Full Basket, Empty Basket

by ReadRead · 90 sec

Pick, pick! The basket is full. One for Bunny, one for Bird… oh! The basket is empty. A very first book about sharing: one short sentence on every page, and the basket always shows the word.

10pop-up spreads

21things to tap

2new words

Words in this book

fullemptyagainbasketbasketsbirdbunnyfill

Peek inside

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Inside the book

Nini has an empty basket and a whole orchard of peaches. Pick, pick! Now the basket is full. One peach for Bunny, one for Bird, one for Squirrel, one for Puppy, and oh, the basket is empty. But her friends come back with flowers, and the basket is full again. Then Grandma comes out with a basket full of peaches too, and everyone shares a picnic at sunset.

Nini cheers beside her basket, full again with flowers from her friends, in Full Basket, Empty Basket.

Nini picks peaches from a big peach tree, and her basket fills up.

After giving a peach to every friend, Nini’s basket is empty.

The new words in this book

full

Having as much in it as it can hold. It comes up 7 times, and every time a basket on the page really is full: heaped with peaches Nini picked, heaped with the friends’ flowers, and Grandma’s big basket of peaches.

empty

Having nothing in it. It comes up 6 times: the bare basket at the start, and after Nini gives the last peach away she turns it right over and shakes it. Nothing falls out.

Made for children just starting kindergarten. Each page has one short sentence (3 to 6 words) in a pattern that repeats: “The basket is empty.” / “The basket is full.” and “One for Bunny, one for Bird.” Only a word or two changes, so a child can say the page with you by the third spread. Every other word is one a 4-year-old already knows, like pick, flowers, grandma, puppy and hooray.

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.

1What is in Nini’s basket? Is there anything inside?
2Count the peaches going into the basket. Is it full now?
3Who gets a peach? Point to Bunny and Bird.
4Who gets the next peaches?
5Oh! What happened to the basket? Why is it empty?
6What are the friends bringing back?
7Is the basket full again? What is it full of?
8What does Grandma have? Is her basket full too?
9Tap a basket. Is it full or empty?
10How many full baskets can you find at the picnic?

How hard is this book?

Reading level · KFirst sentences

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

56words in all

25different words

5.1words per sentence

6longest sentence

More books at this level

Words a child can sound out, by phonics step

Step 1 · short a, i, o29%

Step 2 · all short vowels57%

Step 3 · blends64%

Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai66%

Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou71%

Step 6 · longer words100%

Grammar in this book

Questions × 1Tap! Full or empty?

Words that may stop a reader

baskethooraybasketsflowersgrandma'snini'soragain

All 21 words, most used first

full₇ · basket₆ · empty₆ · is₅ · for₄ · one₄ · the₄ · hooray₂ · pick₂ · again · baskets · fill · flowers · grandma's · nini's · now · oh · or · tap · too · two

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

Tips for parents

First time: use Read to me and just enjoy the pictures together. It takes about a minute and a half.
Act the words with a real bag or bowl: fill it up with toys for “full”, tip it over for “empty”.
Read it again and pause before the last word of each page, so your child can say “full” or “empty”.
Talk about sharing: Nini gave all her peaches away, and her friends gave something back. What could your child share today?

Start reading