Free Read-Aloud Story for Kids Ages 5-8: Rocky, Jacob, and the Lost Duck Trail
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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: Rocky, Jacob, and the Lost Duck Trail
Adventures with Rocky, number one, number one, Rocky, Rocky, and the lost duck trail. Chapter one, chapter one, the boot, the boot, in the dark, something cold, touched Jacob's ear. He pulled the blanket over his head, the cold thing, the cold thing, found his nose. Rocky, Rocky, the golden dog stood beside the bed.
He was part golden retriever and part lab. He yawned, and Jacob saw the two black spots on his tongue. His tail swept a sock off the chair. Jacob had found him at the marsh trail sign when he was five.
A wet, golden dog sat there. As if he had been waiting, and he came home with them. And stayed, and stayed. It is dark.
Very, very early morning. Jacob sat up. Downstairs. A door clicked.
A door clicked. Dad was packing the last bag. Today, they were going, luck hunting. Rocky had made it up.
Jacob had never been hunting before. He had drawn a picture of the marsh at school. In the picture, every duck was shaped as a potato with wings. Rocky had liked it very much.
Ducks are the best of friends. But only if he can catch them. Catch them? Not with paws.
Catching means you get close. Very quietly. The duck does not fly away. That sounds hard.
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- 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.
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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.
You must be lucky. Ducks get scared of dogs sometimes. Nobody would grab. Nobody would chase.
They would sit still and let the ducks decide. Breakfast? Boots first. Jacob put one foot into a boot.
Something crunched. He pulled his foot out. Inside the boot was a dog biscuit. Rocky looked surprised.
How fortunate. You put it there. I was saving it for a special day. Jacob held it out.
Rocky took it gently. Downstairs, dad spread a map on the kitchen table. Listen, before we go, you stay with me. Rocky stays with us.
We use the marked path and the wooden blind. If we lose sight of each other, stay in one place and use your whistle. Jacob touched the orange whistle on his jacket. Three blasts.
That's right. Dad put a small pack on Jacob's shoulders. It held water, a snack, a warm hat, and a bright emergency blanket. Rocky sniffed the pack.
The snack is ready. So are we, said Jacob.
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.