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Selma Knight Mike Byrne
Book summary
This is a non-fiction book about a real-life hero: a guide dog called Tas. We follow Tas through the day and observe what he and his owner do.
Before reading Book talk
• Talk about the title of the book and the information on the back cover.
• Look closely at page 2 with your child and ask them who they can see.
• Talk with your child about what a guide dog is and what they have to do.
Phonics
This page is for adults to read
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Your child is starting to learn that letters represent sounds that can be blended together to make words. There are a few simple words in this book and your child should be able to read them by saying the letter sounds then blending them together, e.g. t-a-p becomes tap. You will find the following decodable words in the book:
Tas pat tap
Developing vocabulary
In order for children to develop their understanding, it’s important that they regularly learn new words. In this mostly wordless book, this is achieved through discussion. As you read, make sure you use a variety of different words and that your child understands them. For example, on page 3: The young man is crouching down and putting a harness on Tas
During reading
To encourage your child to be an independent reader, ensure they are ‘in charge’ of the book, i.e. that they are holding the book, turning the pages, etc. Enjoy the book together by:
• encouraging your child to read at their own pace, pointing under each word if it helps
• prompting your child, if necessary, to say the letter sounds then blend them together to say the word, e.g. p-a-t becomes pat
• encouraging your child to come up with their own questions and comments, as well as responding to your questions, so they know their thoughts and views are valued
• sharing aloud your thoughts on the real-life hero. This provides your child with a model to share their own views, e.g. I wonder how the dog is feeling in this picture? I think he looks …
• using lots of praise.
by Selma Knight
Illustrated by Mike Byrne
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OxfordUniversityPress EvaluationCopyOnly
patpat
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OxfordUniversityPress EvaluationCopyOnly
OxfordUniversityPress EvaluationCopyOnly
OxfordUniversityPress EvaluationCopyOnly
OxfordUniversityPress EvaluationCopyOnly
patpat
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pat pat
pat pat
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After reading
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• Using the summary on page 12, ask your child to retell the events in the book in their own words. Who was the book about? What did they do during the day? etc.
• Talk with your child about the book. Here are some questions you could ask:
What was the name of the guide dog? (Tas)
Who did Tas and his owner visit? (a friend)
How did they travel to visit their friend? (they walked to a bus stop, then got on a bus).
How do you think Tas’s owner feels about having Tas?
• Encourage your child to read the book again. This will build their reading confidence and fluency.
Other things to do
Discuss with your child other ways dogs help people, e.g. hearing dogs, sheepdogs, search and rescue dogs.
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First Edition published in 2021
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You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available 978-1-382-01390-1
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Paper used in the production of this book is a natural, recyclable product made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing process conforms to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
Printed in China by Golden Cup Printing Co Ltd
Acknowledgements
The character featured in this book is a fictional character used to help portray the role of a real-life hero. Illustrations by Mike Byrne
Teaching notes by Suzannah Ditchburn
The publishers would like to thank Guide Dogs for their advice.
The publisher and authors would like to thank the following for permission to use photographs and other copyright material: Cover: artwork: Mike Byrne; photos: (t) MirasWonderland/Shutterstock; Spiderstock/iStockphoto. Photos: p1: Spiderstock/iStockphoto; p2: MirasWonderland/Shutterstock; p3: Andrew Paterson/Alamy Stock Photo; p4: Alex Segre/Alamy Stock Photo; p5(t): berm_teerawat/Shutterstock; p5(b): berm_teerawat/Shutterstock; p6: John Davidson Photos/Alamy Stock Photo; p7(t): John Davidson Photos/Alamy Stock Photo; p7(b): pedrojperez/iStockphoto; p8: Art Konovalov/Shutterstock; p9: Spiderstock/iStockphoto; p10(t): Spiderstock/iStockphoto; p10: Spiderstock/ iStockphoto; p11: Rrajji/Shutterstock; p12(a): Andrew Paterson/Alamy Stock Photo; p12(b): berm_teerawat/Shutterstock; p12(c): Art Konovalov/ Shutterstock; p12(d): Spiderstock/iStockphoto; p12(e): Rrajji/Shutterstock
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in subsequent printings if notice is given to the publisher.
