Shelly ran to help her dad. Dad had a dish of mashed fish. He said, "Shelly, please carry this dish past the shed."
Shelly had the dish. A shag then came up to her shin. It pushed, push, push! The shag wanted her to rush. Shelly did not wish to drop the dish.
She saw a shell. Shelly put the shell on the grass. The shag ran to the shell. It pecked, peck, peck! Shelly ran past the shed. She went in and shut the door. Dad grinned. "Good job!" he said. Shelly felt glad.
"Shelly and the Shag" 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 2-page PDF includes the reading passage on page one and a coloring page illustration on page two. Print both pages, staple together, and your child has an instant mini-book. The coloring activity reinforces story comprehension and makes reading practice feel like a fun activity rather than homework.
This reader is part of our collection of 50 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.