Saving Grandma’s Special Day the Country Way is packed full of rhymes and consonant blends. The book begins with a chart that illustrates 26 consonant blends (also known as consonant clusters) that are used in the English language. There are consonant blends that begin with s, blends that end with r, and blends that end with l. There is also a tw blend. In a consonant blend such as st in stop, the consonant s still makes the /s/ sound and t still makes the /t/ sound, but they slide together so smoothly that it seems like you’re only hearing one sound. The 26 blends from the chart can be found within the sentences of the story, and tasks listed at the bottom of the pages ask students to find and circle specific blends on the page when they begin a word. Following the story, there is a list of discussion questions that can be answered by girls and boys over what was read. The questions are followed by a number of reproducible worksheets that teach children what a consonant blend is and provides them ample practice in sounding out words with these sounds. The story itself rhymes and is about some grandchildren who want to honor their grandmother by buying her a gift. They run into a problem when their uncle’s truck will not start, and they have no way to get to town. The older children, however, quickly come up with a witty solution, and thus Grandma’s special day is saved the country way! To contact Habakkuk Educational Materials, please visit the business website at https://www.habakkuk.net/.
