Pup and Bug

by ReadRead · 5 min read

Tug, tug, tug! Hug, hug, hug! A warm, funny first book for children learning the short u sound: bug, rug, pup, mud, tub, cup. Every word sounds out, so they can read it all by themselves.

8pop-up spreads

44things to tap

2new words

Words in this book

tughugdownherejump

Peek inside

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Inside the book

Here is Bug, a little ladybug, on a red rug. Here is Pup. Pup can tug: tug, tug, tug! Oh no, the rug rolls up, and Bug is in the rug. Tug, Pup, tug! Out pops Bug, and Pup and Bug hug. Then they jump in the mud, Cub tugs a wash tub over, rub, rub, rub, and Bug gets a bath in a cup. At sunset everyone hugs on the rug. It is fun to hug!

At sunset Bug, Pup and Cub hug on the red rug.

Pup tugs the rug open, and Pup and Bug hug.

The new words in this book

tug

To pull hard, again and again. It comes up 10 times, and every time someone really tugs: Pup tugs the red rug with its teeth, tugs it open again to get Bug out, and Cub tugs a wash tub on a rope.

hug

To hold someone close because you love them. It comes up 6 times, and every time the friends hug: Pup and Bug after the rug, everyone in the game, and all three together at sunset.

This is a Level 2 decodable reader made for children who are learning the short u sound in kindergarten. Every word is either a short-vowel word a child can sound out (bug, rug, pup, tug, hug, mud, cub, tub, rub, cup, sun, fun, jump, on, in) or one of the very first sight words (here, the, and, can, down, to). 100% of the words are at that level, so a child can read the whole book alone. One pattern comes back with one word changing (“Bug is on the rug.” “Bug is in the rug!” “Pup is in the mud!” “Pup is in the tub.” “Bug is in a cup!”), and the two new words tug and hug differ only in the first letter.

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.

1Where is Bug? What colour is the rug? Who lives in the little red house?
2What does Pup do to the rug? Can you say “Tug, tug, tug!” and pull with your hands? Oh no, where is Bug now?
3How does Pup get Bug out? What do Pup and Bug do next?
4Who jumps in the mud? Is it fun? What colour are Pup and Bug now?
5Who is this? What does Cub tug? What is the tub for?
6Who is in the tub? Who is in the cup? Can you rub, rub, rub?
7Tap the rug and the tub to tug. Tap Pup, Bug and Cub to hug. Who hugs who?
8Is the sun up or down? Who hugs on the rug? Who would you like to hug?

How hard is this book?

Reading level · Pre-K–KShort vowels

Every short vowel (bed, sun) and the first sight words. A decodable book: 9 words in 10 can be sounded out at this phonics step.

86words in all

26different words

4.1words per sentence

7longest sentence

More books at this level

Words a child can sound out, by phonics step

Step 1 · short a, i, o60%

Step 2 · all short vowels100%

Step 3 · blends100%

Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai100%

Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou100%

Step 6 · longer words100%

All 23 words, most used first

is₁₁ · tug₁₀ · the₇ · hug₆ · in₅ · and₃ · here₃ · rub₃ · can₂ · mud₂ · rug₂ · tub₂ · a · cup · down · fun · it · jump · no · oh · on · sun · to

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

Tips for parents

First time: use Read to me and enjoy the story together. Then switch to I can read and let your child read it to you, one sentence at a time.
Point to the u in bug, rug, mud and tub and say the sound together: /u/ as in “up”. Then blend the word slowly: b-u-g.
Swap the first letter: t-ug, h-ug, b-ug, r-ug. The word card lets your child slide from tug to hug.
Play tug and hug at home: pull a towel together (“tug!”), then finish with a big hug.

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