Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

First Page

Acknowledgement

About the Author

Copyright © 2010 by Tad Hills

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hills, Tad.

How Rocket learned to read / Tad Hills. — 1st ed.   p. cm.

Summary: A little yellow bird teaches Rocket the dog how to read by first introducing him to the “wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet.”

eISBN: 978-0-375-98922-3

[1. Reading—Fiction. 2. Dogs—Fiction. 3. Birds—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.H563737Ho 2010

[E]—dc22

2008051015

Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v3.0

To Gulliver and Rocket and to all the little yellow birds out there…especially Auntie Kate, who was one of the best of them.

Rocket loved to play. He loved to chase leaves and chew sticks. He loved to listen to the birds sing.

Every fall morning, after chasing leaves, Rocket would lie down in his favorite spot under his favorite tree. There he’d sniff the neighborhood smells and settle in for a good nap.

But one day … a little yellow bird startled Rocket. “Aha! My first student! Wonderful!” she sang.

Rocket was confused. “Student? I’m not a—”

“But if I am your teacher,” the bird interrupted, “then you must be my student.”

Rocket found it hard to argue with this bird.

“I am so glad you saw my sign!” the bird chirped.

“Oh, yes, I can see it,” Rocket said. “But I don’t know how to read.”

“Can’t read? Fantastic!” She waved a wing. “Welcome to my classroom.”

“But I just came here to nap,” Rocket said.

“No, no! There will be no napping in class,” declared the bird. “Except of course during naptime.”

“Well then, I can take a nap over here,” said Rocket. “I’ve had a very busy morning.”

“Not to worry, I’ll be around every day,” chirped the bird. “Until the weather turns.”

As Rocket breathed in the crisp air, the little yellow bird hung her banner. “Ah, the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet,” she marveled. “Where it all begins.”

Opening up a book, the bird began to read. She sang out the story of an unlucky dog named Buster who’d lost his favorite bone.

A cool breeze carried her lively voice across the yard. At first Rocket was disturbed.

But before long he found himself captivated.

To Rocket the story was as delicious as the earthy smells of fall. It was as exciting as chasing leaves. He closed his eyes and listened to every word.

“ ‘As Buster dug and dug under the lilac bush,’ ” the bird read, “ ‘he felt something familiar.’ ”

Rocket waited. Was it the bone? he wondered.

Silence.

“Was it the bone?” he called to the bird.

More silence.

“WAS IT THE BONE?!” Rocket hollered.

Suddenly he was rushing to the tree.

“WELL WAS IT?”

But the little yellow bird was gone.

The next morning Rocket arrived early.

At last the little yellow bird appeared. “Hello! How wonderful to see you in class,” she chirped. “I can tell by your waggy tail that you are well rested.”

“I’d like to hear the end of the story, please,” said Rocket.

“That seems like a fine way to start the day,” chirped the bird. She gave Rocket a name tag and began to read.

Every day Rocket returned to the little yellow bird’s classroom.

In the morning the bird taught him a new letter,

until he had learned all of the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet.

Together they sang out the sounds that each letter makes and spelled the sounds they heard around them.

With a G and many Rs they spelled Mr. Barker’s growl.

GRRRRRRRRRR!

They spelled the sound of the wind, which was growing colder by the day.

Soon they were spelling words, like F-A-L-L for the gusty time of year, and R-E-D for the color of the leaves.

And each afternoon the bird read a story. She read stories about dogs and birds. She read about leaves changing colors and about birds flying south for the winter.

Then one day the weather turned and the letter banner disappeared.

“See you again in the glorious spring,” the bird sang.

And as she flew into the wintry sky, she called, “Don’t forget! Words are built one letter at a time!”

The days grew shorter, and the leaves fell from the trees.

The grass became crunchy. Soon Rocket’s classroom disappeared under the snow.

He remembered the little yellow bird’s alphabet and practiced his letters.

Rocket thought about the bird’s sweet chirp while he sounded out words

like D-I-G

and W-I-N-D

and C-O-L-D.

S-U-N.

M-E-L-T.

He made new friends and spelled their names.

“Hello, E-M-M-A.”

“Hi there, F-R-E-D.”

He spelled everything.

When Rocket spelled M-U-D, he knew that spring, as it always does, had returned.

The breeze blew warmer, the grass grew greener, and a sign appeared.

Early the next morning, Rocket rushed to his classroom. As he waited, he spelled W-A-G.

Soon the little yellow bird arrived. “Aha! My star student!” she sang. “How wonderful to see you. I can tell by your waggy tail that you are ready for class.”

Then together they began to read. They read stories about birds flying north in the spring. They read about picnics in the warm sun. And they read about Buster, the lucky dog who found his bone under the lilac bush.

And when they were done, they read it again.

And again.

And A-G-A-I-N.

The author wishes to acknowledge the insight and support of Joan Kindig, associate professor of reading education at James Madison University; and Jane Morrissey, kindergarten teacher, and Laura Hulbert, lower school learning specialist, both of Brooklyn Friends School.

Tad Hills (above with the real Rocket) is the author and illustrator of the highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling picture books Duck & Goose and Duck, Duck, Goose. His board books include the ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book What’s Up, Duck? He is also the illustrator of Waking Up Wendell, by April Stevens. Tad lives in Brooklyn with his wife, their two children, and a dog named Rocket who has not learned how to read—yet.