(Describer) Pictures and books rest on shelves. Now, paper dolls of Dusty and Dott:

[intro music]

(Dusty) Hi, everyone! Welcome to our house. I'm Dott, like the polka dot, and this is my dog, Dusty. Like the dust! Woah! Hey, Dott, you look different today. Oh, I do? Huh. I wonder what it could be? Hm. Did you get a haircut? That must be it! You look different too. Did you get a haircut? Oh no, no, no. Oh! You know what it is? I'm a stick puppet today. Oh, you know what? I am too!

[Alphabott squeals]

(both) Ahh! Alphabott!

[all laughing]

(Describer) They all pop up holding their puppets.

This is fun. I wish we were puppets all the time.

[Alphabott hums]

(Describer) Dott scrunches her lips. A title appears: 'The Reading League's Reading Buddies.'

[intro music]

♪

(Describer) A dog puppet in an orange bandana learns and talks: 'With Dusty.'

(Describer) A woman in a polka dot dress draws letters and plays the ukulele: 'And Dott.'

(Describer) A robot with an expressive face screen shows colors and letters: 'And Alphabott.' The trio play and laugh, and the episode title appears: 'good dog.'

Hi, Reading Buddies! You're here! You made it! I'm glad you are because I'm going to need some help with today's lesson. Why do you say that, Dusty? Because it keeps getting harder and harder every day! That's only because you and our Reading Buddies are learning more and more and more every day! And the bigger your brains, the harder the games! Huh! Does my brain look bigger to you? Hm. Woah, it does feel a little heavier!

[grunting]

(Describer) Dusty topples over.

Woah! [head rattling]

Are you okay? Yeah. I'm good. I just gotta get used to it. How about we warm up those big beautiful brains of yours?

[chuckles]

(Dusty) "I Hear With My Little Ear." What sound are we listening for today? Let's listen for the sound in the middle. Ooh! You know what that means. We're going to go on a roller coaster! The word is "tag." Ooh! I love that game! Okay, tag. Tt, ah, guh. Tt, ah, guh. The "ah" was in the middle! That's right! What about the word "wag"? Hm. Okay, tag rhymes with wag. So that means-- wuh, ah, guh. Mm. The "ah" is in the middle again! Good problem-solving, Dust! What about the word "pad"? Hmm, pad. Like how we are padding this script, am I right? Ha ha! Okay, just kidding. Pad. Puh, ah, duh. Puh, ah, duh. The "ah" sound is in the middle again, Dott. Good work, that's right. Okay, the last one! What about the word "dab"? What sound do you hear in the middle? Hm. Pad and dab don't rhyme, so I'm going to have to go on the old roller coaster to figure this one out. Dab-- duh, ah, buh. Duh, ah, buh. It's that "ah" sound again! Yes, correct! That "ah" sound is in a lot of words! True, that's true! But remember, it's one of those sounds that we call vowels. Oh, yeah, I remember! And we need a vowel sound in every word or syllable. Wow, those vowels get around!

[soft music]

(Dott) "Dot to Dot with Alphabott!"

(Describer) A drawing:

[Alphabott squeals]

Whatcha working on today?

[Alphabott squeals]

A caterpillar and a butterfly? That's very poetic of you.

[Alphabott squeals]

We could work on it together!

[Alphabott squeals]

You're a really good sharer, A.B. She is! If you have a piece of paper and some coloring supplies, you can draw along at home! Great idea! Okay, a caterpillar. I'm going to finish this row of circles. And I'm going to make a counterclockwise circle. Remember, that means to the left, down, to the right, and back up!

(Dusty) Okay, to the left, down, to the right, and back up! Yep! And another circle here. Hey, our caterpillar's getting longer!

[squeal] They are!

(Describer) She draws more circles.

It's almost there! There we go! Whoa! Look, A.B., we made you a caterpillar!

[Alphabott squeals]

From a caterpillar, to a beautiful butterfly. This little buddy goes on quite the journey! Hey, have you heard the story of the caterpillar who turns into a butterfly? You haven't? Well, that makes sense because we haven't made it up yet. Are you feeling like a "Speedy Story"? Mm-hm! Thirty seconds on the clock.

[clock ticking]

Once... upon...

(both) a time! A shy caterpillar was walking home from school.

It was windy! [both blowing]

The caterpillar stopped because his shoes were untied! All 14 of them! When all of a sudden... a beautiful butterfly appeared. It said... Uh, "Lo! "Behold! Such beautiful shoes!" "Thanks," he said. "I wish I had them," the butterfly said. "I wish I had wings!" "One day you will! One day you will."

(both) The end!

[laughing]

(announcer) "It's Rhyme Time!" That's right! It's "rhyme time!" Dott's going to say three words. Two of them rhyme, one of them doesn't! You've got this! Easy peasy...

(both) Lemon squeezy. Let the rhyming begin! Dip, rip, tag. Hm. Dip, rip, tag. Which one doesn't rhyme? Dip, rip, tag. Ha! Tag doesn't rhyme! Excellent. Pack, tack, pink. Hm. Pack, tack, pink. Which one doesn't rhyme? Pack, tack, pink. Mm, pink doesn't rhyme! That's right. Okay, hill, yell, will. Okay, hm, hill, yell, will. Which one doesn't rhyme? Hill, yell, will. Yell doesn't rhyme! Hey, that's excellent! Great job! Okay. Let's challenge those brains. Ready? Mm-hm. Can you give me some words that rhyme with tag? Oh gosh, I'll try. Hm. Tag, bag! Ha ha! Okay. Tag, [gasps] wag! Oh, great job! I loved that last word-- wag. Wag. Hey. I know something that will make your tail wag. What's that, Dott? And now a poem!

[gasps] Geez! I gotta go!

So much to do, so little time! And now I have to go and rhyme! Ugh! We do this all the time! Dusty! Did you hear that?

[drumbeat]

(Describer) In a beret:

Have you ever wondered what makes apples red? Or why, when we wear hats, we wear them on our head? Why cheese sometimes has holes and other times cheese does not? Ha! I know the answers to all of these! Oh, wait. I just forgot. Hmm.

Mmmm. [squealing]

I really forgot.

(Describer) Now, 'What's Missing?'

(Dott) What do you see?

(Dusty) Grapes, ghost, gorilla, grass.

(Dott) Let's say them out loud together!

(both) Grape, ghost, gorilla, grass.

(Dott) Now I'm going to take one away! Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Dusty) The ghost!

(Dott) Oooh! Boogly boogly! That's right. Let's say them out loud before we take one away.

(both) Grapes, ghost, gorilla, grass.

(Dott) Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Dusty) Do you know what's missing? I need a clue, Dott.

(Dott) It's a fruit.

(Dusty) Oh, the grapes!

(Dott) That's right! Now I'm going to take one away. Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Describer) Now, grapes, ghost, and grass.

(Dusty) The gorilla.

(Dott) That's right! One more round. Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Dusty) I see the grapes, the ghost, and the gorilla. That means the grass is missing!

(Dott) Yes! Your memory was on point today!

(Describer) Now, Dusty and Dott sway back and forth.

[bass beat playing]

Say "gate." Gate. Say it again, but don't say "guh." Hm. "Ate!" Good dog. Ah, hmm! Say "gum." Gum. Say it again, but don't say "guh." Hm, "um." Mm-hm, that's right. Hey, remember that time I got gum stuck in my fur? I had a weird haircut after that for about a week. I remember it well, unfortunately. Ha ha! Say "gear." Gear. Say it again, but don't say "guh." Hm, "ear." Yes, Dusty, that's right! Thanks! Say "can't." Can't. Say it again, but don't say "cuh." Hm, "ant." Yes, Dusty! Yes. Woo hoo! I'm on fire! Good dog! Oh, hmmmm! Learning new skills... is really delicious.

[bass beat ends]

(Describer) A title in paper letters reads: 'alpha shorts.' Paper stars twinkle around it. A letter g appears, followed by a gift wrapped with a bow.

[soft music]

(Dott) G, gift, guh.

(Describer) The gift unwraps.

G, gift, guh.

(Describer) Just the g remains.

G, gift, guh.

(Describer) Alphabott shows an open mouth.

(Alphabott) Guh, guh, guh.

[humming] Hmm? Guh, guh...

Oh! Alphabott, are you okay? Do you need a sweater? You sound like you're freezing. Dusty, I think A.B. is making a new sound! The "guh" sound, like in gift! Oh. Can you make that sound? Guh, guh, guh. Woah, that is tricky! You're right. It can be tricky because we use the back of our mouth to make the sound, but I'll break it down. Here. The back of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth. Oh! Like how we made the "cuh" sound? Yes, exactly! Our tongue scrapes the roof of our mouth. But when we make the "guh" sound, our voice box has to be on! Oh, let me see. Okay, turning my voice box on.

[uprising sound]

Okay. Guh, guh, guh. Wow, I feel the buzz there! Okay, let me try "cuh" sound. Cuh, cuh, cuh. No buzz! Back to the "guh" sound! Guh, guh, guh. Whoa. There's that buzz again, Dott! Great job, Dust. Now, do you feel the puff of air that comes out of your mouth? Guh. H, guh, guh. I do! Oh, let me try to hold out the "guh" sound.

[inhales]

Guh! Ha ha! Hey, I can't hold that one out! It just stops! Nope, you're right! Do you want to see the symbol we use to make the "guh" sound? That would be great! Great! My favorite spot. Now, do you have your invisible paintbrush? I'll show you! I do! I always have it with me in an invisible necklace around my neck.

Here it is! Boop! Ha ha! [tinkling sound]

First, we make a counterclockwise circle. Like we did with our caterpillar? Exactly. Now, we attach a vertical line on the right that moves down and curves to the left. Curve up or down? Up, like a smile! Aww, look at that happy little guy! Hey, do you want to know what we call that shape? M-hm. We call it the letter G. G! The letter G! G, gift, guh. Yes, Dusty! Want to see if we can find it in some words? Do you even have to ask? Let's go, A.B.!

[squeals]

[plucky music]

(Describer) A title cracks out of question boxes:

(both) "Where Is It?" A.B. and I have hidden the "guh" sound behind one of these three squares. Your job is to find it! It could be behind any of these three squares! Oh! And remember, guh, guh, guh-- that's the sound we're listening for. That's right. Here's our first word--"gum." Oh. Guh, uh, mm.

(both) Guh, uh, mm. Where do you hear the "guh" sound in gum? Guh, uh, mm. Hey, it's right at the beginning there!

Let's see. [tinkling]

Yes, that's right! Let's try the word "goose." Guh, oo, ss.

(both) Guh, oo, ss. Where do you hear the "guh" sound there? Guh, oo, ss. Oh, it's at the beginning again! Let's see!

That's right. [tinkling]

Let's try "hug." Aww. Huh, uh, guh.

(both) Huh, uh, guh. Where do you hear it there? Not at the beginning. Huh, uh, guh. Hey, I hear it at the end!

Yes, that's right. [tinkling]

Let's try the word "leg." Ll, ey, guh.

(both) Ll, ey, guh. Where do you hear the "guh" sound in leg? Ll, ey, guh. Ooh, it's right there at the end! Can't fool you! Nn-nn. That's right! Let's try the word "dog." Aw, that's me! Duh, aw, guh.

(both) Duh, aw, guh. What about there, Reading Buddies? What do you think? Duh, aw, guh. Woah, right at the end! Well done, that's right! Let's try the word "girl." Guh, rr, ll.

(both) Guh, rr, ll. What about there? Where do you hear the "guh" sound? Guh, rr, ll. Oh, it's in the beginning again! Great job, Reading Buddies! You're really getting the hang of this. Hey, let me show you something else down here. Let's see. Let's look at this word "sad." Sad has three sounds, so I'm going to use three letters. S, A, D. Now let's leave the "ah" sound right there in the middle. And I'll leave the "ss" in front, but I'm going to change that "duh" to a "puh." What word did we make? Ss, ah, puh. Sap! Yes! Sad turned into sap. Now let's get rid of the "ah" in the middle, and replace it with "ih" like itch. Hm. So now we have ss, ih, puh. Sip! Yes! That's excellent, Dusty. Now we have sip, that's right. Now look what happens if I change the "puh" to "tt." What do we have now?

(Dusty) Ss, ih, tt. Sit. Oh!

(Describer) He sits.

Oh, I always do that! [grunting] Okay. One more, Dott. What can we turn sit into? Well, let's keep the "it" and let's change "ss" to "ff." What did we make? Ff, ih, tt. Fit! Hey, like how do all those letters fit on Alphabott? Yeah, or "How do all of your toys fit in your toybox?" That's easy! They're not in my toybox, they're all over my floor!

[gasps] Yikes! I have to clean my room!

I almost forgot. Hey, Reading Buddies, will you be my cleaning buddies for a second and help me clean my room? Oh! Thanks! Race you to my doghouse. Ready, set, go!

[panting]

(Describer) Dusty trips through his dog house door: 'Dusty's Doghouse.' He appears in a cartoon bedroom with a pile of stuff.

Whoa!

(singer) ♪ Dog dog, doggie doggie ♪

♪ Doggie doggie dog doghouse ♪

[panting] Okay.

You beat me fair and square that time. Oh my goodness, look at this mess! It's a gargantuan pile of junk in my room! Thank you for helping me clean today! We're only going to keep the things that have the "guh" sound somewhere, okay? Remember-- guh, guh, guh, guh. Great! Ready! Go!

[grunting]

Woah, I don't remember seeing that.

[grunting] [bleating]

Goat! Does goat have the "guh" sound? Yeah, right in the beginning. I don't know how that goat got here, but it has that "guh" sound, so I'm keeping it.

[bleating]

Ooh. Jacket. Does jacket have the "guh" sound? Nn-nnh. Hey, it's too warm in here anyway for a jacket.

[unzipping]

(Describer) He digs in the pile.

Log! Is there a "guh" sound in log? Ha ha! Yeah, right at the end. I'm gonna jump over that log later. Okay, let's see what other secrets you're hiding!

[grunting]

Woah, gold! You had gold in there! Oh, my gosh. Hey, gold begins with the "guh" sound. Ha! So pretty, I don't even want to put it away! I want to show it off.

[grunting]

Ooh, ball. Is there a "guh" sound in ball? Nn-nnh! Now's the time for cleaning, not for fetch. Alright, almost done!

[grunting] One of these!

Ahh! Ooh. Egg! Does egg have the "guh" sound? Yep, right at the end! Dibs! That egg is my lunch! Mmm! Thanks for helping me clean up. That egg's a bit soggy, but I'm gonna put some garlic on it and it'll be great! Ha ha! Hey, let's see what's going on in the reading room.

[dog howls]

(Describer) He wears goggles with a snorkel and flippers.

Hi, A.B., whatcha doing?

[squeals] Never mind that!

I have a great idea. Let's go swimming! [Alphabott uneasy squealing] Oh, come on! It's gonna be fun. Look, look, look! I've got my goggles and my snorkel. We could look for little fish!

[Alphabott protesting]

Oh, it's okay if you're not a good swimmer. We'll stay in the little side of the pool. No problemo!

[Alphabott squeals]

What does you being a robot have to do with anything? I get my phone wet all the time. Nothing a bag of rice won't fix. Hey, you two. Wow, Dusty, going swimming? Yeah, I'm trying to get A.B. to go with me. Oh, well, do you want to go swimming A.B.?

[Alphabott negating]

No, no. Of course she wants to go swimming! So go get your little flippers on, A.B.

[sad squealing]

Hey, I don't think A.B. wants to go, Dusty. Besides, for one thing, I don't think she can swim--- she's made of metal after all. Oh, I didn't think about that, I guess. Maybe she's just not in the mood to swim. And that's totally okay too, A.B.

[squeals]

If you really don't want to do something, you're allowed to say no. You just have to be really clear with what you want. So, do you want to go swimming, A.B.? [Alphabott squeals "Nuh-unh"] Oh, okay! Well, let's do something we can all do. I'd rather hang out with you than go swimming all by myself!

[Alphabott squeals]

Hey! I've got an idea. What if we pretend we're deep-sea explorers in an underwater apartment? Yeah. And then we discover a mysterious, super pretty, super elusive, Dott fish!

[happy squealing] [Dusty laughing]

(Describer) Dott puckers her lips and wiggles her fingers next to her face.

There she is! We got her!

[happy squealing] That was great, Dott.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) A title appears:

(both) "Squat with Dott!" Get ready to squat with Dott! Get out of here, Grumpy Joe! Dusty is my hype man when I get my steps in. It's always easier when you have company, you know? So stand up and join us! Yeah, stand up! Okay, try this choreo. I call it the "go getter." you grow up, and you grab and those dreams! Grow up, and grab and those dreams!

(Describer) She rises up and closes her fists.

Grow up, and grab those dreams. Grow up, and grab those dreams. Hello! You're already glowing! I feel like a glamazon. Okay, let's try this. The next move, we're gonna glide from side to side. Glide from side to side.

(both) Glide from side to side. Glide from side to side.

(both) We glide from side to side. Oo, oo, how about this, Dott? I'm going to play guitar! I like that! Okay, let's do it! Groovy! Are you playing your guitar? Oh, yeah! Nice! What about this? Why don't we try the gallop? Let's do it! Ooh! Come on, Dusty! Yee-haw! Get along, little doggy! And pose! Neighh!

(Describer) They drink water.

Good workout, Dott. Glorious, really.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) In a bubble bath, Dusty scrubs himself with a loofah brush.

[humming] Dott's workout made me sweat,

so I'm here in the bath, popping bubbles. It's so fun! Hi-yah! Ha ha! Let's do it together!

(Describer) Three bubbles:

(Dott) Ar, mm, zz. Arms.

(Describer) Now four:

Ll, eh, guh, zz. Legs.

(Describer) Two wooden ducks float beside Dusty.

Hmm hmm. Hmm? Ruff, ruff, ruff! Ha ha! Showed those ducks who's boss! Splash, splash, splash.

(Describer) Four more bubbles appear.

(Dott) Ch, eh, ss, tt. Chest.

(Describer) Four more:

Huh, eh, duh, zz. Heads.

[drain glugging]

Hmm, hmm... Do do do do.

(Describer) In the reading room, Dott sifts through the mail.

[plucky music]

Oh, Dusty, you got another letter from your friend Otto. I love Otto's letters. Hey, I've got an idea! Let's keep an ear out for the "guh" sound in Otto's letter! All right, let's see!

[piano chord]

(Describer) G's light up in the letter.

(Dott) "Dear Dusty, "Greetings from my garden! "I'm writing to you as I gaze at my gorgeous gardenias. "That's a flower! But you know that. "I gather you have a green thumb yourself. "Gah! A grasshopper just landed on my paper. "It made me gasp! "You know what else has got me aghast? "Some gopher is eating my gladiolas! "Can you believe that? "He's gobbling them up! "Gotta go! Otto."

[piano chord]

Hey, why did Otto think I had a green thumb? My thumbs are brown. No, Dusty! It's just an expression. It means, you are good at keeping plants alive. Oh phew, I was starting to worry I had a condition. No, nothing to worry about. In fact, you are growing bigger and stronger each and every day! Well, I couldn't do it without my Reading Buddies! Little by little. Letter by letter!

[music]

(both) ♪ Reading Buddies ♪

♪ You did great work today ♪

♪ Reading Buddies ♪

♪ I really, really, really wish you could stay ♪

♪ So we'll see you soon ♪

♪ From this same spot ♪

♪ With Dusty ♪ ♪ And Dott ♪

♪ And Alphabott ♪

♪ With your Reading Buddies ♪

♪ You'll never read alone! ♪

(Describer) They wave, and Alphabott pops up and hides as credits appear.

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

[closing theme music]

♪

(Describer) Created, Written, Directed, and Produced by Brendan Malafronte and Andrea Dotto.

(Describer) Produced by The Reading League, Incorporated. President and CEO, Maria S. Murray Ph.D. VP of Marketing and Development, Toni Ann Walsh. Curriculum Supervisor, Kelli Johnson, Kristin Spaulding, and Katie Sojewicz.

[Alphabott humming along]

(Describer) More credits appear. Copyright 2021 The Reading League, All Rights Reserved. The characters of Dusty and Dott have been licensed for use in this program. The Reading League and Reading Buddies are trademarks of the Reading League.

♪

(Describer) Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.