Gus and His Nut: Short U Decodable (Decode with Us! Phonics Fun with Sam, Ted, Gus, and Friends!)

Gus and His Nut is a simple and engaging story designed to help beginning readers master the short ‘U’ sound. Through repetition and phonetic patterns, young readers will join Gus on his sunny adventure as he plays and explores. Follow along to see if he can find where his tasty nut is hiding! Build Confidence with a Truly Decodable Book Your Child Can Read from Start to Finish! Designed with emerging readers in mind, this short vowel decodable book is the perfect next step for children who know their basic letter sounds and are ready to begin sounding out simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. Unlike many early readers, this book features: Vibrant, playful illustrations that enhance understanding without encouraging guessing Engaging story with a true beginning, middle, and end–something rarely found in basic decodable texts Simple, decodable vocabulary focused exclusively on one short vowel sound per book A limited number of high-frequency or “heart” words to support story flow and comprehension Character names that match the book’s targeted vowel sound No consonant blends or digraphs, keeping decoding pure and focused What’s Inside: Short Vowel Introduction – Clear explanation of the focus vowel sound, along with a suggested hand gesture to reinforce phonemic awareness. CVC Word List – A complete list of all decodable CVC words used in the story for easy review and reinforcement. High-Frequency Word List – Includes the high-frequency (heart/sight) words found in the text to support comprehension. Total Word Count – Helpful for tracking progress and conducting running records. Comprehension Questions – Five targeted, story-specific questions to check understanding and support oral language development. Review Page – Combines picture and word matching to reinforce vocabulary and decoding skills. Directed Drawing Activity – A simple, step-by-step drawing of one focus word from the text–perfect for fine motor practice and vocabulary connection. Based on the Science of Reading and developed alongside a LETRS-certified educator with over 30 years of early literacy teaching experience, this book was carefully written to address the specific needs of children who are just beginning their reading journey. It follows a typical Scope and Sequence found in SOR-based curricula such as UFLI. This book is ideal for at-home reading practice, classroom support, tutoring, or homeschool instruction. It’s a story your child will feel proud to read–again and again–not just because they can, but because they want to.