Benny Builds a Rocket! cover

Benny Builds a Rocket!

by Thomas Chen

Let's reach for the stars!

Grade 2: Transitional readers10 pages

A wonderful story: Benny Builds a Rocket!

Characters

Benny

Benny

Spacey

Spacey

Style

Busy & Detailed

Busy & Detailed

Story

Story Arc

Page 1
1
Benny loved to build. Bricks clicked, ideas sparked. His room was his launching pad. What would Benny build today?
Page 2
2
“A rocket!” Benny shouted. “A rocket to the moon!” He grabbed his friend, Spacey. “Ready for an adventure?”
Page 3
3
The LEGO room began to glow. Blue, purple, and stars twinkled. Whoosh! The room transformed. They were in space!
Page 4
4
But the rocket was not ready. It wobbled. It was missing parts! “Uh oh,” said Benny.
Page 5
5
Benny gathered his bricks. Red, blue, yellow, green. He snapped them together. Slowly, the rocket grew stronger.
Page 6
6
Spacey helped too. They worked side-by-side. Click! Clack! The rocket became taller and stronger with each passing moment.
Page 7
7
Still, the rocket shook. Benny looked worried. What if it broke apart? The moon was far away.
Page 8
8
Then, Benny had an idea! He added special supports. He reinforced the base. The shaking stopped!
Page 9
9
“Ready for launch!” Benny announced. He climbed inside with Spacey. The countdown began. 3... 2... 1... WHOOSH!
Page 10
10
The rocket soared through space. They reached the moon! Benny and Spacey cheered. Dreams can come true, one brick at a time.
Back cover

The end

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Words to know

launching pad
A special place where something begins its journey, like a rocket starting to fly.
His room was his launching pad.
transformed
This means it changed into something completely different.
Whoosh! The room transformed.
wobbled
This means it moved in an unsteady way, like it might fall over.
It wobbled.
gathered
This means he collected or brought things together.
Benny gathered his bricks.
reinforced
This means he made something stronger and more stable, like adding extra support.
He reinforced the base.
announced
This means he said something clearly and loudly for everyone to hear.
“Ready for launch!” Benny announced.
soared
This means it flew very high and smoothly through the air.
The rocket soared through space.

Talk about it

Questions to ask after reading together.

  1. 1

    Why did Benny add special supports to his rocket?

  2. 2

    How did Benny feel when the rocket started to shake?

  3. 3

    What would you build if you had lots of bricks?

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