Ben and the Hen
Free
Pre-K · First sentences
Ben and the Hen
Written and illustrated by PlayOwl
Ben's red hen is not in her pen! Where can she be? Look with Ben, in the shed and in the rain.
- 10 pages
- 59 words
- Short read
How would you like to read?
For grown-ups: what this book practices, and where it comes from
What this book practices
A first story with one short line on every page. Ben looks for his lost hen and finds her in a funny place. Most words have three sounds and a short vowel, with lots of short e: Ben, hen, pen, red, wet, get.
- Level
- First sentences: One short line on each page
- Phonics focus
- short e, three-sound words
- Themes
- Animals, Pets, Trying again
- After the story
- A short activity checks understanding, then a prompt to tell a grown-up about the book.
Levels are PlayOwl's own design guidelines for each grade, not a certified reading level. In I'll Read, PlayOwl records that a child turned every page; it cannot hear whether the words were read.
Credit and rights
Written and illustrated by PlayOwl.
- Cover
- Drawn in code for PlayOwl in 2026 with the Read with Olly illustration kit. Original work owned by PlayOwl.
- Illustrations
- Drawn in code for PlayOwl in 2026 with the Read with Olly illustration kit. Original work owned by PlayOwl.
- Narration
- Spoken by the reader's own device voice. PlayOwl ships no recording. No recorded work exists.
- Text
- Written for PlayOwl in 2026. An original story; it does not retell any existing book. Original work owned by PlayOwl.
