Captain Pepper and the Treasure Map
Captain Pepper and the Treasure Map
by ReadRead · 5 min readA map, a big red X, and a spade. They dig and dig, and the treasure is a chest of shells for everyone.
Free to read
This book is free for every family.
Start readingInside the book
Captain Pepper sails her little ship to a sunny island with an old map and a big red X. Polly the parrot carries the map, and Nip the crab likes to bury himself in the sand. They dig by the palm tree and find an old boot. The wind takes the map away, and Polly gets it back. By the big round rock they dig again, and up comes a wooden chest full of shells.
The new words in this book
To make a hole in the ground, moving the sand away. It comes up 8 times, and every time a spade or a claw really throws sand up.
To put something in a hole and cover it with sand. It comes up 6 times: Nip in the sand, the old chest, and the shells the friends leave for someone new.
The text repeats on purpose (“Dig, dig!” and “a big red X”), so a pre-reader can say it along by page four. Every other word is a common word, like map, sand, ship, shell and rock.
Questions to ask while you read
Pause after each spread and ask one question. There are no right answers; the point is to get your child talking.
- 1Where is Captain Pepper going? What is on the map?
- 2Where did Nip go? What can you still see?
- 3What came up out of the sand? Is it the treasure?
- 4Oh no, the wind! How does Polly help?
- 5Where is the X now? Who helps Pepper dig?
- 6What did they find? Who do you think buried it?
- 7What is in the chest? What does the note say?
- 8Who gets a shell? Which one would you pick?
- 9Tap a shell: where does it go when you bury it?
- 10What would you bury for a new friend to find?
How hard is this book?
About 300 words, longer sentences, more different words.
- Dialogue × 10“Good bird, Polly!”
- Questions × 1“Who would bury a treasure here?”
- Commands × 2Tap a shell to bury it in the sand.
- Not / no × 2“Oh no! We need the map!”
- Will / going to × 1Some day, a new friend will dig it up!
- Contractions × 2“The treasure is under the X. Let’s go!”
All 134 words, most used first
the 26 · a 15 · and 12 · dig 8 · up 8 · map 7 · bury 6 · is 6 · it 6 · shells 6 · to 6 · big 4 · little 4 · says 4 · shell 4 · chest 3 · down 3 · everyone 3 · for 3 · friend 3 · new 3 · sand 3 · there 3 · treasure 3 · we 3 · an 2 · blue 2 · by 2 · can 2 · comes 2 · flies 2 · gives 2 · go 2 · goes 2 · her 2 · i 2 · in 2 · let's 2 · look 2 · now 2 · old 2 · on 2 · pink 2 · red 2 · rest 2 · side 2 · something 2 · spade 2 · takes 2 · they 2 · too 2 · with 2 · you 2 · am · are · at · bird · boot · captain · cheers · clunk · come · crab · day · did · eyes · full · get · gets · gold · good · gull · hard · hello · help · here · hits · ho · hop · into · island · laughs · lock · makes · me · myself · need · next · no · not · note · of · oh · one · only · onto · opens · palm · parrot · pops · rock · round · sails · sea · see · she · shiny · ship · sky · some · starts · sun · sunny · swoosh · take · tall · tap · that · then · top · tree · turns · turtle · two · under · warm · watch · waves · who · will · wind · wooden · would · yo
Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.
Tips for parents
- First time: use Read to me and let your child just listen and watch.
- Before page three, ask “What will they find under the sand?” Let them guess (it is a boot!).
- On the tapping page, say it together each time: “Bury the shell!”
- Play it for real: bury a small toy in a sandbox or a blanket, draw a map with an X, and let your child dig it up.