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Inch and Roly
Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Scare: Ready-to-Read Level 1
What’s that in the grass? Help Inch and Roly solve an outdoor mystery in this sunshiny Level 1 Ready-to-Read story.
Roly sees something in the grass, but she does not know what it is. Roly, Inch, Dragonfly, and Beetle try to identify it. Is it a tunnel, or perhaps a hill? Maybe it is a snake! Each of the bugs thinks something different based on their different perspectives. In the end, after much panic, Roly identifies the mysterious object, and all the bugs receive a refreshing surprise!
Perfect for enjoying on a sunny day, this Level 1 Ready-to-Read tale is a delightful addition to an adorable series that stars familiar backyard and playground insects and is ideal for beginning readers.
Roly sees something in the grass, but she does not know what it is. Roly, Inch, Dragonfly, and Beetle try to identify it. Is it a tunnel, or perhaps a hill? Maybe it is a snake! Each of the bugs thinks something different based on their different perspectives. In the end, after much panic, Roly identifies the mysterious object, and all the bugs receive a refreshing surprise!
Perfect for enjoying on a sunny day, this Level 1 Ready-to-Read tale is a delightful addition to an adorable series that stars familiar backyard and playground insects and is ideal for beginning readers.
24 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
26 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Wiley
29 books377 followersMelissa Wiley is the author of The Nerviest Girl in the World, The Prairie Thief, Fox and Crow Are Not Friends, the Inch and Roly series, the Martha and Charlotte Little House books, and other books for kids. Melissa has been blogging about her family’s reading life and tidal homeschooling adventures at Here in the Bonny Glen since 2005. She is @melissawiley on Twitter and @melissawileybooks on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 1, 2024
Familiar backyard and playground insects -- that's the gang, with critters named Roly, Inch, Dragonfly, and Beetle. Each one contributes to the fun in this delightful Level 1 Reader.
Roly sees something in the grass, but she does not know what it is. Roly, Inch, Dragonfly, and Beetle try to identify it.
But each bug brings a different perspectives. What is that mystery in the grass? In the wise words of Roly:
A thing cannot be a tunnel,
and a hill,
and a snake" said Roly.
"It just be something else."
No spoiler from me, no no! But expect a happy ending to this FIVE STAR read.
Roly sees something in the grass, but she does not know what it is. Roly, Inch, Dragonfly, and Beetle try to identify it.
But each bug brings a different perspectives. What is that mystery in the grass? In the wise words of Roly:
A thing cannot be a tunnel,
and a hill,
and a snake" said Roly.
"It just be something else."
No spoiler from me, no no! But expect a happy ending to this FIVE STAR read.
March 16, 2019
Inch, Roly, Dragonfly, and Beetle are examining a strange thing they find in the grass. It brings to mind the books Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young or The Blind Men and the Elephant. It's a cute buggy tale that's just a little sciency for young readers. (observation)
Reviewed from a library copy.
2019 storytime theme: tunnels.
Reviewed from a library copy.
2019 storytime theme: tunnels.
May 13, 2018
Fun beginning reader where a group of insect friends all see an item differently just to find that it’s not so scary after all.
December 19, 2016
In the third book of the Inch & Roly series Inch, Roly, and their friends are intrigued and troubled by something mysterious lying in the grass. Each one's theory is scarier than the last, until brave Roly pieces the clues together and discovers there was nothing to be afraid of after all.
The wonderful thing about this book is that it does absolutely everything right. Here's my list of what makes Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Surprise a perfect easy reader:
The story is simple, but clever. Writing a simple story is easy, but writing a simple story which is surprising, interesting, and funny takes special talent. This book uses very few words, but the story is entertaining even to the adult reader helping the beginner.
The story has an effective structure. Wiley introduces the story's key problem - discovering what that thing in the grass actually is - then systematically works through it, giving each character an opportunity to chime in. The reader can't possibly get lost because there is a clear beginning, middle, and end. For new readers just mastering story structure, this is hugely important.
It uses repetition without becoming boring. Within the structure of this book, certain phrases and sentences structures repeat themselves. This is important for supporting new readers, and it's so satisfying to see repetition used in a way that feels fresh and not redundant.
The dialogue is properly punctuated and very clearly tagged.There is never any doubt as to who is speaking, and the dialogue actually helps carry the story and keeps it from becoming weighed down in a lot of exposition details. This makes the cast of characters very easy to manage, even for a new reader who is also juggling decoding and comprehension efforts at the same time.
It empowers the reader. The reader can easily identify the mystery object in advance of the bugs, which both boosts his or her confidence and gives him or her an impetus to keep reading to see how the bugs eventually figure it out, too.
Its message is subtle, but not obscure.This book provides subtle instructions for dealing with fear of the unknown and overcoming fears. The message is never stated outright; rather, it is demonstrated by the characters' actions and left for the reader to interpret for herself.
The illustrations perfectly complement the text.The cartoonish pictures not only evoke the lighthearted mood of the text, but they also provide much-needed visual cues that help with decoding and exposition. The reader can know the characters instantly from looking at them, which allows them to dive right into the events of the plot.
There is a funny twist at the end. Kids love surprises that make them laugh. While this book is not laugh-out-loud funny, it is clever and the youngest readers will be pleased at the way the bugs react to their discovery.
Kids can identify with each character. Wiley makes it easy for kids to identify with the characters who are fearful of the unknown object and with the brave Roly who faces it head-on and solves the mystery.
No prior knowledge of the series is required.It can be so frustrating for young readers when they find a book at the library that they want to borrow and then find out they can't really understand it without reading the first book, which is inevitably checked out. It's so refreshing to have a series where you can pick up any volume and just start reading.
The wonderful thing about this book is that it does absolutely everything right. Here's my list of what makes Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Surprise a perfect easy reader:
The story is simple, but clever. Writing a simple story is easy, but writing a simple story which is surprising, interesting, and funny takes special talent. This book uses very few words, but the story is entertaining even to the adult reader helping the beginner.
The story has an effective structure. Wiley introduces the story's key problem - discovering what that thing in the grass actually is - then systematically works through it, giving each character an opportunity to chime in. The reader can't possibly get lost because there is a clear beginning, middle, and end. For new readers just mastering story structure, this is hugely important.
It uses repetition without becoming boring. Within the structure of this book, certain phrases and sentences structures repeat themselves. This is important for supporting new readers, and it's so satisfying to see repetition used in a way that feels fresh and not redundant.
The dialogue is properly punctuated and very clearly tagged.There is never any doubt as to who is speaking, and the dialogue actually helps carry the story and keeps it from becoming weighed down in a lot of exposition details. This makes the cast of characters very easy to manage, even for a new reader who is also juggling decoding and comprehension efforts at the same time.
It empowers the reader. The reader can easily identify the mystery object in advance of the bugs, which both boosts his or her confidence and gives him or her an impetus to keep reading to see how the bugs eventually figure it out, too.
Its message is subtle, but not obscure.This book provides subtle instructions for dealing with fear of the unknown and overcoming fears. The message is never stated outright; rather, it is demonstrated by the characters' actions and left for the reader to interpret for herself.
The illustrations perfectly complement the text.The cartoonish pictures not only evoke the lighthearted mood of the text, but they also provide much-needed visual cues that help with decoding and exposition. The reader can know the characters instantly from looking at them, which allows them to dive right into the events of the plot.
There is a funny twist at the end. Kids love surprises that make them laugh. While this book is not laugh-out-loud funny, it is clever and the youngest readers will be pleased at the way the bugs react to their discovery.
Kids can identify with each character. Wiley makes it easy for kids to identify with the characters who are fearful of the unknown object and with the brave Roly who faces it head-on and solves the mystery.
No prior knowledge of the series is required.It can be so frustrating for young readers when they find a book at the library that they want to borrow and then find out they can't really understand it without reading the first book, which is inevitably checked out. It's so refreshing to have a series where you can pick up any volume and just start reading.
January 28, 2015
My daughter loves this book, at 16 months. I think it's because there is a lot of yelling. Fortunately there's nothing here to mind- the story is simple but not dumb. The clear, bright colors of the illustrations with cheerful shapes arne't particularly distinctive in any way but are somehow more tolerable than a lot of the easy reader art. Perhaps it's that they aren't oversaturated with cute bows and ruffles, depicting humanized but still recognizable bugs. I also like that two fo the four characters are female and the book comes across as gender neutral. The language also is repetive but not relentless and the "flee" and "fly" has a really pleasant alliteration.
September 13, 2014
Cute easy reader that can have kids guessing to who the mystery guest is. Illustrations are so-so, not anything that particularly stands out.
November 9, 2016
Read with Naomi & Julia.
November 7, 2014
Awesome! Teach quotes, points of view, fear of the unknown.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews