Huge Rex Charges Out Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 3: soft g as in giant

Roar! A huge rex charges out from the plants. 'I am the best dinosaur there is,' yells Rex. More dinosaurs peek out from the ferns. They blink. They gaze at Rex. They do not clap.

'Look at this,' says Rex. 'We dinosaurs come in all shapes. Tiny ones, small as a cat. Big ones. And then...' Rex looks up. And up. And up, at the huge long-neck giants that stand over all. A tiny gent stands at the end, small as an ant. 'Well,' says Rex. 'Big is not all there is.'

Five small hunters race in the sand, fast and swift, like one team. 'Show-offs,' says Rex. 'Hunting in a gang. How strange. A real dinosaur hunts on its own.' The little hunters do not even look at Rex. They are on a hunt.

Rex opens its mouth wide. Very wide. So very wide. 'See this large mouth?' says Rex. 'Rows and rows, sharp as blades. Snap! Rip! Chomp!' Rex prowls in the hot dust with a grin. 'An expert can see what a dinosaur ate from just one tooth. One look at my mouth, and you can see what I eat.'

The long-neck giants pace across the plain in the sun. 'Rex,' calls one, 'what hue are we?' Rex opens its mouth. Rex gulps. 'No expert can say,' says Rex. 'Bones keep for ages and ages, but skin does not. So no expert has seen the true hue.' Rex thinks a bit. 'But I bet I was red. So red.'

A smooth dinosaur stands by the plants. Rex points at it. 'See? A real dinosaur. Smooth. Grand.' But here is a strange fact no one has told Rex. Many dinosaurs, Rex too, have plumes. In time, some grow small. So small that they can fly. Now they are birds. 'Wait,' says Rex. 'So a hen comes from us? A hen?'

A giant looks down at the little ones in the plants below. The tiny dinosaurs peek up with small smiles. Rex watches from far off. It says nothing for a long time. 'Fine,' it whispers. 'That is cute. Even I can see that is cute.'

A small dinosaur strides in the ferns on both back legs, tail out, little hands out. 'Not bad,' says Rex. 'An expert studies bones and old footprints to see how we run. Each bone is a clue. Each footprint tells a story.' The little one trots by with such energy. 'But my footprints are huge,' says Rex. 'Huge footprints are the best.'

A large dinosaur stands up tall on its back legs, looking glad. But look close. Those front hands can grab! 'It can grab food from way up high with those hands,' says Rex. 'Or give a swipe to keep safe. Those hands help a lot.' Then Rex looks at its own tiny arms. It looks at the big, strong hands on the other dinosaur. In a blink, Rex picks a new thing to brag about.

'Fine. Let us chat about my arms.' Rex stands tall and grips a small beast in both hands. 'All the jokes make me rage,' says Rex. 'Tiny arms, they yell. But here is a fact. My arms are strong. Strong to grip. Strong to press me up off the sand. Small can still be strong.' Rex flexes. 'Who jokes now?'

Three long-necks stand on the rocks with smiles, like they hide a clue. 'What?' says Rex. They just smile. 'What?' 'Each new bone can change the story,' says the big one. 'What we see now can change. Experts still study us. Rex, even you have more to see.' Rex opens its mouth to say no. Then it stops. That is a good point.

Rex stands by the old trees. Sunlight glows on the land. 'I do not see it all,' says Rex. 'I said I did. But there are bones still deep under the sand, strange facts no expert has seen, and much still to ask.' Rex looks at you. 'So I urge you. Keep digging. Keep asking. And never, never stop roaring.' Roar!