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Tilly and the Little Boat
Reading level 5 · Short storiesAnimalsAdventureAges 3–7

Tilly and the Little Boat

by ReadRead · 5 min read

Frog hops in, Mouse hops in, and then very big Bear. Splash! A story about making room for everyone.

10pop-up spreads
51things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
floatsinkbearbeginsboatclimbscomecomes
Peek inside

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Inside the book

Tilly the duck has a little red boat. Frog hops in, Mouse hops in, and the boat can still float. Then very big Bear asks to come too. Splash! Everyone ends up in the pond, and together they find a way for all of them to float.

Very big Bear arrives at the pond in Tilly and the Little Boat.
Very big Bear arrives at the pond in Tilly and the Little Boat.
Tilly, Frog and Mouse in the little red boat.
Tilly, Frog and Mouse in the little red boat.
Everyone in the water after the boat sinks.
Everyone in the water after the boat sinks.
The float-or-sink game on the grassy bank.
The float-or-sink game on the grassy bank.

The new words in this book

float

To stay up on top of the water. It comes up 8 times: the boat, the log, a leaf, and all the friends at the end.

sink

To go down under the water. It comes up 6 times, and every time something really goes down through the page.

The text repeats on purpose (“The boat can float.” comes three times), so a pre-reader can say it along by page four. Every other word is a common word, like boat, big, little, water and friends.

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. 1What can you see at the pond?
  2. 2What colour is Tilly’s boat? Can you bob like a boat?
  3. 3Frog wants to come. Is there room?
  4. 4Mouse hops in too. Does the boat still float?
  5. 5Bear is very, very big. What do you think will happen?
  6. 6Oh no! Why did the boat sink?
  7. 7Bear feels too big. What could the friends do?
  8. 8Does the log sink? Why not?
  9. 9Guess first, then tap: will it float or sink?
  10. 10Who did you make room for today?

How hard is this book?

5
Reading level · K–1Short stories

About 150 words, short sentences, a small story.

159words in all
66different words
5.5words per sentence
8longest sentence
More books at this level
Words a child can sound out, by phonics step
Step 1 · short a, i, o51%
Step 2 · all short vowels60%
Step 3 · blends77%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai92%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou97%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Grammar in this book
  • Dialogue × 5“I am too big,” says Bear.
  • Questions × 3“Can I come, too?” says Frog.
  • Commands × 3Tap and see!
  • Not / no × 2It does not sink.
Words that may stop a reader
beginseveryonesunnytogetherwaterfriendsverydoesgoesroom
All 62 words, most used first

the 16 · can 10 · boat 8 · float 7 · sink 6 · says 5 · too 5 · a 4 · big 4 · in 4 · is 4 · i 3 · it 3 · little 3 · log 3 · pond 3 · and 2 · bob 2 · come 2 · friends 2 · hops 2 · look 2 · me 2 · on 2 · to 2 · very 2 · what 2 · all · am · are · at · begins · climbs · comes · day · does · down · duck · everyone · floats · for · gets · goes · has · leaf · no · not · oh · red · room · see · splash · stone · sun · sunny · tap · then · there · they · together · water · with

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 six, stop and ask “What will happen when Bear gets in?” Let them guess.
  • On the float-or-sink page, ask your child to guess out loud before every tap.
  • At bath time, try it for real: a sponge, a spoon, a toy boat. “Does it float or sink?”
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