Beth and the Little Crab

Digraph SH Kindergarten – 1st Grade Blends & Digraphs
Beth and the Little Crab
Beth and the Little Crab, page 1
1Beth sat in the sand by the pond. A little crab ran past her. His shell had a crack. "Oh no," said Beth. Beth set the crab in her red cup.
Beth and the Little Crab, page 2
2But he ran back out. Then Beth got a little box. "There, little crab," she said. "This can be your home." But the crab ran off again.
Beth and the Little Crab, page 3
3"I wish I could find a shell for you," said Beth. She did not rush. She dug in the wet sand with her hand so she would not crush a shell.
Beth and the Little Crab, page 4
4Then she saw a small pink shell! Beth set the shell by the crab. He ran up to it. Then he slid right in! "Now you have a home," said Beth with a grin.
Circle or highlight all the words with the SH sound (at the beginning or end). How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What was wrong with the little crab’s shell?
  2. What did Beth dig in the wet sand to find?
  3. What did the crab do at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Digraph SH with 10 more free worksheets

Picture worksheets to read, match and spell these words, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

Get the Digraph SH worksheets →
Beth and the Little Crab printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
Full-color picture book • Print, cut & staple • No signup required
Read-aloud version (one page per sheet, for projecting)

Reader Details

Phonics Skill Digraph SH
Grade Level Kindergarten – 1st Grade
Phase Blends & Digraphs

Target Words

ship shop shed shell shut shin shag fish dish wish wash rush

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she her they

More Digraph SH Readers

← Jill Hops on the Ship Fen's Big Itch →

About This Decodable Reader

“Beth and the Little Crab” is a free printable decodable reader designed for kindergarten and 1st grade students practicing digraph sh phonics patterns. This mini-book uses phonetically controlled vocabulary so beginning readers can successfully sound out nearly every word in the story, building confidence and reinforcing the specific phonics skills they're learning.

The free PDF is a full-color illustrated mini-book: a cover, four picture pages with one or two lines of story text each, and a back page listing the digraph sh words, high-frequency words, and discussion questions. Print the three sheets, cut each one in half along the dashed line, and staple — your child has a real little book to hold. A read-aloud version with one large page per sheet is also included for projecting to the whole class.

This reader is part of our collection of free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with digraph sh patterns, try our digraph sh phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.