Finger Puppet Story Book
Beginner Reader 2
Written by: Sue & Kerry Kitzelman Photography: Steve Parish
As the hot sun beat down, Harry reached for his favourite straw hat and put it on top of his head. He took his hat with him everywhere he went. Today Harry was going to the beach but the mischievous wind was about to cause trouble.
It is hot. Harry has a hat. www.steveparish.com.au
As soon as Harry popped the hat on his head, a gust of wind carried it off. “Whooo,” blew the wind. Up, up, up the hat went and disappeared from sight with Harry running after it. “My hat,” he cried to the wind. “My hat, bring back my hat.” But the wind wasn’t listening …
The wind has his hat. www.steveparish.com.au
High in the tree tops, the playful wind whistled through the branches where Magpie Meg was mending a hole in her nest. “Wheee,” sang the wind and dropped Harry’s hat right at Meg’s feet. Meg was delighted! The hat was exactly what she needed. It would make the perfect place to put her children while she worked on her nest. She quickly placed her two beautiful chicks inside.
Meg got the hat. www.steveparish.com.au
When her nest was repaired, Meg had no further use for Harry’s hat. The wind took it and once again went in search of some fun. “Whoosh,” blew the wind and carried the hat down, down, down until it landed on the grass in front of Tess the kangaroo. Tess sniffed the hat. “It smells good,” she thought. “I wonder what it tastes like?”
The hat lands next to Tess. www.steveparish.com.au
Tess bit into the hat, taking a large chunk out of the brim. She was about to take another bite when along came that wind again. “Wheee,” screeched the wind as it whisked away what was left of Harry’s hat. Up over the dunes it travelled, heading towards an old hut near the beach.
Tess bit the hat. www.steveparish.com.au
Behind the hut, Dot the possum and her baby were looking for somewhere dry to sleep. The wind had pushed the clouds across the sky and it was starting to rain. Dot found a pot plant, climbed on top and was just getting comfortable when something strange happened.
Dot sits on top of the pot. www.steveparish.com.au
Plop! Everything went dark. “My goodness!” she thought. “Is it nighttime already?” Harry’s hat had landed right on top of her. The rim of the pot was the same size as the hat. It was as if the pot had a lid and under that lid was Dot and her baby.
The pot has a lid. The lid is a hat. www.steveparish.com.au
The rain poured down but Dot and her baby were dry, thanks to Harry’s hat. However, the wind wasn’t finished yet! “Whooo,” howled the wind as it blew the clouds away and lifted the hat off the pot. It carried the hat down to the river where Bill the pelican swam by the bank.
Bill will get the hat. www.steveparish.com.au
Bill saw something unusual. There in the river was what looked like a bowl made of straw. It was Harry’s hat floating near the surface. When he scooped it out of the water, he found it was full of tiny fish. “How wonderful,” he thought. “I can use this to catch bigger fish in the sea.”
Bill will fill the hat with big fish. www.steveparish.com.au
Thinking of those bigger fish in the ocean, Bill flew towards the beach. The hat was grasped firmly in his beak. Closer, closer, closer he flew to the beach. When he saw the waves, he opened his beak in a broad smile. Quick as can be, the wind stole the hat from Bill’s open mouth. “Wheee,” squealed the wind. The hat fell down, down, down …
Bill lost the hat in the wind. www.steveparish.com.au
Far below, Harry was lying on the beach. He was hot and wished that he had his hat. As if by magic, plop! — something landed at his feet. Can you guess what it was? It was his favourite hat. The wind had returned it to him and he was happy. The wind was happy too and it whistled past, looking for something else to steal. Let’s hope it doesn’t find your hat!
Harry has his hat back. www.steveparish.com.au
Kids love to be read to and it is fun to relive the story. Questions like the ones below help to enhance comprehension and develop an understanding of the vocabulary used in the story. AFTER READING THE STORY Talk about the meaning of these words: disappeared (went out of sight) mischievous (playful) unexpected (surprising) repair (mend, fix) chunk (a piece) grasped (held onto) QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT AFTER THE STORY Find the answer in the book. What was Harry’s hat made of? (Page 2) What did Meg do with the hat? (Page 6) How did the hat help Dot? (Page 16) Say what you think. Did the wind mean to take Harry’s hat? Has the wind ever blown away something that belongs to you? WORDS IN BLUE Children may need assistance to read the words in blue.
ABOUT FINGER PUPPET STORY BOOKS
OTHER FINGER PUPPET STORY BOOKS
Every book in the Finger Puppet range features an adult-read story on the left page with a simplified version for the child to read on the facing page. The adult-read story promotes comprehension and vocabulary, while the child-read component is aimed at developing early reading skills within the context of the story. Each book includes a collectable finger puppet pointer. The finger puppet is more than a toy. Once constructed, it also helps children progress systematically from left to right as they say each sound and then blend the sounds into words. The finger puppet adds to the children’s reading enjoyment as well as being a valuable learning tool.
To learn more about the Finger Puppet Story Books and for ideas about how to use them, go to www.steveparish.com.au/finger-puppet-books
PUBLISHING www.steveparish.com.au www.photographaustralia.com.au
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