Pip and the Picnic Pocket
Pip and the Picnic Pocket
by ReadRead · 4 min readOne little bag, one caught corner, and a friend who knows when to slow down.
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Pip wants to pack a picnic for friends, but a blue cloth corner catches in the zipper. Pulling harder does not help. Nib looks closely and helps Pip open the bag, free the cloth, and close it gently. At sunset, a little flower goes into the same bag: something to remember a kind day.
The new words in this book
Pull a zipper to close a bag. Appears 6 times, including the attempt that gets stuck.
Pull a zipper back to open a bag. Appears 6 times as Pip packs, solves the problem, and shares.
Opening the bag is part of solving the problem. Watch the little tab, the caught cloth, and the hands that help.
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.
- 1Who is the picnic for?
- 2What stopped the zipper?
- 3Did pulling harder help?
- 4What does Nib notice?
- 5Why does Pip open the bag first?
- 6What is different this time?
- 7What comes out for lunch?
- 8How do the friends share?
- 9Open each little bag. What is inside?
- 10Why does Pip keep the flower?
How hard is this book?
About 250 words, sentences of 6–8 words, dialogue.
- Dialogue × 16“Now I can zip the bag.”
- Commands × 2“Let us look before we pull.”
- Not / no × 2“Oh. That did not help.”
- Past tense × 3“Oh. That did not help.”
- Will / going to × 2“I will unzip my bag for this.”
- Bigger / biggest × 1“One more tug. Please zip!”
- Because / when / if × 1“Let us look before we pull.”
All 110 words, most used first
the 21 · a 12 · bag 7 · for 7 · is 7 · it 6 · unzip 6 · zip 6 · and 5 · cloth 5 · little 5 · blue 4 · can 4 · comes 4 · corner 4 · i 4 · in 4 · pear 4 · picnic 4 · all 3 · bread 3 · friends 3 · goes 3 · one 3 · out 3 · you 3 · cup 2 · flower 2 · go 2 · help 2 · let 2 · looks 2 · my 2 · not 2 · our 2 · pulls 2 · red 2 · safe 2 · thank 2 · there 2 · tight 2 · tiny 2 · to 2 · together 2 · up 2 · us 2 · we 2 · will 2 · your 2 · are · at · bags · before · big · caught · did · down · each · end · free · full · gently · gives · gone · good · has · here · holds · home · idea · lets · look · low · lunch · made · me · more · now · of · oh · outside · please · pull · see · shows · shut · slowly · small · smile · so · stays · stops · sun · tab · take · tap · that · then · these · things · this · tips · tree · tug · two · under · waits · way · with · zipper
Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.
Tips for parents
- Let the quiet pause after the failed pull sit before asking a question.
- Watch the blue corner before and after the zipper moves back.
- Try zip and unzip on a real pouch together.
- Ask about a time your child helped a friend.