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Who Is First?
Reading level 4 · First sentencesAges 3–5

Who Is First?

by ReadRead · 90 sec

Walk, walk! Pebble is last. Whee! Pebble is first. A very first book for very new readers: one short sentence on every page, and a gold star or a blue ring always shows who is first and who is last.

10pop-up spreads
19things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
firstlastduckeveryonegetshooraylookmama
Peek inside

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Inside the book

Mama Duck is first. Behind her come four yellow ducklings, and at the very back is tiny Pebble. Walk, walk. Hop, hop over a log. Swim, swim across the pond. Pebble is always last. Then they find a little slide on the bank, and everyone wants to go first. Mama turns around: “Pebble, you go first!” Whee! This time Mama is last, and everyone gets a turn.

Four yellow ducklings and Mama Duck wait by a little red slide at the pond in Who Is First?
Four yellow ducklings and Mama Duck wait by a little red slide at the pond in Who Is First?
Mama Duck leads five ducklings in a line; tiny Pebble is last.
Mama Duck leads five ducklings in a line; tiny Pebble is last.
Mama turns the line around and Pebble hops to the front.
Mama turns the line around and Pebble hops to the front.
At sunset, Pebble is first and Mama is last on the way home.
At sunset, Pebble is first and Mama is last on the way home.

The new words in this book

first

At the very front, before everyone else. It comes up 6 times, and every time a gold star pops up over the duck at the front of the line: Mama leading the way, Pebble hopping to the front, Pebble whooshing down the slide.

last

At the very back, after everyone else. It comes up 5 times, and every time a blue ring shows the duck at the back: tiny Pebble walking, hopping and paddling behind, and then Mama, who takes the last turn on the slide.

Made for children just starting kindergarten. Each page has one short sentence (3 to 6 words) in one pattern: “Walk, walk! Pebble is last.” / “Hop, hop! Pebble is last.” 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 duck, walk, hop, swim, slide and turn. The story has a kind turn too: the smallest one gets to go first, and Mama happily goes last.

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. 1Who is at the front of the line? Who is at the back?
  2. 2Count the ducklings: one, two, three, four, five! Which one is Pebble?
  3. 3Who hops over the log last?
  4. 4Who is swimming at the back? Is Pebble paddling hard?
  5. 5Everyone wants to go first. How do you think Pebble feels?
  6. 6What does Mama say to Pebble? Say it with her!
  7. 7Pebble is first down the slide! Say “Whee!”
  8. 8Who goes last? What a big splash!
  9. 9Tap a duckling. Who is first? Who is last?
  10. 10On the way home, who is first now, and who is last?

How hard is this book?

4
Reading level · KFirst sentences

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

52words in all
21different words
4.7words per sentence
6longest sentence
More books at this level
Words a child can sound out, by phonics step
Step 1 · short a, i, o50%
Step 2 · all short vowels54%
Step 3 · blends77%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai83%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou96%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Grammar in this book
  • Dialogue × 1Pebble, you go first!
  • Questions × 2Tap! Who is first?
Words that may stop a reader
everyonehoorayturnwheeslide
All 18 words, most used first

is 10 · first 6 · last 5 · a 2 · hop 2 · swim 2 · walk 2 · whee 2 · who 2 · everyone · gets · go · hooray · look · slide · tap · turn · you

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.
  • Line up toys (or the family) and play “Who is first? Who is last?” before bed.
  • Read it again and pause before the last word of each page, so your child can say “first” or “last”.
  • On the slide page, let your child choose who goes first, then say “First!” and “Last!” together.
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