[intro music playing]

(Describer) Drawings and quotes hang on a bulletin board. Dott and Dusty play cards in the Reading Room.

Oh, hi! Dusty and I are just playing a quick game of "Go Fish." I've never played before. Okay, Dott, let's see. Do you have any fives? Go fish. Oh, brother. Okay.

(Describer) He uses a fishing rod.

Dusty, you don't actually fish in the game "Go Fish," you just pick up a card. Besides, you can't catch a fish in here anyway. Whoa! Oh! You were saying, Dott!?

Woah! This is the big one! [Alphabott squeals]

Get the net, get the net, get the net!

[sad squealing]

(Describer) He catches Alphabott!

I'd throw her back if I were you.

[gulps]

[theme music]

(Describer) A title appears: 'The Reading League's Reading Buddies.'

♪

(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: 'wishful thinking.'

You're here! You made it! Our Reading Buddies! Thank goodness. A.B. is not happy that I accidentally caught her while playing "Go Fish." I feel like I've told you this before. You don't actually have to fish in the game "Go Fish." Well, then the name of that game is very misleading. Hey, how about we play one of our games, Dott? How about a few rounds of "I Hear with my Little Ear?" Coming right up! Yes!

(Dusty) "I Hear with my Little Ear!"

[tinkling music]

We're going to listen for sounds in some words. What sound are we listening for today? Well, I'm going to mix it up today, so listen carefully. I'll ask for a beginning, a middle, or an end sound. Oh, boy! This is a challenge! Hey, be sure to listen for which sound we need to find. The first word is "mall." What sound does mall begin with? Hm. What sound do you hear at the beginning of mall? Mm, ah, ll. Mm, ah, ll. Mm. I hear that "mm" sound! That's right. Mm, like mad. The next word is "hip." What sound is at the end of hip? Oh, the end! Okay, what sound do we hear at the end of the word "hip"? Hip. Hip. Puh, puh, puh. I hear with my little ear, puh! The puh sound! Ding ding ding! Correct. Okay, next word is "lot." What sound is in the middle of lot? The middle! You know what that means! It's time for a roller coaster! Luh, aw, tt. Luh, aw, tt. Hm, what sound do you hear in the middle? Luh, aw, tt. I hear the "aw" sound! Right! That's right, Dusty! Good job. The next word is "let." What sound is in the beginning of let? Oh! You're switching it up! The beginning of let. You're not gonna trick us. Hm, let. Let. What sound do you hear at the beginning of let? Ll, ll. I hear "ll" like lip! Great job! "Ll" is at the beginning of let. Okay, your final word is "tell." What sound is at the end of tell? Oh! Okay, the end. Tell, tell. What sound's at the end? Tell, ll, ll. It's that "ll" sound again! Great job, Dusty! Good work, Reading Buddies! That was really terrific! And did you think that was tricky? Oh, it was so tricky! Good thing I had my friends helping me! Hey, thank you for that! I could use a brain break, though, Dott. Could we draw with Alphabott for a little while? I think that is a wonderful idea.

(Dott) "Dot to Dot with Alphabott!"

(Describer) A drawing:

[Alphabott squeals]

Hey, A.B.! Cool picture. It looks like, hmm... sharp claws!

[Alphabott squeals]

How was I supposed to know it was a bunch of mountains? I see them, A.B. Hey, can we add some more mountains to your drawing? We could make a whole mountain chain!

[Alphabott squeals]

Great! So if you have paper and something to write with, you could draw along! What do we need to do first, Dott? Okay, let's start where A.B. stopped, and draw two diagonal lines.

(Dusty) One, two.

[squeals] Hey, Dott?

What's a diagonal line again? Um, in case they forgot? A diagonal line is somewhere between a vertical and horizontal one. So it's not up and down or side to side. It's slanted. Oh! Like the sides of a triangle? Right! Okay. So next, we're going to start another mountain where we ended the first one. Okay. We'll make a diagonal line up, and a diagonal line back down.

[squeals] Wow! You did it!

You finished the mountain chain. "The Great Dusty Mountains!" They look like a big zig zag! Yeah, they do. They go up and down and up and down-- Whoa! It kind of makes me dizzy! Hey! Wouldn't it be great to visit the Great Dusty Mountains? We could make up a story about it! Oh, great idea! Let's put 30 seconds on the clock, Dott!

[clock ticking]

Once... upon...

(both) a time! We were in the Great Dusty Mountains! Ready for a week of hiking and campfires and sticks and outdoor stuff. Yeah! We hiked all the way to the top of the first peak. When all of a sudden... Bigfoot! Oh, the legend! Yes! He looked at us with a scowl, but then he smiled and gave us some hot cocoa. Oh! With marshmallows, the kinds with all the fun colors! Plot twist-- he was really a nice guy. Aww! Gets a bad rap.

(both) The end!

(announcer) "It's Rhyme Time!" That's right! It's "Rhyme Time!" The game where we give you three words. Two of them rhyme, one of them doesn't. We have to try to find the word that doesn't rhyme. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy. Let the rhyming games begin! Your words are-- but, so, hut. Hm. But, so, hut. Which word doesn't rhyme? But, so, hut. Yeah, so doesn't rhyme! That's right, it didn't have the "tt" sound at the end. Let's try-- buy, mom, tom. Hm. Okay, buy, mom, tom. Which one doesn't rhyme? Buy, mom, tom. Yeah, mom and tom sound the same. Buy sounds different. Buy doesn't rhyme! I am so impressed with you, Dusty. It's all them! Good work. All right, let's try this. Ten, men, fix. Hm. Ten, men, fix. Which one doesn't rhyme? Ten, men, fix. Yeah, fix doesn't rhyme! Hey, why do we need to hire ten men to fix something? We can fix stuff ourselves! They're just random words that rhyme, Dust. I bet you could come up with some. Hey, challenge time. What are some words that rhyme with fix? Okay, fix, fix-- that sounds funny. Hmm. Hey, can you think of any words that rhyme with fix? Fix... oh, six-- that's a good one! Um, fix... oh, sticks! That's great, I love sticks. Okay, one more. Fix... ticks? Well, that works, but I can't stand ticks! Great job, Reading Buddies! Those were some good words. Yeah. And now, a poem! Oh! Here we go again! Have to come up with another brilliant poem! Who do they think I am, Amanda Gorman?

(Describer) Dusty pops back in.

Topical!

[drumbeat]

(Describer) He wears a beret.

Wacky Wanda whipped up eggs. She put them in a bowl. She whisked in some oysters, salt, and guacamole. She put it on the frying pan and stirred it till it cooked. Then Wacky Wanda ate it all, despite the way it looked.

[drumbeat]

Ooh ooh. [squealing]

(Describer) Dott snaps for him, and a title appears with four items: 'What's Missing?'

[drumbeat continues]

(Dott) What Do You See?

(Dusty) Walrus, watermelon, watch, wolf.

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

(Dusty) The watermelon!

(Dott) That's right! Let's say them all out loud again before we take one away.

(both) Walrus, watermelon, watch, wolf.

(Describer) Now, walrus, watermelon, and watch.

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

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

(Dott) Mm, it's kind of like you!

(Dusty) Um, adorable? Hilarious?

(Dott) It howls at the moon!

(Dusty) Oh! A wolf!

(Dott) That's right! Let's try another.

(Describer) Now, a walrus, watch, and wolf.

Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Dusty) The watermelon!

(Dott) That's right! You have a good memory. One more round. Look, think, remember. What's missing?

(Dusty) I see the watermelon, the watch, and the wolf. That means the walrus is missing!

(Dott) Way to go! You rocked that.

[bass beat playing]

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

Dusty and I are working on his new tricks. Yeah! New tricks are the best tricks. Plus I can only rollover so man times! I'm not a machine, you know! Let's show them what you're learning. Okay! Say "fan!" Fan. Say it again, but don't say "an." Hm, "ff." Good dog. Say "mice." Mice. Say it again, but don't say "ice." Hm... "mm." That's right, Dusty. Say "ride." Ride! Say it again, but don't say "ide." Hm, "rr." Rrrright! Say "lean!" Lean! Say it again, but don't say "ean!" Hm, "ll." Good dog. Say "seat." Seat. Say it again, but don't say "eat." Hm, "ss." Excellent work! Hey, speaking of eat, where's my treat? Ahh!

(Describer) He opens his mouth. A title in paper letters reads: 'alpha shorts.' Paper stars twinkle around it. A letter w appears, followed by wavy water lines.

[soft music]

(Dott) W, wet, wuh. W, wet, wuh. W, wet, wuh.

(Describer) The w drips. Now, Alphabott shows a puff of air.

(Alphabott) Wuh, wuh, wuh, wuh...

[humming] Hmm?

Dott! A.B. is skipping again! Should we restart her? Dusty, I think she's making a new sound! Oh! What is wrong with me? Why do I always forget that? She's making the "wuh" sound like in "window." Woah! How can I make that sound? Well, you use the back of your mouth. So put your lips together like this. Ha! You look like you are about to give a kiss! I do a little. My mouth's open a bit, like I'm sipping through a straw. Now glide the air out! Ready? Yeah. Wuh. Wuh, wuh, wuh. Hey, I feel the air on my paw! Is your voice box on? Oh, hmm. Wuh, wuh, wuh. It is! I wonder how you draw this sound. Oh, you wonder? Yeah! Hey! You are making the "wuh" sound when you say "wonder"! Well, you said it first! What can I say? I'm a trendsetter. Come here. To answer your question, because it is a good one, I'll show you how to draw the sound. Do you have your invisible paintbrush?

Mm, boopy! [tinkling]

I do! [laughs] Remember that zigzag motion we made earlier when we were drawing the mountains? Yeah! Well, that's a pretty similar shape to the one that makes the "wuh" sound. First, you draw a diagonal line down, then back up a little, then back down, Mm, mm. and then make your last diagonal line go all the way back up! Hey! You didn't even lift your paintbrush! You're right! I did it all in one stroke! When we make this symbol, we always move our paintbrush or our pencil to the right. That's this way? Yes! And look at that, you made the letter "W." That's a funny name. Yeah, it is a little-- "double U." It even makes the "wuh" sound. Like in wet! That's right, Dusty! Think you can find the "wuh" sound in some other words? Nn-nnh. I know I can find the "wuh" sound in some other words! All right, A.B., we're ready!

[Alphabott squeals]

(Describer) A title cracks out of question boxes:

[plucky music]

(both) "Where Is It?" Dott and A.B. have hidden the "wuh" sound behind one of these three squares! And your job is to find it! It could be behind any of these three squares! Oh, and remember, wuh, wuh-- we want to find the "wuh" sound! That's right. Here's the first word-- Wet. Wuh, eh, tt.

(both) Wuh, eh, tt. Where do you hear the "wuh" sound in wet? Hm. Wuh, eh, tt. Oh, I hear it right there, in the first spot.

That's right. [tinkling]

Let's try the word "web." Wuh, eh, buh.

(both) Wuh, eh, buh. Dusty, what do you think? Where do you hear it? Hm. Wuh, eh, buh. Oh, it's right there, in the first spot again!

Yes, that's right! [tinkling]

Let's try the word "walk." Hm. Wuh, aw, kuh.

(both) Wuh, aw, kuh. Where do you hear the "wuh" sound in walk? Wuh, aw, kuh. Oh, it's in the beginning!

Yes, that's right, that's right! [tinkling]

Let's try the word "wag." Oh, I love that! Wuh, ah, guh.

(both) Wuh, ah, guh. What do you think? Hm. Wuh, ah, guh. I think it's in the beginning again! Uh-huh, I think so too.

Yes, we're right! [tinkling]

Let's try the word "wig." Wuh, ih, guh.

(both) Wuh, ih, guh. Okay, Reading Buddies, what do you think? Wuh, wuh-- wuh, ih, guh. It's in the beginning! Yes, Dusty, excellent! Hey, Dott! They were all behind the first square! I know! We don't hear the "wuh" sound at the end of a word in English. Hey, let me show you how to use it in some smaller words. Okay! Let's look at the word "web." Oh, like a spider web? Yup! We have wuh, eh, buh. W. E. B. Now what letter would I change if I wanted to make this word into "wed"? Hm. Web, wed. Web, wed. Oh! The last one! Yes, excellent! The "buh," you'd have to change that to a-- what's the new word again? Wed. Duh, duh. Wed, duh, duh. A "D"! Yes! Nice, Dusty! So now we have "wed." Mow what would I change if I wanted to make the word "bed"? The beginning, middle, or end? Wed, bed. The beginning! Excellent! Way to work that through! So now I change "wuh" to a "buh," and I have bed! Gosh, I love being in bed. I love all my pillows and my blankets and stuffies. And all my waffles. Dusty? Mmm? You have a waffle in your bed? No! I didn't mean that. I totally have a waffle in my bed. I keep it there in case I get hungry at night. But I guess I should probably toss it. Will you help me tidy up my room? I don't know how many sandwiches are hiding in there. Race you to the 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, doggy dog ♪

♪ Doggy dog dog doghouse ♪

Ha ha! I won! Ha! Aw, you're here already!? I didn't even see you pass me! You're so fast. Woah, this place is wild! Ha ha! Wuh, wuh. The "wuh" sound is really bringing me joy today, so let's keep the objects that have a "wuh" sound somewhere in their name. Here we go!

(Describer) He digs in the pile.

Waaa! Worm! Is there a "wuh" sound in worm? Wuh, yeah! It's right in the beginning. We'll keep that little guy out. Ha ha! All right, what else do we have?

[gasps] Wasp! [buzzing]

Is there a "wuh" sound in wasp? [panting] Yeah, it's right in the beginning again! Ha ha! There are a lot of bugs in my room! Maybe I shouldn't eat so much in here.

[grunting]

Woah! Sock! Egh. Does sock have the "wuh" sound? No, this is one of Dott's. I like to hide it from her, so we'll just put that right away,

hide it again. [grunting]

Oh, my gosh! [grunting]

Jacket. Does jacket have a "wuh" sound? Ha ha! Nope! I'm covered in fur, I don't need that jacket!

[grunts]

Ooh! Wheel! [screeching]

Does wheel have a "wuh" sound? Ha ha! Yeah!

♪ The wheels on the bus... ♪ [beeps]

♪ Are hidden in the junk, hidden in the junk! ♪

[toaster pops] [gasps] Waffle!

Does waffle have the "wuh" sound! Ha ha! Yeah, woo-hoo! We found it! Thanks for helping me clean. I'm glad we found that waffle! I was beginning to worry! Ha ha! Hey, let's see what Dott's up to

(Describer) Dusty wears headphones.

in the reading room. [dog howls]

♪ Reading Buddies! Ya did great work today! ♪

Dusty. ♪ Reading Buddies... ♪

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

Dusty! We'll see--oh! Huh? Did you say something, Dott? You were singing pretty loud. Oh. Woops! Why is that bad? Wait, do you think I'm a bad singer? Do you think I'm a bad singer? No, no, it's not that at all! Oh, phew. It's just, we have to be mindful of the other people around us. I usually decide when to use an indoor voice and when to use an outdoor voice. Mm, outdoor voice, like when we go to the park, and you call my name because I'm hiding from you? Yes, that is a good use of my outdoor voice.

[laughs]

I love it when we play that game. I know you do. The opposite of that would be an indoor voice. We use our indoor voice at school, or at a restaurant. Mm. What about when you sing in the shower? That is probably somewhere in between. But you bring up a good point! Even grownups have to pay attention to the volume of our speaking voices. What's volume? In this case, it's how loud or soft something is. You probably have a volume control on that music player. Oh! Ha ha! Wow, it's really high up. Yeah, I'm not surprised. So think of your voice as that music. When you use your indoor voice, the volume is lower. And when you need to use your outdoor voice, the volume can higher. Wow! That makes so much sen-- Oh, I mean...

[quieter] That makes so much sense, Dott.

It was a catchy song, though. Oh, I know, right? Hey, should we keep singing? No! Let's save it for later. You mean like at the end of the show? At the end of the show. Oh, yeah. We're going to sing it later.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) A title:

(both) "Squat with Dott!"

(Describer) Dusty chews on a rope.

Get ready to "Squat with Dott!" It's that time of day! We gotta work out. Let's start by warming up our bodies. What should we do first? Hm, okay, one of my favorites. The wiggle. I love to wiggle! Whooa oooa oooa! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle! You'll love this one. It's call the wave and wag! Do you want me to show you? Yeah. You go wave, and wag! Okay.

(Describer) They wave their hands and wag their bottoms.

(both) Wave, and wag! Wave, and wag! Wave, and wag! All right, Dust, what should I do next? Okay, how about this one? It's called the wobble. Oh, I love that! Okay, let me try. Is this it? Yeah, you're a natural. Oh, wow. I feel really good. That's perfect. Okay, the next one's called the work it out.

(Describer) She snaps in a zig-zag.

Oh! Yeah! Work it out! Okay! Work it out, work it out! Let's wrap it up with a pose! Five, six, seven, eight, and pose! Ooh!

(Describer) They drink water.

Good workout, Dott! Wacky, really.

(Describer) In a bubble bath, Dusty uses a loofah brush to clean himself.

[upbeat music]

[humming]

Hi! Dott's workout made me sweat, so here I am in the bath, popping bubbles. It's so fun! Let's do it together! Hi-yah! Ha ha!

(Describer) Three bubbles appear:

(Dott) Tt, ih, puh, tip.

(Describer) Four bubbles:

Tt, rr, ih, puh, trip. Hmm hmm! Splish, splash! Baths are fun! Ha ha! Ooh, a bubble!

(Describer) Four more bubbles:

(Dott) Duh, rr, ih, puh. Drip.

(Describer) Four more:

Guh, rr, ih, puh. Grip.

(Describer) Four more bubbles:

Whoo! Guh, rr, ih, nn. Grin.

[drain glugs]

[laughs] Squeaky clean!

Hey, Dott, I'm ready to come out now!

(Describer) Dott checks the mail.

[plucky music]

Hey, you got another letter from your friend Otto. Yes! I love Otto's letters. Hey, I've got an idea! Let's keep an ear out for the "wuh" sounds in Otto's letter! Ahem.

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

[piano chord]

(Dott) "Dear Dusty, "Well well well! "You will never guess where I wandered "into this weekend. "A wizarding wonderland! "It was wild! "I saw a witch whip out her wand "and wave it into the air! "I wish you could have watched. "I was without words! "Turns out I walked onto the set of a new web series. "Womp womp! "It wasn't real. Or was it? Otto."

[piano chord]

[chuckles]

A wizarding wonderland! I'd watch that show! I would too. Otto is always finding interesting things to do, isn't he? Mm-hm. What was your favorite line from the letter? Hmm, I think "a witch whip out her wand." Ooh, I agree! A witch whip out her wand! Hey, maybe we could watch a wizarding movie after dinner. Which reminds me, I should get started on that. Oh! Hey, thanks for coming over today! My Reading Buddies! Hey, Dusty? Mm-hm? Remember that song you were singing earlier? Yeah? Remember when I said we could sing it later? Yeah?

[whispering] It's time.

Hit it!

[music]

♪ 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 dances as credits appear.

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

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

[closing theme music]

[Alphabott hums along]

(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.

♪

(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.