Luna's New Friend
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A Short 'e' Decodable Reader - Book 5
Virtue: HONESTY - Telling the Truth Even When It's Hard
Page 1
Illustration idea: Luna walking into classroom with wild, uncombed hair full of small flowers and butterflies, holding her teddy bear tight, looking a bit nervous. Other kids sitting at desks with books.
Luna gets to class with Ted, her red teddy bear.
Her hair is a mess. It has twigs and a little butterfly in it!
Miss West says, "Good morning, Luna! Did you brush your hair?"
Luna hugs Ted. She feels her tummy flip.
"Um... yes," Luna fibs.
But that is not true. Luna did NOT brush her hair.
Decodable Focus Words: gets, red, Ted, mess, yes, not
Page 2
Illustration idea: Luna sitting at her desk trying to read, looking frustrated and sad. Ted the teddy is on her desk. Other children reading easily around her.
Luna sits at her desk. She must read.
But the letters jump and spin! Reading is HARD for Luna.
She looks at her book. The words just will not stay still.
d-e-n... or is it b-e-n? She cannot tell.
Luna feels sad. Her chest gets tight.
She pets Ted. "Help me, Ted," she whispers.
Decodable Focus Words: desk, gets, red, bed (in book), Ben, tell, pets, Ted, help
Page 3
Illustration idea: A girl with messy brown hair and kind eyes sits next to Luna. She also has a worn stuffed animal (maybe a small dog or rabbit). Both girls look at each other with shy smiles.
A girl sits next to Luna. Her name is Meg.
Meg has wild hair too! It sticks up like a little nest.
Meg has a pen, but she drops it. Luna gets it for her.
"Thanks," says Meg. "Reading is hard for me. Is it hard for you?"
Luna nods. "Yes! The letters get all mixed up."
Meg smiles. "Me too! Let us help each other!"
Decodable Focus Words: sits, next, Meg, nest, pen, gets, yes, get, let, help
Page 4
Illustration idea: Miss West kneeling down between Luna and Meg, looking at Luna's hair with a gentle, knowing expression. A small twig visible in Luna's hair.
Miss West bends down. She sees a twig in Luna's hair.
"Luna, did you tell me the truth? Did you brush your hair this morning?"
Luna's chest feels hot. Her hands get wet.
She hugs Ted close. "I... I..."
Telling the truth is HARD. But lying feels bad in her tummy.
Decodable Focus Words: bends, West, yes, tell, wet, gets
Page 5
Illustration idea: Luna looking down at Ted, taking a deep breath, then looking up at Miss West with honest eyes. Meg watching supportively.
Luna takes a big breath.
"No, Miss West. I did not brush my hair. I said yes, but that was not true. I am sorry. I fibbed."
Miss West hugs Luna. "Thank you for telling the truth, Luna. That was very brave. Honesty is important."
Luna feels better! Her tummy does not hurt now.
Meg pats Luna's hand. "You were brave!"
Decodable Focus Words: yes, not, bed (brush), said, yes, gets, tell, (important = high frequency word)
Page 6
Illustration idea: Luna and Meg sitting together with a book between them, pointing at words. Both looking happy and engaged. Ted and Meg's stuffed animal sitting nearby.
Luna and Meg read together.
Meg points at a word: h-e-n.
"Hen!" says Luna.
Luna points at a word: p-e-n.
"Pen!" says Meg.
They help each other! When Luna gets stuck, Meg helps. When Meg gets stuck, Luna helps.
Reading is STILL hard... but it is less hard with a friend!
Decodable Focus Words: red, Meg, hen, pen, help, gets, less, yes, friend (high frequency)
Page 7
Illustration idea: Recess time - Luna and Meg playing together outside. Luna's hair still wild with flowers. Both girls laughing and holding their stuffed animals. Other kids playing in background.
At recess, Luna and Meg play.
"Your hair is fun!" says Meg. "It is like a magic nest for butterflies!"
Luna giggles. "I do not like to brush it. It tugs and pulls."
"Me too!" says Meg. "But we can tell the truth about it, yes?"
"Yes!" says Luna. "The truth is best, even when it is hard."
Ted and Meg's pet (a small red dog) sit in the grass.
Decodable Focus Words: yes, Meg, fun, nest, red, yes, tell, best, pet, red
Page 8
Illustration idea: Luna and Meg walking home together after school, both smiling. Luna's hair still has butterflies. They're waving goodbye to each other. Sun setting behind them.
Luna met a new friend!
Meg gets her. Meg understands.
They both struggle with reading, but they help each other.
And Luna learned: telling the truth feels MUCH better than fibbing—even when it is hard.
"See you tomorrow, Meg!"
"Yes! We will read together again!"
Luna hugs Ted. She is glad she was honest.
The End
Decodable Focus Words: met, Meg, gets, help, tell, yes, red, Ted, again (high frequency word)
Virtue Reflection Page
What Luna Learned About HONESTY:
Luna fibbed about brushing her hair. She said "yes" when the answer was "no."
Fibbing made her tummy hurt!
When Luna told the truth, she felt SO much better.
Truth: Telling the truth is brave, even when it is hard.
Discussion Questions:
- Why did Luna fib about her hair?
- How did Luna feel when she fibbed?
- How did she feel after telling the truth?
- Have you ever fibbed about something? How did it feel?
- Why is honesty important with friends and teachers?
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Short 'e' Rhyming Poem: Luna and Meg
Luna met a girl named Meg,
Both had hair like robin's nest!
When Miss West said, "Did you brush?"
Luna's cheeks got red and flushed.
She had fibbed—she said "yes, yes!"
But her hair was quite a mess!
Then she felt bad in her chest,
Telling truth is always best.
"No," said Luna, "I did not,
Brush my hair—I just forgot."
Miss West smiled and gave a hug,
"Truth is brave, dear little bug!"
Luna, Meg—now they are friends,
Help with words like "pen" and "hen."
Reading's hard, but less with friends,
Honesty is where trust begins!
Ted the bear and Meg's red pup,
Sit together, all curled up.
Luna learned what matters most:
Tell the truth—don't ever boast!
Word Lists for Practice
CVC Short 'e' Words in Story:
- Ted (teddy bear)
- red (color of Ted)
- yes (saying yes)
- get/gets (to obtain)
- bed (mentioned in reading)
- Ben (name confusion)
- pen (writing tool)
- hen (reading word)
- Meg (new friend's name)
- net/nest (in hair)
- wet (hands)
- pet/pets (stuffed animals)
- tell (the truth)
- fell (feeling)
- well (doing well)
- help (each other)
- best (the truth is best)
- West (Miss West)
- mess (hair)
- less (less hard)
- met (made a friend)
- let (let us help)
- desk (sitting at)
- next (next to)
Word Families:
- -ed: Ted, red, bed, fed, wed, led, sled
- -et: get, met, pet, wet, net, set, vet, jet, let
- -en: pen, hen, ten, men, den, Ben, when, then
- -eg: Meg, leg, beg, peg
- -ell: tell, fell, well, bell, sell, shell, yell, smell
- -est: best, nest, rest, test, west, vest, chest, guest
- -ess: mess, less, dress, bless, guess, chess
High-Frequency Words Introduced:
- get
- yes
- said
- morning
- friend
- important
- tomorrow
- again
Review Words (from previous books):
- Short a: has, that, can, and, am, at, sad
- Short i: sit, it, is, in, with, little, did
- Short o: not, got
- Short u: but, up, tug, hug, tummy
Teaching Notes
Luna's Character Development:
- Autistic traits shown respectfully:
- Sensory sensitivity (doesn't like hair brushing because it tugs)
- Comfort item (Ted the teddy bear)
- Physical response to stress (tight chest, tummy feelings)
- Difficulty with lying (feels bad immediately)
- Need for routine and truth
- Reading challenges (possible dyslexia):
- Letters appear to move/jump
- Confusion with similar letters (d/b)
- Needs support and patience
- Benefits from peer learning
Meg's Character:
- Also neurodivergent-coded
- Struggles with reading too
- Messy hair (possibly sensory avoidance like Luna)
- Kind and understanding
- Emphasizes that differences are okay
Virtue Integration:
The honesty lesson is woven naturally through Luna's experience:
- Temptation: Luna wants to avoid trouble
- Consequence: Lying makes her feel physically bad
- Choice: She chooses truth despite fear
- Reward: Feels better, gains respect, and strengthens friendship
Multisensory Teaching Opportunities:
- Act out Luna's stress responses
- Practice saying short 'e' words while petting a teddy bear
- Make "wild hair" art projects
- Role-play telling the truth in hard situations
- Create friendship bracelets with short 'e' words
Extension Activities
Reading Comprehension:
- Why was Luna nervous at the start?
- How are Luna and Meg the same?
- What made Luna's tummy hurt?
- What happened after Luna told the truth?
- How do friends help each other?
Writing Prompts:
- Draw Ted the teddy bear. Write 3 short 'e' words about him.
- Write about a time you told the truth when it was hard.
- Make a "friend web" with short 'e' words describing good friends.
Social-Emotional Learning:
- Discuss: Why is honesty important in friendship?
- Practice: What could you say if you make a mistake?
- Role-play: Telling the truth to a teacher or parent
Vocabulary Building:
- fib vs. lie (gentle term for young readers)
- brave (Luna was brave to tell truth)
- honest/honesty (the virtue)
- struggle (both girls struggle with reading)
Accessibility Features
For Struggling Readers:
- Consistent character (Luna) across book series
- Repetitive sentence structures
- Visual supports (illustrations match text closely)
- Decodable text with controlled vocabulary
- Emotional context helps with comprehension
For Autistic/Neurodivergent Readers:
- Relatable main character
- Clear cause-and-effect
- Explicit emotion words and physical descriptions
- Predictable story structure
- Validates sensory differences (hair brushing difficulty)
Universal Design:
- Large, clear font recommended
- Ample white space
- Pictures support text
- Emotional moments clearly illustrated
- Can be read independently or with support
This story celebrates differences, models authentic friendship, and teaches that honesty builds trust—all while reinforcing short 'e' phonics patterns in an engaging, decodable format.
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