Silly Races

Biff, Chip, Kipper and their parents turn everyday life at home into goofy competitions, and every contest ends with an absurd reward. This book is one of twelve Read at Home stories, a new range by Oxford University Press for early readers, built around the familiar Oxford Reading Tree cast. The stories mix ordinary family life with touches of fantasy and adventure.

The series is organised into four levels of difficulty, with words repeated and new vocabulary introduced gradually so that children build confidence page by page. Silly Races sits at Level 1b, aimed at children who are just getting ready to read. They may be able to spot their own name, match a few words and identify some letter sounds.

The text is highly patterned, with one sentence on each page and heavy repetition of familiar words. Level 1 roughly matches ORT stages 1+ to 2. The book is written to be shared at home, with parents helping their children through the reading.