Why So Dark? (V CV CCV)

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Life Decodable Reader with Open Syllables

Practice Words

Open syllables with long vowels (/eΙͺ/, /iː/, /Ι™ΚŠ/) and words where 'y' serves as the final vowel.

be by fly go me no sky so we
Page 1
On the right side of the image, a large illuminated monument and fountain dominate the scene, with dramatic beams of bright light radiating outward into the dark night sky, turning it brilliant yellow. Small flags line the base of the fountain. On the lower-left and centre, a crowd of festival-goers stands gazing up at the spectacle β€” a boy rides on an adult's shoulders, smiling wide with excitement and waving a small flag, while nearby figures hold up phones to take photos and others wave flags of their own. A small child stands near the centre looking toward the monument. The atmosphere is festive and joyful, with string lights and vendor stalls visible in the background. Multiple crowd members are visible β€” adults and children enjoying the festival.

Lights fly up in the sky!

Page 2
A nighttime aerial view of a small American town fills the left side of the image, seen from an elevated angle. Warm golden light glows from the windows of houses, shops, and storefronts, contrasting against the deep dark blue sky. Streets wind between the buildings where tiny figures walk along sidewalks and a small red vehicle drives along a road in the lower right area of the town. The right ~40% of the image is plain dark sky, suitable for text overlay. Several small figures are visible on the streets and sidewalks throughout the town β€” they are too tiny to identify individually but appear to be townspeople going about evening activities.

A town can be lit up. The sky is so dark.

Page 3
On the right side of the image, three stacked comic-style panels rendered in dark blue watercolour tones depict a young child experiencing a world without lights. In the top panel, the child sits at a table with a worried expression, struggling to see a plate of food and a glass in near-darkness. In the middle panel, the child reaches out with arms extended, looking anxious and disoriented as they feel their way through the dark room. In the bottom panel, the child is curled up in bed hiding under the covers with a scared expression, peeking out fearfully, the bedroom furniture barely visible in the deep nighttime darkness. The left ~40% of the image is plain white background.

But if we had no lights?

Page 4
On the left side of the image, a nighttime scene is shown from a bird's-eye view inside a dimly lit American home, rendered in blue-toned watercolour. A family is gathered in a room lit by a single candle on the dining table β€” two figures sit at the dining table, one reading a book by candlelight, while another stands nearby holding what appears to be a dish; a window behind them shows a dark night sky with a single candle glowing on the sill. In the lower-left, two children lie in bed under a patchwork quilt, and on the floor near the table, a cat prowls the dim room looking for a warm spot. The entire scene conveys a pre-electricity, medieval-like atmosphere with no modern lighting, matching the text's theme of living by the sun. The right ~40% of the image is plain white background. There should be only one candle in the room. There should be no candle on the windowsill.

We sit in the dark.

Page 5
A busy nighttime city street scene viewed from an elevated angle, with the action spread across the centre and right side of the image. On the right, colourful buildings line the roadside β€” a large two-story house and smaller storefronts β€” with people visible in the windows. The wide road stretches into the distance toward a city skyline of tall buildings and a Ferris wheel, with streetlights, traffic lights, cars, buses, a motorcycle, and a bicycle all navigating the illuminated road. Several pedestrians cross at a crosswalk in the middle of the scene, while others walk along the sidewalks on the right. In the lower right, a child sits on the kerb near a small dog, watching the bustle of the city. The sky is dusky blue with stars beginning to appear, and streetlights cast a warm glow, reflecting the nighttime setting described in the text. Multiple unnamed pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists populate the scene.

But the lights are on!

Page 6
On the left side of the image, a chaotic urban intersection is shown from a bird's-eye view in near-total darkness, with cars, buses, and trucks tangled together in the middle of the intersection, blocking crosswalks. The traffic lights are dark and unlit. Several small figures of pedestrians are scattered among the vehicles β€” some stumbling between cars, some standing with arms raised waving and yelling in frustration, and others appearing to argue or gesture angrily at one another. Vehicles are pointed in various directions and nearly colliding, with gridlock stretching in every direction. The right ~40% of the image is plain white/light background, clear of any detail.

No lights? A big mess!

Page 7
A lively nighttime carnival scene set against a dark blue starry sky. On the right side of the image, children giggle and ride a colourful carousel (merry-go-round), sitting on painted horse figures under a canopy of golden bulbs. A large Ferris wheel with glowing yellow lights and colourful gondolas twinkles in the centre-right background against the starry sky. In the mid-ground, food and game stalls with bright awnings are visible, with families strolling among them. In the lower right foreground, a few children and adults look up at the attractions with excited, joyful expressions.

So light lets us do fun stuff.

Page 8
On the left side of the image, a carnival scene is shown in muted, dark blue tones suggesting the power has gone out. A large Ferris wheel dominates the upper left, stopped mid-turn, with small figures visible in its gondolas β€” one child near the bottom looks up with a troubled, distressed expression. A carousel sits in the centre-left, still and silent. Below and around the rides, a couple of kids stand idle on the ground, one clutching a balloon, looking disappointed. The overall atmosphere is dim and still, conveying that the carnival has shut down β€” no music, no laughter, no rides. The right ~40% of the image is plain muted blue background.

It is no fun if the lights go off.

Page 9
A nighttime coastal scene with a tall red-and-white striped lighthouse on a rocky ledge on the left side, its powerful beam sweeping across the dark waves and starry sky. On the right side of the image, a large white-and-red ferry sails past on dark blue choppy waters, while a little wooden rowboat bobs nearby. A distant city skyline with twinkling lights is faintly visible along the horizon.

Lights help us. We are glad the lights are on.

Page 10
On the left side of the image, a huge ship plows through dark, churning waves at nighttime, bearing down on a small wooden rowboat. A boy in the rowboat grips his oars with a terrified, screaming expression as the vessel looms above him. Two small figures are visible peering through the ship's windows with worried faces. In the distant background on the dark shore, the unlit lighthouse stands as nothing but a silent dark tower β€” no signal, no warning. Birds fly across the dark sky.

It is hard to spot stuff with no lights.

Page 11
A wide nighttime view of a bustling American town seen from an elevated angle, with all activity on the right side of the image. In the lower right, a train rumbles along the tracks with headlights blazing. The town stretches across the centre-right, filled with colourful buildings, houses with warmly glowing windows, cars travelling the roads with their headlights on, streetlights glowing, and a distant carnival sparkling on the horizon with a Ferris wheel and fairground lit up. A dark night sky fills the upper portion, emphasising how every single light β€” from a streetlamp to a window candle β€” keeps the town alive after dark. The left ~40% is plain dark sky and muted background.

Lights help us to get by.

Page 12
On the left side of the image, four children play joyfully at nighttime surrounded by various light sources under a starry sky. One child stands with arm raised waving a bright glowing star wand, grinning widely; another child beside them laughs with arms outstretched amid colourful sparkle-filled string lights draped around them. In the foreground, a third child carries a little glowing lantern, and a fourth child twirls a green glow stick overhead, smiling broadly. Small floating lights and stars dot the dark blue background. The right side of the image is open dark sky, clear for text.

So yay for lights!

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