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Lights On, Lights Off
Reading level 4 · First sentencesFirst wordsBedtimeAges 3–5

Lights On, Lights Off

by ReadRead · 90 sec

Click! The lamp is on. Click! Now it is off. A first bedtime book with one short sentence per page, where every light really goes on and off.

10pop-up spreads
22things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
onoffbedtimeblinksfireflygoodhooraylamp
Peek inside

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Inside the book

It is night in Lulu’s cozy house. Lulu turns the lamp on. Bedtime! Mum turns the lamp off. In the dark, Lulu turns her torch on, and look: a little firefly blinks on, then off. When Lulu turns the torch off, the firefly shines again. The star lamp throws stars on the wall, the real stars are on outside too, and then it is lights off and good night.

Lulu turns the lamp on in her cozy bedroom, in Lights On, Lights Off.
Lulu turns the lamp on in her cozy bedroom, in Lights On, Lights Off.
Lulu turns her torch on in the dark bedroom.
Lulu turns her torch on in the dark bedroom.
Outside, the stars are on too, and the firefly flies up to them.
Outside, the stars are on too, and the firefly flies up to them.
Lights off. Good night, Lulu!
Lights off. Good night, Lulu!

The new words in this book

on

The light is shining, so you can see. It comes up 8 times, and every time a lamp, the torch, the firefly or the stars really light up and the room gets brighter.

off

The light is not shining, so it is dark. It comes up 7 times, and every time a light really goes out with a little click and the room gets darker.

Made for children just starting kindergarten: one sentence per page, four to six words. One sentence comes back again and again with one thing changing: “Lulu turns the lamp on.” (then the torch, the star lamp) and “Mum turns the lamp off.” Every other word is one a four-year-old already knows: lamp, torch, stars, Mum, night.

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. 1Is the lamp on or off? Is the room light or dark?
  2. 2It is bedtime. What does Mum do?
  3. 3What does Lulu have in her hands? Can you say “on”?
  4. 4Look! What is that little light by the window?
  5. 5Where did the firefly’s light go?
  6. 6Lulu turns the torch off. What can you see now in the dark?
  7. 7What is on the wall now? Can you count the stars?
  8. 8Are the stars on or off outside? Where is the firefly going?
  9. 9Tap a lamp: is it on or off?
  10. 10Is the big lamp on or off now? Good night, Lulu!

How hard is this book?

4
Reading level · KFirst sentences

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

58words in all
25different words
5.3words per sentence
6longest sentence
More books at this level
Words a child can sound out, by phonics step
Step 1 · short a, i, o52%
Step 2 · all short vowels55%
Step 3 · blends72%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai72%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou91%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Words that may stop a reader
fireflybedtimehoorayoutsideturnstorchlightsnightstarstars
All 23 words, most used first

on 8 · the 8 · off 7 · turns 5 · lamp 3 · blinks 2 · firefly 2 · torch 2 · and · are · bedtime · good · hooray · lamps · lights · look · night · now · outside · star · stars · too · you

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

Tips for parents

  • First time: use Read to me and watch the room get lighter and darker. The whole book takes about a minute and a half.
  • Say “click!” together every time a light goes on or off.
  • Before you turn the page, ask “On or off?” and let your child answer by looking at the picture.
  • Play it for real at bedtime: turn a lamp on and off together and say the word each time: “On! Off!”
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