Leela Can Skate by Alison Hawes is a Pink B band reader from Cambridge Reading Adventures, chosen for Nursery at Lahore Grammar School (LGS). The cover shows a girl in a pink helmet and pink top gliding on roller skates down a sunny path, with the title in red capitals at the top and the Pink B band label in the corner. Carol Yoshizumi is credited for the illustrations.
Leela is learning to skate, and she is proud of what she can do. For a Nursery child in the 2027-28 session, this is the perfect first ‘I can’ book: simple, positive, and full of actions a four-year-old can act out on the living-room floor.
What happens in the book
According to the teaching notes, Leela is learning to skate, but she cannot stop. Simple, repeated language explains what she can and cannot do on her skates, and the pictures support the text. On the first page she is getting ready, and her brother does not have to help her. Then she says ‘I can stand up on my skates,’ and the book moves through the actions jump, run, hop and stand up. Pages 12 and 13 change to two lines of text, which gives children early practice at the return sweep from the end of one line to the start of the next.
The words that keep coming back are ‘put’, ‘on’ and ‘my’, and the verbs are easy to hear and blend, such as ‘can’ and ‘run’.
What your child learns from it
The publisher’s teaching notes list these learning outcomes. A child who reads this book can:
- understand that print carries meaning and is read from left to right and from top to bottom;
- read some high-frequency words and use phonics to work out simple words;
- show that they understand the sequence of events in a story.
How to read it together at home
The guided reading lesson printed in the book gives a simple routine you can follow:
- Read the title and say: Leela is learning to skate; this story tells us about all the things she can do.
- On page 2, ask whether it is tricky to put on skates, and how your child knows.
- On page 4, read ‘I can stand up on my skates’ while your child points to every word.
- On page 6, ask what else Leela can do (run on her skates) and point to each word again.
- Check vocabulary guesses by looking at the first letter of each action word: jump, run, hop, stand up.
Fun learning links beyond the book
The notes point to two classroom links. For PSHE, Leela wears shin pads, knee pads and a helmet throughout, so ask your child why, and what other games need protective clothing, such as a bicycle ride or cricket. For science, collect everyday objects and find out which ones roll, then sort them into groups. Both can be done with a ball, a spoon, a cup and a toy car on the floor.
About the Pink B band
Pink B is the second step of Cambridge Reading Adventures. According to the publisher, books at this level have about 30 to 60 words, colourful illustrations and plenty of repetition to help word recognition.
Who, when, where and why
Whom: Nursery children (about four years old) and their parents. When: during the 2027-28 session, a few times a week. Where: at school, at home and in the park. Why: to practise reading with a book that celebrates what a child can do. Book lists at LGS are almost the same from campus to campus, with a few campuses following their own for some subjects, so message us your campus name first and we will confirm this exact book with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the key sentence pattern?
Leela says what she can do: ‘I can … on my skates’.
Who is the author?
Alison Hawes. The illustrations are credited to Carol Yoshizumi on the cover.
What band is it?
Pink B band, the second level of Cambridge Reading Adventures.
Ready to order? Send us a WhatsApp message with the class and school, and we will confirm availability and dispatch Leela Can Skate carefully packed, with Cash on Delivery across Pakistan. Prefer to see it first? Our Lahore shop is open to visitors.
