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Rough and Smooth
Reading level 4 · First sentencesAges 3–5

Rough and Smooth

by ReadRead · 90 sec

Pat, pat! The rock is rough. Pat, pat! The pebble is smooth. A very first book for very new readers: one short sentence on every page, and the picture always shows the word.

10pop-up spreads
15things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
roughsmoothcrabfindsgiveshooraylittleolly
Peek inside

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Inside the book

Olly is a little sea otter on a sunny beach, and he wants to feel everything. Pat, pat! The big rock is rough. Pat, pat! The pebble is smooth. The old log is rough, the pink shell is smooth, his friend Crab is rough and bumpy, and the seagull is sleek and smooth. Then Olly digs in the sand, finds a smooth little pebble, and gives it to Crab as the sun goes down.

Olly the little otter pats Crab’s bumpy, rough shell on the sunny beach.
Olly the little otter pats Crab’s bumpy, rough shell on the sunny beach.
Pat, pat! The big rock is rough, and Olly scrunches up his nose.
Pat, pat! The big rock is rough, and Olly scrunches up his nose.
A golden glint glides along the smooth blue pebble.
A golden glint glides along the smooth blue pebble.
At sunset Olly gives Crab a smooth pebble.
At sunset Olly gives Crab a smooth pebble.

The new words in this book

rough

Bumpy and scratchy when you touch it. It comes up 7 times, and every time a rough thing on the page shakes with a “scritch”, sandy grit flies off, and Olly scrunches up his nose: the rock, the log, Crab’s bumpy shell and the starfish.

smooth

Sleek and even, your hand slides right over it. It comes up 9 times: a little golden glint glides along the pebble, the shell, the seagull’s feathers and the beach ball, and Olly strokes them with his eyes closed.

Made for children just starting kindergarten. Each page has one short sentence (3 to 6 words) in one pattern: “Pat, pat! The rock is rough.” / “Pat, pat! The pebble is smooth.” Only one word 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 rock, log, shell, crab, seagull and pebble.

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. 1Where is Olly? What can you see on the beach?
  2. 2Can you find something rough near you? Is it bumpy like the rock?
  3. 3Rub a spoon or a window. Is it smooth like the pebble?
  4. 4What happens when Olly pats the log? Why does he scrunch his nose?
  5. 5What colour is the smooth shell?
  6. 6Is Crab rough or smooth? Why does Crab laugh?
  7. 7How does the seagull feel? Can you stroke your own hair like that?
  8. 8What does Olly find in the sand?
  9. 9Tap a thing. Is it rough or smooth?
  10. 10Who gets the smooth pebble? How does Crab feel?

How hard is this book?

4
Reading level · KFirst sentences

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

61words in all
19different words
5.5words per sentence
6longest 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 vowels52%
Step 3 · blends62%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai62%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou92%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Grammar in this book
  • Questions × 2Tap! Rough or smooth?
Words that may stop a reader
pebblehoorayseagullor
All 18 words, most used first

pat 12 · smooth 9 · rough 7 · is 6 · the 6 · pebble 3 · a 2 · crab 2 · or 2 · finds · gives · hooray · little · log · rock · seagull · shell · tap

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.
  • Feel the words: find something rough (a towel, a brush, bark) and something smooth (a spoon, a plate, a stone) and let your child rub them.
  • Read it again and pause before the last word of each page, so your child can say “rough” or “smooth”.
  • On the game page, let your child guess “Rough!” or “Smooth!” before each tap.
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