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Knock, Knock! Open the Door
Reading level 4 · First sentencesFirst wordsAnimalsAges 3–5

Knock, Knock! Open the Door

by ReadRead · 90 sec

Knock, knock! Who is behind the red door? A first book with one short sentence at a time and paper doors that really open and shut.

7pop-up spreads
14things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
openshutbluedoordoorsduckgrandmagreen
Peek inside

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Inside the book

Mimi walks down her little street. All the doors are shut. Knock, knock! The red door opens, and there is a cat. The cat shuts the door and comes along. Behind the blue door is a dog, behind the yellow door a duck, and behind the green door, Grandma, with hugs and snacks for everyone.

The red door swings open and a grey cat is inside, in Knock, Knock! Open the Door.
The red door swings open and a grey cat is inside, in Knock, Knock! Open the Door.
Mimi on her street, where all the doors are shut.
Mimi on her street, where all the doors are shut.
Grandma opens the green door.
Grandma opens the green door.
Hugs and snacks at Grandma’s house at sunset.
Hugs and snacks at Grandma’s house at sunset.

The new words in this book

open

Not closed, so you can go in and see inside. It comes up 7 times, and every time a paper door on the page really swings open.

shut

Closed tight, so no one can see inside. It comes up 7 times, and every time a door really swings shut (with a soft thud).

Made for children just starting kindergarten: one sentence at a time, three to six words, and each door gets its own spread where it opens and then shuts, with no page turn in between. Two sentences take turns and only one word changes: “Knock, knock, open the red door!” (then blue, yellow, green) and “The cat shuts the door.” (then the dog, the duck). Every other word is one a four-year-old already knows: colours, door, cat, dog, duck, Grandma.

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.

  1. 1Are the doors open or shut? How many doors can you see?
  2. 2Knock, knock! Who is behind the red door? What does the cat do next? Can you say “shut”?
  3. 3Knock on the blue door with me. Who could be inside? Who is walking with Mimi now?
  4. 4What colour is this door? Who is inside? Can you shut a door like the duck?
  5. 5Who lives behind the green door?
  6. 6Tap a door: is it open or shut? Who is inside?
  7. 7What snack would you like at Grandma’s house?

How hard is this book?

4
Reading level · KFirst sentences

About 50 words, one short sentence at a time, one pattern that repeats.

61words in all
23different words
5.5words per sentence
6longest sentence
More books at this level
Words a child can sound out, by phonics step
Step 1 · short a, i, o43%
Step 2 · all short vowels49%
Step 3 · blends69%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai82%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou97%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Words that may stop a reader
hooraydoordoorsgreen
All 21 words, most used first

the 12 · door 7 · open 7 · shut 4 · shuts 3 · and 2 · doors 2 · hooray 2 · all · are · blue · cat · dog · duck · green · hugs · red · snacks · with · yellow · you

Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.

Tips for parents

  • First time: use Read to me and just enjoy the doors opening. The whole book takes about a minute and a half.
  • Knock along! Knock twice on the table every time the book says “Knock, knock”.
  • Before each door opens, stop and ask “Who is inside?” Let your child guess, then open it.
  • Play it for real: open and shut a door (or a box lid) at home and say the word each time: “Open! Shut!”
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