Sing It, Bug!

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Animal Decodable Reader with Silent wr Words

Practice Words

Words with the silent 'w' in the 'wr' combination, where only the /r/ sound is heard.

wreck wrenched wretched wriggle wriggly wrinkled wrist written wrong wry
Page 1
Bug stands on the right side of the image on a large tree branch, gripping the branch with her legs and grinning widely, looking excited and determined. The outdoor springtime scene features a large tree trunk filling much of the background, with green leaves overhead and lush green bushes and foliage visible in the bright, sunny background behind Bug.

Spring had come, and Bug had a wriggly feeling in her belly. A fizzy, buzzy, can't-sit-still feeling. She gripped her branch and grinned so wide her face nearly split in two. 'I want to sing!' Bug told no one at all. But there was one problem. Bug had never sung a single note. Not one.

Page 2
Duck stands on the left side of the image, beak open wide and head tilted upward, singing joyfully in the rain. Duck appears happy and carefree, standing upright on a grassy bank beside a pond or lake. Bug stands on the bank to Duck's right, frowning with her mouth open and one arm raised in a correcting gesture, clearly telling Duck the song is wrong. Rain falls steadily across the scene, with lush green bushes and foliage in the background and tropical-looking plants in the foreground.

Bug found Duck by the pond, singing in the pouring rain. 'Quack la la la quack!' Duck sang at the clouds, rain splashing off his feathers. Bug wrinkled her face. 'That song is all wrong for me,' she said. Duck shook his head and told her she could not sing without rain, because rain made a song wet and wonderful. Bug looked at her dripping wings and muttered that she wanted a fun song, not a wet one.

Page 3
Frog is sitting on the right side of the image on a muddy bank at the edge of a pond, mouth wide open and singing happily with black musical notes floating in the air beside him. He has a cheerful, joyful expression as he performs his song, with green grass blades and broad heart-shaped leaves growing behind him on the bank. The pond water sits in the lower right portion of the scene, showing Frog's upside-down reflection on its surface. The entire left side of the image is open white space above the curving shoreline, leaving clear space for text.

Frog sat at the edge of the pond, chest puffed out. 'BRRR-UP BRRR-UP BRRR-UP!' His song went on. And on. And on. It had been going since breakfast. 'That's... very long,' said Bug from the bank. 'Can you teach me a shorter one?' Frog blinked. 'Shorter? My song has forty-seven parts! I'm only on part twelve!' Bug felt that was all wrong for her, and she backed away slowly.

Page 4
On the left side of the image, Big Bird stands on a tree branch with her orange beak wide open, singing enthusiastically with black musical notes floating above her head; she has a round blue head and a tan-yellow body with pink feet. Bug, a small orange insect with antennae, striped belly, and pale translucent wings, stands upright on the same branch beside Big Bird, clapping her front legs together with a cheerful, smiling expression as she looks up at Big Bird. The scene is set outdoors during the day, with the branch extending in from the lower left, green leafy bushes in the bottom-left corner, a small light-blue cloud outline behind the characters, and the right side of the image left as open, plain pale-cream sky with no other elements.

Big Bird threw back her head and sang. The branch shook. The leaves shook. Bug's antennae wrenched sideways. 'TRILL-A-RILL-A-REEEE!' Bug clapped and clapped. 'That was grand!' she cried. 'Teach me that!' She took a deep breath. She opened her mouth. Out came a tiny squeak, thin as a bent blade of grass. Big Bird patted her gently. 'Try something smaller, dear.'

Page 5
On the right side of the image, Sad Bird, a small blue bird, is perched on a thick tree branch with eyes closed and beak wide open, singing with black music notes floating above her head. Bug, an orange insect with antennae and pale wings, stands next to Sad Bird on the branch, frowning sadly with tears on her cheeks and both arms hanging down at her sides. Green foliage hangs from the upper-right corner, and bushes sit in the background behind the characters. The left side of the image is plain white background.

Sad Bird drooped on the branch, singing low and slow. 'Ohhh, the worms are gone... the sky is grey... I feel so wretched every single day...' Bug drooped too, and tears slid down her cheeks. 'What if we made it a happy song, with a bit of bounce?' Sad Bird stared at her. 'Why would anyone sing a happy song?' he whispered. 'Sadness is best.' 'Well, not for me,' Bug muttered, and hopped away.

Page 6
In the lower-left portion of the image, Crick stands with mouth open wide, singing happily with blue music notes floating above, one arm gesturing outward in a cheerful pose. Bug stands beside Crick, looking up at him with a smiling, eager expression and mouth open as if speaking. Both characters are on a patch of earthy ground outdoors, framed by large green leaves in the corners, with the top half of the image left as plain white background.

Then Bug heard a bright sound, like a tiny bell. 'CHIRP chirp-chirp CHIRP!' Crick sang, bouncing on his feet. Bug ran so fast she tripped on a leaf. 'That's the song I want! Not wet, not long, not loud, not sad. Just fun!' Crick grinned. 'Want the secret? You don't find your song. You open your mouth and let it wriggle right out. There's no wrong way.'

Page 7
Bug is standing on a rock on the left side of the image, surrounded by green bushes and leaves. Bug has a wide, joyful smile with mouth open, singing happily with one arm raised in the air while musical notes float nearby. The outdoor scene is brightly lit with a plain white background filling the right side of the image.

Bug climbed up on a rock, her heart hammering and her legs wobbling. She opened her mouth and let the song wriggle out. One bright note rang across the trees, and Bug's eyes went wide. She tried again, and this time it wasn't long or loud or sad, but it rang like a bell, and it was all hers. 'I can sing!' Bug shouted, raising one tiny wrist high in the air.

Page 8
In the lower-left portion of the image, Bug stands at the front with arms raised enthusiastically, appearing to conduct the group as they sing together. Crick stands nearby, also with mouth open, joining in. Frog is behind them with mouth wide open, singing energetically. Duck stands among the group with beak open, singing along. Big Bird towers above the others in the back, looking down with a cheerful, wide-eyed expression and mouth open mid-song. Sad Bird is near the centre, beak open and appearing to make an effort to sing, looking slightly uncertain. Musical notes float in the air above the group. The scene is set outdoors on a grassy hillside with bushes and trees in the background, under daylight. The top half of the image is open background with a teal-green colour block on the right side.

Bug had a wild idea. What if everyone sang together? She ran back to every friend. 'Come sing with me!' she told them all. At first, it was a wreck. Duck quacked. Frog bellowed. Big Bird drowned them all out. Sad Bird sang about rain clouds. Crick chirped as fast as he could. 'Stop!' Bug yelled, waving her arms. 'Listen to each other, not just yourselves!' One by one, they tried again. Duck went soft. Frog kept it short. Big Bird hummed low. Slowly, voice by voice, the song began to ring.

Page 9
On the right side of the image, five characters are gathered together on a winding dirt path atop rolling green hills, singing joyfully with blue music notes floating around them, while the left side of the image is open empty space in a soft cream tone. Duck stands at the back of the group with one wing raised, beak wide open singing happily toward the sky. Sad Bird stands just in front of Duck with eyes closed and beak wide open in cheerful song. Frog is in the foreground, standing upright with arms outstretched and mouth wide open in a big grin, singing enthusiastically. Crick stands to the right of the group, arms raised and mouth open in a happy smile, singing along. Bug, with small translucent wings, stands beside Crick with arms raised and one leg kicked up, singing happily. The scene is set outdoors on a bright, sunny day with soft white clouds in a pale blue sky in the upper right and tufts of grass along the hillside path.

Big Bird, Sad Bird, Duck, Frog, Crick, and Bug sang together on the hilltop, and the sound rolled out over the land like a wave. Frog kept it to four parts. Sad Bird gave a wry little smile, and nobody fainted from the shock. Duck sang without a single raindrop. Right in the middle, one tiny chirp held them all together like a thread. 'What a thing!' Bug laughed. And they sang it all again from the top.

Page 10
Bug stands on the left side of the image on a small grassy mound, dancing joyfully with both arms raised and mouth open wide in song. Blue music notes float in the air around her. She has a happy, exuberant expression. The outdoor scene features small wildflowers, tufts of grass, and scattered rocks around the mound, with the right side of the image left as plain white background.

That night, and every night after, Bug sang her song. She sang to the flowers. She sang to the rocks. She sang to a worm, who didn't look glad but listened anyway. She flung her arms wide and let that bright little chirp ring out. Her song was not the longest. It was not written in any book. But walk past her hill on a spring night and listen close, and you'll hear it. And you'll find yourself singing along.

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