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Gus and the Bubbles

The -le Ending 2nd-3rd Phase 5
Gus and the Bubbles
Gus and the Bubbles, page 1
1Wade and his dog Gus went to the village pet show. Wade wanted Gus to do a simple trick on the stage. If Gus could jump over a little stick, he might win the purple ribbon.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 2
2At home, Gus jumped over the stick every time, and Wade always gave him a piece of apple as a treat. "This will be simple," Wade said, and he gave Gus a gentle pat on the head. The pet show was in the middle of the village.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 3
3A judge sat at a long table next to the stage. First a cat walked across a narrow bench. Then a turtle pushed a marble with his nose. All the people clapped. Then it was time for Wade and Gus.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 4
4They walked to the middle of the stage, and Wade held out the stick. "Jump, Gus!" he said. But Gus looked at all the people and sat down. He did not jump. He just wiggled his tail. Wade tried again.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 5
5He held the stick down low and showed Gus a piece of apple. Gus only sat and wiggled some more. Someone in the crowd began to giggle, and Wade's face felt hot. It was a puzzle. Why would Gus not jump? Wade thought hard. Then he remembered something.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 6
6Gus could never sit still when he saw a bubble. At home he jumped and twirled at every one. And Wade still had a little bottle of bubble soap in his pocket! Wade pulled out the bottle and blew. A big bubble floated up over the stage, and Gus's ears went up.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 7
7Wade blew bubble after bubble. Gus jumped high and twirled around to pop them. He spun on his back legs. Soap dripped into a little puddle on the stage, and Gus slid right through it. The people began to giggle, and then they clapped and cheered. "What a wonderful trick!" said the judge.
Gus and the Bubbles, page 8
8"I never saw a dog dance like that." She tied the purple ribbon around Gus's neck. Wade hugged Gus and gave him the whole piece of apple. "It was not the trick I planned," Wade said, "but it was the best one." Gus wiggled his tail and popped one last bubble.
Circle or highlight all the words that end in -le in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. Where did Wade and his dog Gus go?
  2. What did Gus do when Wade said, “Jump”?
  3. What did the judge tie around Gus’s neck?
Keep practicing
Practice The -le Ending with 10 more free worksheets

Word work sheets for this skill to build, split, sort and write, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

Get the The -le Ending worksheets →
Gus and the Bubbles printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill The -le Ending
Grade Level 2nd-3rd
Phase Phase 5
Worksheets The -le Ending Worksheets

Target Words

little apple table purple candle middle bottle giggle puzzle saddle turtle marble

Sight Words

the a and to was is it she he they said have with you are of for her there one into what when out about

More The -le Ending Readers

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Gwen's Lost Purple Turtle
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Kate's Apple Cake
 Jill's Fair Race illustration
Jill's Fair Race
← Tess and the Bathtub Jill's Fair Race →

About This Decodable Reader

“Gus and the Bubbles” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 2nd-3rd students practicing the -le ending 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, eight picture pages with one or two lines of story text each, and a back page listing the the -le ending words, high-frequency words, and discussion questions. Print the five 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 the -le ending patterns, try our the -le ending phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.