Free Read-Aloud Story for Kids Ages 5-8: Jamie and Rocky: The Town That Forgot Saturday
Quick & Easy Less Than 10 Min Assessment To Find Where Your Child May Be Falling Behind
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Looking for a read-aloud story that builds your child’s love of reading? Adventures with Rocky follows a golden retriever and his kids on gentle adventures written for Kindergarten through Grade 3.
How to use this story at home
- Read one page aloud, then let your child read the next sentence.
- Pause and ask, “What do you think happens next?”
- Point to tricky words and sound them out together.
Read the opening: Jamie and Rocky: The Town That Forgot Saturday
Adventures with Rocky, number 6, Jamie and Rocky, the town that forgot Saturday, Chapter 1, Mayor of the Backyard. At 9 o 'clock on Saturday morning, Jamie appointed herself mayor, and at 3 minutes past 9, she issued her first official warning. You cannot eat the town's supplies. She told Rocky, Rocky looked down at the pencil between his paws.
A minute ago, a minute ago, it had been a perfectly good yellow pencil. It looked as though it had lost an argument with a beaver. I was sharpening it. With your teeth.
With your teeth. I work with the tools I have. Jamie rescued the pencil and placed it on the far side of the table, well beyond the reach of any deputy. Her headquarters occupied the shady corner of the backyard beneath an old striped beach brella, that little to the left.
A cardboard sign dangled from the edge of the patio table, lettered in her neatest marker, tomorrow town, mayor, appointment by appointment, Rocky, half golden retriever and half lab, with two black spots on his tongue, was wearing dad's old striped tie. It hung sideways across his golden chest, right between two muddy patches that had definitely not been there before breakfast. When Jamie asked about the mud, Rocky explained that a good deputy inspects the flower beds personally. Jamie had found it in the backyard after a rainstorm, sitting in an empty cardboard box as if he had been waiting for her.
What’s Included in the 12-Week Program?
Everything you need to build stronger reading skills, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.
- 36 Step-by-Step Reading Lessons Three structured lessons each week (3 × 12 weeks), matched to the reading skills your child needs to strengthen.
- Your Child’s Personalized Learning Path The assessment identifies where to begin, so your child works on the right skills — not simply material based on age or grade.
- Practice Activities & Progress Checks Fun, engaging activities reinforce each skill, with regular checks to see what’s improving and what still needs practice.
- Parent Teaching Guides Simple, step-by-step instructions show you exactly how to help — without needing teaching experience.
- Learn With Rocky or Learn Together Children who are ready can work more independently with Rocky, while parents who want to participate can follow Nancy’s guided approach.
- 12-Week Progress Reassessment & Report At the end of the program, your child completes a fresh assessment showing strengths, observed progress, remaining needs, and the recommended next learning step.
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Quick & Easy Less Than 10 Min Assessment To Find Where Your Child May Be Falling Behind
Fill out the form and we’ll send you a free assessment to help you identify your child’s strengths and possible areas for growth.
He stayed. And he had been staying ever since, with opinions about nearly everything. What exactly is my new job? Deputy mayor.
Deputy mayor. That sounds like a promotion. Sounds like a promotion. So I assume it comes with a snack budget?
It comes with no office. It comes with no office. Neither does yours. Neither does yours.
You have a patio table and an brella that is slowly falling over. Jamie decided to ignore this, which she suspected was one of the most important skills a mayor could have. All week long, grownups had told her to wait until mom finished her work call, until dad checked the calendar, wait until the student council decided what could happen at the summer fair. Yesterday, Jamie raised her hand in class and proposed a giant obstacle course with tires and ropes and a tunnel made of hula hoops.
Talk about it
- How did the characters feel at the start?
- What would you have done?
- Retell the story in three sentences.
Is your child reading on track? Take Dr. Nancy’s free reading assessment and get a simple plan in minutes.
About the author: Dr. Nancy Barker, Ed.D., has been a teacher for 49 years. Doctoral dissertation: Pepperdine University, 2011 — digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/173.
Quick & Easy Less Than 10 Min Assessment To Find Where Your Child May Be Falling Behind
Fill out the form and we’ll send you a free assessment to help you identify your child’s strengths and possible areas for growth.