A Book ABout diphthongs And r-controlled vowelsBrian P. Cleary illustrations by Jason MiskiMinsThis Page Left Blank IntentionallyJ Millbrook Press/MinneapolisBrian P. Clearyillustrations by Jason MiskiminsConsultant: Alice M. MadayPh.D. in Early Childhood Education with a Focus in Literacy Assistant Professor, Retired Department of Curriculum and Instruction University of MinnesotaA Book ABout Diphthongs AnD R-ContRolleD VowelsText copyright 2009 by Brian P. Cleary Illustrations copyright 2009 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.Millbrook Press A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.Website address: www.lernerbooks.comLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataCleary, Brian P., 1959The clown in the gown drives the car with the star : a book about diphthongs and r-controlled vowels / by Brian P. Cleary ; illustrations by Jason Miskimins ; consultant Alice M. Maday, Ph.D. p. cm. (Sounds like reading)ISBN 9780822576372 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. English languageVowelsJuvenile literature. 2. English language ConsonantsJuvenile literature. 3. English languagePhoneticsJuvenile literature. 4. ReadingPhonetic methodJuvenile literature. I. Miskimins, Jason, ill. II. Maday, Alice M. III. Title. PE1157.C543 2009428.1dc22 2008025477Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 BP 14 13 12 11 10 09 to Miss gasper, my seventh-grade teacher in Rocky River, ohio B.p.C.eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-5201-3Dear Parents and Educators,As a former adult literacy coach and the father of three children, I know that learning to read isnt always easy. Thats why I developed Sounds Like Readinga series that uses a combination of devices to help children learn to read. This book is the eighth in the Sounds Like Reading series. It uses rhyme, repetition, illustration, and phonics to introduce young readers to diphthongsvowel sound combinations in which the sound of one letter glides into the other, as in toy and r-controlled vowelsvowels in which the sound changes because of the presence of the r, such as the a in star.Starting on page 4, youll see three rhyming words on each left- hand page. These words are part of the sentence on the facing page. They all feature a diphthong or an r-controlled vowel. As the book progresses, the sentences become more challenging. These sentences contain a “discovery” wordan extra rhyming word in addition to those that appear on the left. Toward the end of the book, the sentences contain two discovery words. And for an extra challenge, the final sentence in this book contains three! Children will delight in the increased confidence that finding and decoding the discovery words will bring. Theyll also enjoy looking for the mouse that appears throughout the book. The mouse asks readers to look for words that sound alike.The bridge to literacy is one of the most important we will ever cross. It is my hope that the Sounds Like Reading series will help young readers to hop, gallop, and skip from one side to the other!Sincerely, Brian P. ClearyLook for me to help you find the words that sound alike!oilfoilsoil4He poured oil on the foil on the soil.Can you find three words that sound alike?sawpawjaw 6I saw her paw on his jaw. Can you find three words that sound alike?mouse houseblouse 8The mouse took the blouse from her house.Can you find three words that sound alike?herdbirdthird Can you find three words that sound alike?10The herd and the bird finished third.tarcarstarCan you find three words that sound alike?12There is tar on the car in the shape of a star.bowCan you find three words that sound alike?mowrow14The girl with the bow will mow grass in a row.chowplowcow16The cow by the plow will eat her chow now.Can you find the word that sounds like cow, plow, and chow?clowngownCan you find the word that sounds like clown, gown, and crown?crown18The clown in the gown has a brown crown.Ber tskir tshir t20Bert got dirt on her skirt and shirt.Can you find the word that sounds like Bert, skirt, and shirt?squareschairsstairsCan you find the word that sounds like squares, chairs, and stairs?22He stares at the squares on the chairs by the stairs.crowthrowCan you find the word that sounds like crow, throw, and snow?snow24The slow crow can throw snow.TroytoyboyCan you find two words that sound like Troy, boy, and toy?26Joy and Roy gave Troy and his boy a toy.scouttroutspout Can you find two words that sound like scout, trout, and spout?2