip, slip!
Art brief: The sled beginning to move — sliding off the top of the hill, just starting to pick up speed, the pup's eyes going wide and bright. A few little motion-lines. Here we go.
Image prompt: The sled beginning to move, sliding off the top of the hill, just starting to pick up speed, the pup's eyes going wide and bright. A few little motion-lines. Here we go. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sled tipping into the downhill slide, pup aboard. Bottom text band. The cheer is the fluent line.
Text: The sled went fast. The pup is glad!
Art brief: The sled racing down the hill at full speed — strong speed-lines, the pup's ears flat back, mouth open in a huge delighted laugh, having the ride of its life. Sheer joy.
Image prompt: The sled racing down the hill at full speed, strong speed-lines, the pup's ears flat back, mouth open in a huge delighted laugh, having the ride of its life. Sheer joy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sled at full speed on the diagonal, pup beaming. Bottom text band.
Text: The sled can spin. Spin, sled, spin!
Art brief: The sled hits a bump or a curve and starts to spin — turning right around as it races on, the pup hanging on, eyes huge but still laughing — half thrilled, half whoa! Comic and wild.
Image prompt: The sled hits a bump or a curve and starts to spin, turning right around as it races on, the pup hanging on, eyes huge but still laughing, half thrilled, half whoa! Comic and wild. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sled mid-spin, little curved motion-arrows around it. Bottom text band.
Text: "Who can stop the sled?" said Sam.
Art brief: The hook. Sam, partway down the hill, has spun round to watch the spinning sled race past — hands up, eyes wide, calling out, worried for the pup. The sled (with the delighted pup) zooms on. Who CAN stop it?
Image prompt: Sam, partway down the hill, has spun round to watch the spinning sled race past, hands up, eyes wide, calling out, worried for the pup. The sled zooms on. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam mid-hill reacting, the sled racing past below. Bottom text band.
Text: "Don't stop! It is fun!"
Art brief: The joke. The pup, still aboard the spinning, racing sled, looks back over its shoulder at Sam — and it is grinning ear to ear, having the best time of its life, plainly not wanting this to end at all. The opposite of worried.
Image prompt: The joke. The pup, still aboard the spinning, racing sled, looks back over its shoulder at Sam, and it is grinning ear to ear, having the best time of its life, plainly not wanting this to end at all. The opposite of worried. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Close on the pup aboard the sled, looking back, joyful. Bottom text band.
Text: The sled can flip.
Art brief: At the bottom of the hill the sled hits the flat — and flips, gently, tipping up at one end. Caught at the tipping instant. The pup is launching off it into the air, all four legs out, still grinning. Nothing scary — a soft, comic spill.
Image prompt: At the bottom of the hill the sled hits the flat, and flips, gently, tipping up at one end. Caught at the tipping instant. The pup is launching off it into the air, all four legs out, still grinning. Nothing scary, a soft, comic spill. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The sled tipping, the pup popping up off it. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup fell off the sled.
Art brief: The pup lands — softly, in the grass at the foot of the hill, rolling once, legs in the air, completely unhurt. The flipped sled lies nearby. The pup is mid-laugh even as it lands.
Image prompt: The pup lands, softly, in the grass at the foot of the hill, rolling once, legs in the air, completely unhurt. The flipped sled lies nearby. The pup is mid-laugh even as it lands. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup tumbling safely in the grass, sled beside it. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup got up. The pup is glad.
Art brief: The pup back on its feet, shaking grass off, tail going like mad, beaming up at Sam — can we do that again? Sam, hurrying up, sees the pup is fine and breaks into a relieved laugh.
Image prompt: The pup back on its feet, shaking grass off, tail going like mad, beaming up at Sam, Sam, hurrying up, sees the pup is fine and breaks into a relieved laugh. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup up and beaming, Sam arriving with relief. Bottom text band.
Text: A pup and a sled. The pup had fun!
Art brief: Final warm spread. The pup sits happily beside the little wooden sled in the soft afternoon light, sandy-grassy and pleased with itself. Sam sits with it, one arm around the pup, laughing. A small wild adventure, safely over. The reader closes the book on glee and warmth.
Image prompt: Final warm spread. The pup sits happily beside the little wooden sled in the soft afternoon light, sandy-grassy and pleased with itself. Sam sits with it, one arm around the pup, laughing. A small wild adventure, safely over. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup and sled and Sam together, centred, warm light. Two short lines of text, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 50 — once the beginning blends are introduced. Book 12 puts the s-blends and l-blends straight to work.
The pattern: the blend words are the load-bearing words — sled, slip,
spin, stop (s-blends) and glad, flip (l-blends). As the child meets
each, point out the two letters at the start and blend them smoothly into the
vowel — no extra sound between them. The cheers ("Slip, slip, slip!" /
"Spin, sled, spin!") give the fluent, predictable beats.
The three reads:
The page-turn: at page 7 ("Who can stop the sled?") pause. Ask "Do you think the pup WANTS the sled to stop?" Then turn to page 8 for the funny answer.
Comprehension question: "Sam was worried about the pup. Was the pup worried?" (Answer: no — the pup was having a wonderful time and did not want to stop.) A nice chance to talk about how two characters can feel completely different things about the same moment — the reader sees both on pages 7 and 8.
A blend extension: after the three reads, find every beginning blend in the
book — sled, slip, spin, stop, glad, flip — and have the child
say each one slowly, then fast, never breaking the cluster.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: beginning blends are hard for Mandarin-L1 children
— Mandarin has no clusters, so sled may become "se-led" with an extra vowel.
The fix: stretch the s (or f/g), then slide straight into the next
consonant with no vowel between. The s-blends are hardest because of the long
s friction. Slow first, then quick.
Gate: read after Lesson 51 (Phase 3 — the r-blends: br cr dr fr gr pr
tr).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "The Green Frog" — but green carries
the ee vowel team, which is not taught until the Green Phase. Retitled to
feature the frog (the cast member who enters here) and a crab — both
r-blend words, so the title itself teaches the gate.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
A · frog · sat · in · the · grass · had · no · pal · crab · ran · to · can ·
I · be · said · Yes · is · glad · hop · grab · not · it · hid · Where · got ·
and · fun · nap
— 29 words total.
Heart words used: A (L8), the (L11), to (L12), I (L10), be
(L19), said (L22), Where (L24), and (L13). All introduced well before the
gate. ✓
Decodability check: the new r-blends are the title and the verbs — fr in
frog, cr in crab, gr in grass and grab. glad carries an l-blend
(L50); grass also uses FLSZ doubling (L41). no and Yes are decodable
(n-o, y-e-s). sat, had, ran, hid, got are decodable past-tense words.
Nothing outruns the child's phonics — and no vowel-team words (the lesson
lists green/bring under r-blends, but ee and ng belong to later phases,
so they are kept out). ✓
The shape: Book 13 brings the frog into the cast and makes the r-blends its story. A lonely frog in the grass meets a crab — and the small ache of "the frog had no pal" is a feeling every child knows. The mirrored cheer pages ("Hop, frog, hop!" / "Grab, crab, grab!") celebrate what each new friend can do, and then a gentle hide-and-grab game seals the friendship. It closes warm, two new friends resting in the grass. The frog's loneliness and then its joy live in the art.
Text: The Frog and the Crab (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 13")
Art brief: A cheerful green frog sitting in soft grass, mid-friendly- look toward a small round crab beside it — the crab with bright eyes and two raised, waving claws, plainly saying hello. The two unlikely friends, side by side in the green. Soft cream background, fresh warm light.
Design the frog and the crab here — the frog: rounded, friendly, soft green, big gentle eyes. The crab: small, round, warm orange, expressive claws. The frog is recurring cast from here on; draw both consistently.
Image prompt: A cheerful green frog sitting in soft grass, mid-friendly- look toward a small round crab beside it, the crab with bright eyes and two raised, waving claws, plainly saying hello. The two unlikely friends, side by side in the green. Soft cream background, fresh warm light. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Frog", "Crab" capitalised as printed). Frog and crab centred in the grass.
Text: A frog sat in the grass. The frog had no pal.
Art brief: Establishing shot. A green frog sits alone in a wide patch of soft grass, looking out at nothing in particular — not crying, just a little quiet, a little wistful. Lots of empty green space around it to let the aloneness read. Gentle, not sad.
Image prompt: A green frog sits alone in a wide patch of soft grass, looking out at nothing in particular, not crying, just a little quiet, a little wistful. Lots of empty green space around it to let the aloneness read. Gentle, not sad. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog small and alone, centred in generous grassy space. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: A crab! The crab ran to the frog.
Art brief: A small round orange crab comes scuttling sideways through the grass straight toward the frog — claws up in a friendly wave, bright-eyed, eager. The frog's head lifts, ears — well, the frog perks up, surprised and hopeful.
Image prompt: A small round orange crab comes scuttling sideways through the grass straight toward the frog, claws up in a friendly wave, bright-eyed, eager. The frog's head lifts, ears, well, the frog perks up, surprised and hopeful. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Crab scuttling toward the frog, leading the eye. Bottom text band.
Text: "Can I be a pal?" said the crab.
Art brief: The crab right in front of the frog now, one claw lifted in a hopeful little offer, head tilted, friendly and kind. The frog looks back at it — the wistfulness of page 1 melting into the start of a smile.
Image prompt: The crab right in front of the frog now, one claw lifted in a hopeful little offer, head tilted, friendly and kind. The frog looks back at it, the wistfulness of page 1 melting into the start of a smile. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Crab and frog face to face, centred. Bottom text band.
Text: "Yes!" said the frog. The frog is glad.
Art brief: The frog's whole face opens into pure delight — the loneliness gone. Maybe a happy little hop on the spot. The crab beams, claws up. A warm, bright moment: a friend, found.
Image prompt: The frog's whole face opens into pure delight, the loneliness gone. Maybe a happy little hop on the spot. The crab beams, claws up. A warm, bright moment: a friend, found. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog mid-happy-bounce, crab cheering, both centred. Bottom text band.
Text: The frog can hop. Hop, frog, hop!
Art brief: The frog showing the crab what it can do — a big joyful hop, caught mid-air, legs spread, grinning. The crab watches, thrilled, claws up in applause.
Image prompt: The frog showing the crab what it can do, a big joyful hop, caught mid-air, legs spread, grinning. The crab watches, thrilled, claws up in applause. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog mid-hop, crab watching below. Bottom text band. The cheer is the fluent line.
Text: The crab can grab. Grab, crab, grab!
Art brief: The crab showing its own trick — claws opening and closing, grabbing playfully at a blade of grass or a leaf, comic and proud. The frog watches, delighted, applauding in its own froggy way.
Image prompt: The crab showing its own trick, claws opening and closing, grabbing playfully at a blade of grass or a leaf, comic and proud. The frog watches, delighted, applauding in its own froggy way. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Crab mid-grab, frog watching. Bottom text band. Mirror the layout of page 5 — each friend shows its gift.
Text: The frog can hop. The crab can not grab it!
Art brief: A game has begun — the frog hops away just as the crab reaches for it, claws closing on empty air. The frog grins back over its shoulder; the crab gives a comic missed-again! look. Pure play, no meanness.
Image prompt: A game has begun, the frog hops away just as the crab reaches for it, claws closing on empty air. The frog grins back over its shoulder; the crab gives a comic missed-again! look. Pure play, no meanness. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog hopping away, crab's claws snapping shut behind it. Bottom text band.
Text: The frog hid in the grass.
Art brief: The frog tucked down low in the tall grass, only the top of its head and two eyes peeking out, holding very still — playing hide-and-seek, clearly delighted with itself.
Image prompt: The frog tucked down low in the tall grass, only the top of its head and two eyes peeking out, holding very still, playing hide-and-seek, clearly delighted with itself. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog mostly hidden in the grass, just eyes showing. Bottom text band.
Text: "Where is the frog?" The crab ran in the grass.
Art brief: The crab scuttling this way and that through the grass, claws parting the blades, searching everywhere — head turning, comically thorough. The hidden frog's eyes can just be seen peeking from one corner.
Image prompt: The crab scuttling this way and that through the grass, claws parting the blades, searching everywhere, head turning, comically thorough. The hidden frog's eyes can just be seen peeking from one corner. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Crab mid-search, the frog's eyes hidden in a corner of the frame. Bottom text band.
Text: The crab got the frog! Grab!
Art brief: The payoff of the game — the crab has found the frog and given it the gentlest, most triumphant little claw-hug, both of them tumbling together in the grass, laughing. Joyful, warm, completely friendly.
Image prompt: of the game, the crab has found the frog and given it the gentlest, most triumphant little claw-hug, both of them tumbling together in the grass, laughing. Joyful, warm, completely friendly. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Crab and frog tangled happily together in the grass. Bottom text band.
Text: The frog and the crab had fun.
Art brief: The two friends sitting close together in the grass, side by side, both worn out and happy from the game — leaning a little into each other. The frog of page 1 is not alone anymore.
Image prompt: The two friends sitting close together in the grass, side by side, both worn out and happy from the game, leaning a little into each other. The frog of page 1 is not alone anymore. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog and crab side by side, centred, content. Bottom text band. Echo page 1 — but now there are two.
Text: A frog and a crab in the grass. Nap, frog. Nap, crab.
Art brief: Final cosy spread. The frog and the crab are curled up asleep together in the soft grass, two small shapes nested close in the warm evening light. The frog has a friend now. The reader closes the book on the quiet warmth of not being alone.
Image prompt: Final cosy spread. The frog and the crab are curled up asleep together in the soft grass, two small shapes nested close in the warm evening light. The frog has a friend now. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog and crab asleep together in the grass, centred, generous calm space. Two short lines plus the two-line button, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 51 — once the r-blends are introduced. Book 13 makes them its story, and brings the frog into the cast for the rest of the series.
The pattern: the r-blend words carry the book — frog, crab, grass,
grab. As the child meets each, point out the consonant + r at the start and
blend them smoothly. The mirrored cheers ("Hop, frog, hop!" / "Grab, crab,
grab!") give the fluent, predictable beats.
The three reads:
r, then the vowel — close together, no pause.The page-turn: at page 9 ("Where is the frog?") pause. Ask "Can YOU find the frog?" — its eyes are hidden in the picture. Let the child spot it, then turn the page.
Comprehension question: "Why was the frog sad at the start?" (Answer: it had no friend.) Then: "How did that change?" — the crab came and asked to be its pal. A gentle, important point for any classroom: a friendship can start with one kind question.
An r-blend extension: after the three reads, find every r-blend in the book
— frog, crab, grass, grab — and have the child say each slowly, then
fast.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: r-blends are the hardest blends for Mandarin-L1
children — the r is already the hardest single sound, and a blend doubles the
challenge. Keep the daily R/L minimal-pair drill running alongside this book.
Say the first consonant, then the r, then the vowel — slowly. Months of
patience; celebrate every small step.
Gate: read after Lesson 53 (Phase 3 — the tw/dw blends and the
triple blends str scr spl spr thr shr).
Pages: cover + 12 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "Three Strong Steps" — but three
carries the ee vowel team and strong ends in ng, neither taught in the
Pink Phase. Retitled to a fully decodable story line that still shows off the
triple blends (splash, sprint).
Word inventory (every word in the book):
The · sun · is · hot · Sam · pup · run · to · pond · said · and · sprint ·
frog · in · can · splash · twist · flip · ran · fun · had · sat · big · a
— 24 words total.
Heart words used: The (L11), to (L12), said (L22), and (L13), a
(L8). All introduced well before the gate. ✓
Decodability check: the new blends are the showpiece words — spr in
sprint, spl in splash, tw in twist. sprint also closes with the
nt ending blend (L48), twist with st (L47); flip is an l-blend (L50),
frog an r-blend (L51), pond an nd ending blend (L47) — every blend family
the child has met. said, ran, had, sat are decodable past-tense words.
Nothing outruns the child's phonics — and no vowel-team or ng words (the
lesson lists three/strong/spring under triple blends, but ee and ng
belong to later phases, so they are kept out). ✓
The shape: Book 14 is the last "new pattern" reader, and the triple blends
are exuberant words — so the book is exuberant. A hot day; Sam and the pup
sprint to a pond where the frog (cast, from Book 13) is already
splashing. The hook — "Can the pup splash?" — pays off in a page of pure,
joyful water. The cheers ("Splash, frog, splash!" / "Splash, splash,
splash!") make the title word the most fluent word in the book. The cool
relief and the joy live in the art and the spray.
Text: Splash in the Pond (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 14")
Art brief: A huge, joyful splash in a blue pond — water flying up in bright arcs and droplets — with the frog at the centre of it, mid-leap, grinning, and the pup bounding in at the edge of the spray. All energy, all delight. Soft cream sky, warm sun, sparkling water.
Image prompt: A huge, joyful splash in a blue pond, water flying up in bright arcs and droplets, with the frog at the centre of it, mid-leap, grinning, and the pup bounding in at the edge of the spray. All energy, all delight. Soft cream sky, warm sun, sparkling water. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "Splash" and "Pond" capitalised as printed). The big splash centred, droplets filling the space.
Text: The sun is hot. Sam is hot. The pup is hot.
Art brief: A bright, almost too-warm scene. Sam and the pup in the yard, both wilting in the heat — Sam fanning a face, the pup flat-out and panting, the sun blazing gold overhead. The mood: too hot — they need to cool down.
Image prompt: A bright, almost too-warm scene. Sam and the pup in the yard, both wilting in the heat, Sam fanning a face, the pup flat-out and panting, the sun blazing gold overhead. The mood: too hot, they need to cool down. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup centred, drooping, the big sun above. Text on a clean band along the bottom third. Three short sentences — keep them well spaced.
Text: "Run to the pond!" said Sam.
Art brief: Sam's face lights up with an idea — one arm flung out, pointing toward a glittering blue pond in the distance. The pup is already up on its feet, ears lifting, thrilled. A plan.
Image prompt: Sam's face lights up with an idea, one arm flung out, pointing toward a glittering blue pond in the distance. The pup is already up on its feet, ears lifting, thrilled. A plan. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam pointing toward the pond, pup springing up. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the pup sprint to the pond.
Art brief: Sam and the pup at a full, joyful sprint across the grass toward the pond — Sam's legs pumping, the pup a streak beside, strong speed-lines, the cool blue water getting closer. Pure rushing energy.
Image prompt: Sam and the pup at a full, joyful sprint across the grass toward the pond, Sam's legs pumping, the pup a streak beside, strong speed-lines, the cool blue water getting closer. Pure rushing energy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup sprinting left to right toward the pond. Bottom text band.
Text: The frog is in the pond!
Art brief: They arrive — and there is the frog (the friend from Book 13) already in the pond, bobbing happily in the cool water, waving a webbed foot in welcome. The pond is wide, blue and inviting. Sam and the pup beam at the sight.
Image prompt: They arrive, and there is the frog already in the pond, bobbing happily in the cool water, waving a webbed foot in welcome. The pond is wide, blue and inviting. Sam and the pup beam at the sight. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog in the pond, centred; Sam and pup arriving at the bank. Bottom text band.
Text: The frog can splash. Splash, frog, splash!
Art brief: The frog doing what frogs do best — a great joyful splash, water flying up around it in bright arcs and droplets, grinning through the spray. Sam and the pup watch from the bank, delighted, already getting a little wet.
Image prompt: The frog doing what frogs do best, a great joyful splash, water flying up around it in bright arcs and droplets, grinning through the spray. Sam and the pup watch from the bank, delighted, already getting a little wet. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog mid-splash, water arcs around it. Bottom text band. The cheer is the fluent line — and the title word.
Text: The frog can twist. The frog can flip!
Art brief: The frog showing off its water tricks — one drawing of it doing a mid-air twist, one of it doing a flip — gleeful, acrobatic, water spraying off it. Sam and the pup applaud from the bank.
Image prompt: The frog showing off its water tricks, one drawing of it doing a mid-air twist, one of it doing a flip, gleeful, acrobatic, water spraying off it. Sam and the pup applaud from the bank. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog twisting and flipping, two acrobatic beats. Bottom text band.
Text: Can the pup splash in the pond?
Art brief: The hook. The pup stands right at the edge of the pond, one paw lifted over the water, leaning forward — eager, but the water is deep and new. Half wanting to leap, half hesitating. The frog looks up encouragingly. Will the pup go in?
Image prompt: The pup stands right at the edge of the pond, one paw lifted over the water, leaning forward, eager, but the water is deep and new. Half wanting to leap, half hesitating. The frog looks up encouragingly. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup at the pond's edge, paw raised over the water, the frog welcoming from within. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup ran in. Splash!
Art brief: The pup commits — leaping off the bank straight into the pond, all four legs out, a huge splash erupting around it, ears flying, pure abandon. The frog cheers. The doubt of page 7 gone in an instant.
Image prompt: The pup commits, leaping off the bank straight into the pond, all four legs out, a huge splash erupting around it, ears flying, pure abandon. The frog cheers. The doubt of page 7 gone in an instant. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup mid-leap into the water, big splash blooming. Bottom text band. High energy.
Text: Sam ran in. Splash!
Art brief: Now Sam jumps in too — leaping off the bank, arms up, landing in the pond with another great splash. Sam, the pup and the frog all together in the cool blue water now, every face lit with joy.
Image prompt: Now Sam jumps in too, leaping off the bank, arms up, landing in the pond with another great splash. Sam, the pup and the frog all together in the cool blue water now, every face lit with joy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam mid-jump into the pond, another splash. The frog and pup already in the water. Bottom text band. Mirror page 8.
Text: Splash, splash, splash! The pond is fun.
Art brief: The big page — Sam, the pup and the frog all splashing together in the pond, water flying everywhere, three friends in joyful wet chaos. The hot, wilting day of page 1 is completely washed away.
Image prompt: The big page, Sam, the pup and the frog all splashing together in the pond, water flying everywhere, three friends in joyful wet chaos. The hot, wilting day of page 1 is completely washed away. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: All three friends splashing in the pond, water and droplets filling the scene. Bottom text band. The fullest, happiest page.
Text: Sam and the pup and the frog had fun.
Art brief: A calmer beat — the three friends resting low in the cool water or at the pond's edge, catching their breath, dripping and grinning at each other. Worn out and completely happy.
Image prompt: A calmer beat, the three friends resting low in the cool water or at the pond's edge, catching their breath, dripping and grinning at each other. Worn out and completely happy. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The three together in or at the pond, content. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the pup sat in the sun. The frog had a big splash!
Art brief: Final warm, funny spread. Sam and the pup sit on the grassy bank in the soft afternoon sun, cool now and pleasantly tired, drying off — while the frog, who never tires of water, gives one last gleeful splash in the pond behind them. Sam and the pup laugh, watching. The reader closes the book on cool, happy contentment.
Image prompt: Final warm, funny spread. Sam and the pup sit on the grassy bank in the soft afternoon sun, cool now and pleasantly tired, drying off, while the frog, who never tires of water, gives one last gleeful splash in the pond behind them. Sam and the pup laugh, watching. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup drying on the bank, the frog splashing in the pond behind. Two short sentences, bottom band.
When: hand it to the child during Phase 3, after Lesson 53 — once the
tw blend and the triple blends are introduced. Book 14 is the last reader
that brings a new pattern; after this comes the finale.
The pattern: the showpiece words are the triple blends — sprint,
splash — and twist. As the child meets each, point out that THREE
consonants are working together at the start, and each keeps its own sound. The
cheers ("Splash, frog, splash!" / "Splash, splash, splash!") make the title
word the most fluent, joyful word in the book.
The three reads:
sprint and splash,
say all three starting consonants close together, then into the vowel — no
pause, no extra sound.The page-turn: at page 7 ("Can the pup splash in the pond?") pause. Ask "Do you think the pup will jump in?" Then turn to page 8.
Comprehension question: "Why did Sam and the pup go to the pond?" (Answer: they were too hot, and the pond was cool.) Then: "Who never wanted to stop splashing?" — the frog, on page 12. The pond is the frog's home; it is happiest there.
A triple-blend extension: after the three reads, find every blend in the
book — sprint, splash, twist, flip, frog, pond — and say each
slowly, then fast. Triple blends are the boss-level: a child who reads
sprint and splash confidently is ready for the finale.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: triple blends are the hardest clusters in the
Pink Phase — three consonants with no vowels between, against a Mandarin-L1
ear that wants a vowel after every consonant. Stretch the s, then slide
through each consonant into the vowel: "sss-p-l-ash." Slow first, then quick.
Many Mandarin-L1 children need months to master triple blends — that is
completely normal. There is no rush.
Gate: the Pink Phase finale — read after Lesson 53, when the whole Pink Phase is complete. Full consolidation, full cast. Pages: cover + 13 story pages. One to three short sentences per page.
Working title in the series plan was "Sam Is a Reader" — but reader carries
the ea vowel team, not taught until the Green Phase. Retitled to a fully
decodable line; Pink is a quiet nod to the phase the child has just
finished.
Word inventory (every word in the book):
Sam · has · a · big · Pink · plan · it · is · trip · and · the · pup · ran · up ·
hill · cat · had · nap · on · top · frog · to · pond · splash · can · dig · sand ·
pig · got · in · mud · with · hen · sat · red · hat · fox · hid · box · ham ·
bun · Mom · Dad · fun · sun · not · hot · was · all · best
— 50 words total.
Heart words used: a (L8), and (L13), the (L11), to (L12), with
(L34), was (L14). All introduced well before the finale. ✓
Decodability check: the finale draws on the whole Pink range — plain CVC
(pig, mud, hat, bun, ham), FLSZ doubling (hill, all), ending
blends (pond, sand, best, Pink), beginning blends (plan, trip,
frog), the triple blend (splash). ran, had, got, hid, sat, was
are decodable past-tense words. No vowel-team words, no ng words, no -s
plurals, no -ing/-ed. Every word can be sounded out by a child who has
finished the Pink Phase. ✓
The shape: Book 15 is the finale — a victory lap. Sam plans one big trip, and the day revisits every place the series has loved: the hill (Book 8), the pond (Book 14), the sand (Book 11), the mud (Book 6), the hen and a hat (Book 3), the fox and a box (Book 4). The whole cast is together. A child who has read all fourteen earlier books will recognise every callback with a glow of I know this. It closes on the biggest, warmest nap of the series (Book 5) — and the quiet truth that the child can now read every word of it, alone.
Text: The Big Pink Trip (small, below or above the art: "Pink Reader · Book 15")
Art brief: The whole cast setting off together on a sunny path — Sam in the lead, the pup, the cat, the hen, the fox, the frog, and Mom and Dad — a happy procession, everyone carrying or wearing something for the trip. A soft pink-tinged morning sky (the gentle nod to the Pink Phase). Every character drawn exactly as in their own book.
Image prompt: The whole cast setting off together on a sunny path, Sam in the lead, the pup, the cat, the hen, the fox, the frog, and Mom and Dad, a happy procession, everyone carrying or wearing something for the trip. A soft pink-tinged morning sky. Every character drawn exactly as in their own book. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Title large across the top in Andika lowercase (only "The", "Big", "Pink", "Trip" capitalised as printed). The whole procession winding across the lower frame.
Text: Sam has a big plan. It is a trip!
Art brief: Establishing shot. Sam stands in the cosy home, arms thrown wide, beaming — full of an idea. Around Sam, the whole cast is gathering: the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox, the frog, Mom and Dad, all turning toward Sam, catching the excitement. The mood: something wonderful is about to begin.
Image prompt: Sam stands in the cosy home, arms thrown wide, beaming, full of an idea. Around Sam, the whole cast is gathering: the cat, the pup, the hen, the fox, the frog, Mom and Dad, all turning toward Sam, catching the excitement. The mood: something wonderful is about to begin. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam centred and excited, the cast gathering around. Text on a clean band along the bottom third.
Text: Sam and the pup ran up a hill.
Art brief: Sam and the pup climbing a big green hill — the same rounded hill from Book 8. Bright morning, the path winding up. (A child who read Book 8 should feel the recognition — keep the hill's shape the same.)
Image prompt: Sam and the pup climbing a big green hill, the same rounded hill from Book 8. Bright morning, the path winding up. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and pup climbing the hill on the diagonal. Bottom text band.
Text: The cat had a nap on top.
Art brief: At the top of the hill, the cat has — of course — curled into a perfect sleeping circle, having a nap, one eye half-open. The Book 1 joke, paid off one last time. Sam and the others grin at the sight.
Image prompt: At the top of the hill, the cat has, of course, curled into a perfect sleeping circle, having a nap, one eye half-open. The Book 1 joke, paid off one last time. Sam and the others grin at the sight. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The hilltop, the cat curled and napping, the cast around it. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the frog ran to a pond.
Art brief: The trip moves on — Sam and the frog hurrying down to a glittering blue pond (the Book 14 pond). The frog is in its element, already leaning toward the water.
Image prompt: The trip moves on, Sam and the frog hurrying down to a glittering blue pond. The frog is in its element, already leaning toward the water. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Sam and frog heading to the pond. Bottom text band.
Text: Splash! The frog can splash.
Art brief: The frog does what it does best — a great joyful splash in the pond, water flying in bright arcs. Everyone laughs, getting happily sprayed. A Book 14 callback.
Image prompt: The frog does what it does best, a great joyful splash in the pond, water flying in bright arcs. Everyone laughs, getting happily sprayed. A Book 14 callback. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Frog mid-splash, water arcs, the cast watching and laughing. Bottom text band.
Text: The pup can dig in the sand. Dig, dig, dig!
Art brief: The pup digging gleefully in a golden patch of sand (the Book 11 sand) — sand spraying, tail wagging. Sam digs alongside. The cheer returns one last time.
Image prompt: The pup digging gleefully in a golden patch of sand, sand spraying, tail wagging. Sam digs alongside. The cheer returns one last time. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pup and Sam digging in the sand. Bottom text band.
Text: A pig! The pup got in the mud with the pig.
Art brief: The pig from Book 6, in its glorious mud — and the pup, remembering exactly how wonderful mud is, has hopped right in beside it. Both happily filthy, grinning. A Book 6 callback.
Image prompt: The pig from Book 6, in its glorious mud, and the pup, remembering exactly how wonderful mud is, has hopped right in beside it. Both happily filthy, grinning. A Book 6 callback. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Pig and pup together in the mud. Bottom text band.
Text: The hen sat on a red hat.
Art brief: The hen has found a big red hat and perched itself squarely on top — exactly as it did in Book 3. Serene and pleased with itself. Mom watches, laughing, recognising the joke.
Image prompt: The hen has found a big red hat and perched itself squarely on top, exactly as it did in Book 3. Serene and pleased with itself. Mom watches, laughing, recognising the joke. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Hen on the red hat, Mom laughing nearby. Bottom text band.
Text: The fox hid in a box.
Art brief: The fox has found a cardboard box and tucked itself inside — only its bright eyes and ears showing over the rim, a mischievous grin. The Book 4 callback. Sam peers in at it, delighted.
Image prompt: The fox has found a cardboard box and tucked itself inside, only its bright eyes and ears showing over the rim, a mischievous grin. The Book 4 callback. Sam peers in at it, delighted. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: Fox peeking out of the box, Sam looking in. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam had ham and a bun. Mom and Dad had fun.
Art brief: A warm picnic beat — Sam, Mom and Dad sitting together on a rug in the sun, sharing ham and buns, with the cat, pup, hen, fox and frog all gathered close around them. The whole family and the whole cast, together, happy, fed. The heart of the trip.
Image prompt: A warm picnic beat, Sam, Mom and Dad sitting together on a rug in the sun, sharing ham and buns, with the cat, pup, hen, fox and frog all gathered close around them. The whole family and the whole cast, together, happy, fed. The heart of the trip. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The picnic rug, the family and cast gathered round. Bottom text band.
Text: The sun is not hot. The trip was fun.
Art brief: Evening. The light has gone soft and golden, the heat of the day faded. The whole cast is heading home along the path, content and pleasantly tired, leaning into each other. A lovely day, ending.
Image prompt: Evening. The light has gone soft and golden, the heat of the day faded. The whole cast is heading home along the path, content and pleasantly tired, leaning into each other. A lovely day, ending. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The cast on the homeward path in soft evening light. Bottom text band.
Text: Sam and the pup, the cat and the hen, the fox and the frog.
Art brief: A roll-call spread — the whole cast home again, gathered in the cosy living room, each one drawn clearly so the child can find and name every friend they have collected across fifteen books. Warm lamplight, sleepy and content.
Image prompt: A roll-call spread, the whole cast home again, gathered in the cosy living room, each one drawn clearly so the child can find and name every friend they have collected across fifteen books. Warm lamplight, sleepy and content. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The full cast arranged across the room, each clearly visible. Bottom text band. A list-sentence the child reads as a proud roll-call.
Text: A big nap! Nap, all. It was the best trip.
Art brief: The final spread of the whole series — the entire cast curled into one big warm sleeping heap: Sam in the middle, the cat, pup, hen, fox and frog all nestled close, Mom and Dad softly behind. Every face peaceful. Soft gold light over everything. The reader closes the Pink Readers on the biggest, warmest nap of all — and on a quiet, unspoken truth: they just read this whole book themselves.
Image prompt: The final spread of the whole series, the entire cast curled into one big warm sleeping heap: Sam in the middle, the cat, pup, hen, fox and frog all nestled close, Mom and Dad softly behind. Every face peaceful. Soft gold light over everything. flat warm children’s-book illustration, soft rounded shapes, soft cream background, warm and gentle, uncluttered, no text.
Composition: The sleeping pile centred, generous calm space. Three short sentences, well spaced; the last is the gentle button. Bottom text band.
When: hand it to the child at the end of the Pink Phase, after Lesson 53. This is the finale — the celebration of everything the child can now do. Make it a real moment: "you have finished the Pink Phase. You can read. Here is your last Pink book — and it has everyone in it."
The pattern: Book 15 has no single pattern — it is a tour. Its structure is the day itself: a plan, the adventures, the picnic, the way home, the big nap. Every place is a callback to an earlier book. As the child reads, pause and ask: "Do you remember this hill? This pond? This box?" The recognition is the reward for finishing the series.
The three reads — but Book 15 may earn a fourth:
Comprehension question: "Which place on the trip did you like best?" Then, gently: "You read this whole book by yourself. Every word. How does that feel?" — Book 15 is as much about the child as about Sam.
A Pink Phase milestone: consider a small classroom moment to mark it — the child has decoded fifteen real books, every word earned. The Phase 1 close ceremony in the lesson content (each child draws a favourite word) is a lovely fit here too.
What comes next: a child who reads Book 15 confidently — including the
blends in splash, trip, frog — is ready for the Blue Phase (the
silent-e/VCe pattern, longer words, the first vowel teams). A child who is
not quite there yet: there is no rush. Re-read favourite Pink Readers, run more
Phase 3 review, and come back to Book 15 when it feels easy. Finishing well
matters more than finishing fast.
ESL / Mandarin-L1 watch: the finale touches every Pink sound — use it as a
final check. Listen for the final stops (hat, pig, mud, box), the
blends (plan, trip, pond, sand, splash), and the th of with,
the. Anything still soft is simply the next thing to practise — note it, and
carry it into the Blue Phase. The child has done something real and hard, and
for a Mandarin-L1 learner, something exceptional. Celebrate it.
A graded series of fifteen decodable readers for the Pink Phase (UFLI lessons 5–53). This guide explains what these books are, why they are built the way they are, and exactly how to use them with a child.
A decodable reader is a real story in which the child never meets a word they cannot sound out. Every word is either a letter-sound the child has already been taught, or a heart word already introduced.
That is the whole discipline — and it is what makes these books different from the "levelled" or "predictable" readers a child might meet elsewhere.
A predictable reader teaches a child to guess. The text repeats a frame ("I see a dog. I see a cat. I see a…") and the pictures give the answer, so the child reads by memorising the pattern and looking at the picture — not by decoding. It feels like reading. It is not. When the patterns run out, the child has no strategy left.
A decodable reader teaches a child to decode. Because every word is within reach, the child sounds words out, builds them, and earns them. The picture supports the story and the feeling — it never rescues the word. When the child closes a Pink Reader, every word in it was genuinely read.
This is why the series slots straight into the Montessori language sequence: it is the missing rung between the lesson content's isolated sentence cards and "a real book in my hands."
For every book, every word is a letter-sound or pattern taught up to that
book's gate lesson, or a heart word already introduced by that gate (plus
and, decodable a-n-d from Lesson 13). Nothing in any book outruns the child's
phonics. That is a promise to the child — and it is checked, word by word, in
the header of every reader.
Each reader "unlocks" after a particular lesson — its gate. The book is a reward for finishing that run of lessons, not a daily exercise.
Hand a child Book 1 after Lesson 17 with a real sense of occasion: "You have learned your sounds — here is your first proper book." A child who has worked through seventeen lessons of sandpaper letters and movable alphabet has earned a story. Treat it that way. A book handed over as a milestone is read with pride; the same book handed over as a worksheet is read with a sigh.
Do not race a child through the series. One book marks one milestone. Between books, the child keeps doing lessons. Re-reading a favourite Pink Reader is always welcome — but the next book waits for the next gate.
| Book | Title | Hand over after | What it celebrates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cat Can Nap | Lesson 17 | single consonants, short a/i/o, ck |
| 2 | The Pup in the Sun | Lesson 21 | all five short vowels, r, h |
| 3 | Mom and the Hen | Lesson 24 | b, f, l — and first dialogue |
| 4 | The Fox and the Box | Lesson 31 | the alphabet complete |
| 5 | A Big Nap | Lesson 34 | Phase 1 close — the whole cast |
| 6 | The Pup and the Pig | Lesson 37 | short a/i/o automaticity |
| 7 | Cat? Cot? Cup? | Lesson 40 | the five short vowels, minimal pairs |
| 8 | The Bell on the Hill | Lesson 41 | the FLSZ doubling rule |
| 9 | A Fish and a Chick | Lesson 43 | the digraphs sh, ch |
| 10 | This, That, and the Moth | Lesson 46 | the digraphs th, wh |
| 11 | Jump in the Sand | Lesson 48 | ending blends |
| 12 | The Pup on the Sled | Lesson 50 | beginning blends (s- and l-) |
| 13 | The Frog and the Crab | Lesson 51 | r-blends |
| 14 | Splash in the Pond | Lesson 53 | tw + triple blends |
| 15 | The Big Pink Trip | Pink finale | everything — full cast, full phase |
Every book's gate is also printed at the top of the book itself. When in doubt, read the book's own header — and check the word inventory: if a child can read the inventory list aloud, they are ready for the book.
A decodable reader is read three times — in one sitting or across three short ones. Each read does a different job.
Read 1 — decode. The child sounds out each word, finger moving under the text. Slow is completely fine. You read nothing for them. Every word is decodable, so every word is the child's to earn. Resist the urge to supply a word — wait, and let them build it. This is the read that proves the book.
Read 2 — smooth. The child reads it again, a little faster, "like talking." Now the work shifts from decoding to fluency and phrasing — reading words in groups, with the rhythm of speech. The repeated frames and cheers ("Run, pup, run!", "Dig, dig, dig!") are gifts here: read them with bounce.
Read 3 — for the story. The child reads it for fun. The words are no longer an obstacle, so attention is free for meaning. This is the read where you talk about the pictures and the story.
A child may want a fourth read — aloud, to someone: a parent, a teacher, a younger friend. From around Book 5 onward, reading TO another person is the natural next step, and the warm full-cast books are built for it.
Most pages end on a small hook: a question, a trailing sentence, an implied "what next." The child should want to turn the page.
Use the hook. When you reach a hook page — Book 1 page 7 ("A cat can nap on Sam?"), Book 4 page 7 ("the box did tip!"), Book 8 page 9 ("Will the pup get the bell?") — stop. Ask the child what they think happens next. Take a guess or two. Then turn the page. That pause is where a child learns that reading is something you do to find out — the root of all reading for meaning.
Each book's teacher note names its hook page and the question to ask.
After Read 3, talk about the story. Every book's teacher note gives two questions. They come in a deliberate pair.
The first question is about the events. "Where did the cat like to nap best?" "Who was hiding in the box?" "Why was the pup hot at the start, and not hot at the end?" The answer is in the words and the pictures together — a check that the child followed the story.
The second question is about a feeling — and the answer is in the picture, not the words. "How do we know Sam was happy about it?" "How did the fox feel when the cat came out?" "Was Mom cross? How can you tell?"
This second question is the heart of comprehension teaching in this series. The decodable vocabulary is too small to say "Sam was overjoyed" or "the fox was startled." So the art carries the emotion — and the child learns to read the picture: the wide grin, the flat ears, the fond eyes. Reading a face is a real comprehension skill, and these books teach it on every page. Always ask the feeling question. Always let the child point to the picture for the answer.
The Pink Readers are written for a classroom of Mandarin-L1 ESL children — concrete, universal situations, short sentences, warm and simple feelings. A few sound patterns need steady attention. Each book's teacher note flags the ones relevant to that book; here is the overview.
Final stops — the most common slip. Mandarin syllables do not end in /t/,
/p/, /k/, /d/, /g/, /b/. A Mandarin-L1 child will drop the final consonant —
"cat" becomes "ca", "nap" becomes "na", "dig" becomes "di". The Pink Readers
are full of final stops on purpose: cat, mat, pot, hat, nap,
hop, cap, pig, dig. Use the tissue test from the lesson content:
hold a small piece of tissue in front of the mouth — on a real final /t/ or
/p/ the tissue flutters. If it does not flutter, the stop was dropped. The
repeated patterns give many clean reps of the same final sound in one book —
that is by design.
The hard consonants. Keep the daily minimal-pair drills from the lesson
content running alongside the readers:
- /r/ (Books 2, 3, 13) — the hardest single sound. R/L drill: red/led,
rip/lip, run/… Months of patience.
- /th/ (Book 10) — no th in Mandarin; "moth" drifts to "mos" or "mot".
Tongue tip between the teeth, visible. Mirror work every th page.
- /v/, /z/, /j/ — substituted with /w/, /s/, /z/-ish. Mirror work.
Consonant clusters — the Phase 3 wall. Mandarin has no consonant clusters at all. A Mandarin-L1 child will either break the cluster with an extra vowel ("se-led" for "sled") or drop a consonant ("fas" for "fast"). Books 11–14 lean hard on blends for exactly this practice. The fix: keep the mouth moving from one consonant straight into the next — no reset, no vowel between. Slow first, then quick. Triple blends (Book 14) often take Mandarin-L1 children three to four months to master. That is completely normal. There is no rush.
The vowels. Short /ă/ and short /ĕ/ are the hardest English vowels for Mandarin-L1 children. Book 7 (Cat? Cot? Cup?) is built as a vowel- discrimination game — use it, and pair it with the Lesson 40 minimal-pair drill.
A child who reads Book 15 (The Big Pink Trip) confidently — including the
blends in splash, trip, frog — has finished the Pink Phase and is ready
for the Blue Phase: the silent-e / VCe pattern, longer words, and the
first vowel teams. The decodable-reader discipline continues there — the child
simply has new tools.
A child who is not quite there yet should re-read favourite Pink Readers and run more Phase 3 review. Come back to Book 15 when it feels easy. Every word in these fifteen books was earned — that is the foundation everything else is built on.
How to turn the fifteen reader manuscripts in this folder into finished, printed little books using Canva. Written for a teacher, not a designer — every step is concrete.
Each reader's .md file already gives you everything you need: the page text
exactly as it should be printed, an art brief for every page, and a
composition note saying where the text sits. This guide explains how to
build those into pages and assemble a book.
The fifteen books must look like one shelf of books — the same world, the same friends, the same hand. A child bonds with Sam and the cat across the whole series; that only works if Sam and the cat look identical in every book. So:
Warmer and brighter than the Montree app — these are children's books.
| Use | Colour | Hex |
|---|---|---|
| Page background | soft cream | #FBF6EC |
| Text band | slightly deeper cream / off-white | #FFFDF7 |
| Main text | near-black (never pure black) | #2E2A22 |
| Leaves, grass, calm shapes | sage green | #8BA888 |
| Warm accents (clay, earth, the fox) | warm terracotta | #CC7E5B |
| Sun, highlights, small joys | gentle gold | #E8C96A |
| The "Pink" accent — a quiet nod to the phase | soft pink | #E9B7BE |
Use the pink sparingly — a cushion, a cap, a sky tint, the cover sub-line. It is a wink, not a theme.
Design these on their first appearance and save each as a Canva element you re-paste into every later page:
Each book's cover art brief says "design [character] here — every later book draws it exactly the same." Honour that. The single most important consistency check across the series is: does Sam look like the same child in Book 1 and Book 15?
AI images drift in style. To keep fifteen books coherent:
Every page of every reader has a ready-to-paste Image prompt (see the next section). Those page prompts name the characters — "Sam", "the cat" — but they do not re-describe them, because you generate the cast once, here, first. This is what keeps Sam the same child in Book 1 and Book 15.
The two-step workflow:
Each character prompt already ends with the style words — paste it exactly:
One-off animals — the pig (Book 6), the fish and the chick (Book 9) and the crab (Book 13) appear in a single book each, so they are described in full inside that book's page prompts; they do not need a cast-sheet entry. Generate them the same way the first time they appear in their book, and reuse the saved element across that book's pages.
The child is matching letters to the sounds they learned. The print must match the letters they were taught.
a and a single-storey g, exactly the letterforms
on the sandpaper letters. Add it in Canva via Brand Kit → Add a font, or
search "Andika" in the font list. If Andika is ever unavailable, the
flashcards' fallback (Comic Sans MS) is acceptable — but never a decorative
or serif font. The child must recognise every letter.Sam, Mom) are
capitalised. Children learn lowercase first.#2E2A22) on the clean cream text band.#FFFDF7) across that third,
and set the text on it. Keep the band in the same place on every page of a
book — the composition notes are written to this rule.Print all fifteen the same size, the same paper, the same way. Fifteen matched little books on a shelf — numbered 1 to 15 — look like an achievement, and a child works through them like one.
Run this over every finished book:
The last point about exact text matters most. The manuscripts are word-by-word decodability-audited. If you "improve" a line in Canva — add a word, swap a word — you may quietly introduce a word the child cannot decode, and the iron rule is broken. Type the manuscript text exactly. Do not edit it.