The Weather Today by Claire Llewellyn (illustrated by Jonatronix, according to the publisher’s listing) is a Red band reader in Cambridge Reading Adventures, used for Prep at Lahore Grammar School (LGS). It has 16 pages (ISBN 9781107576766). The cover shows two children running and playing among golden autumn leaves with a kite in the sky.
Weather is the first thing every child notices each morning. In the 2027-28 session, this book turns that daily question into a reading lesson, with a forecast on every page and children who decide where they can play.
What happens in the book
According to the teaching notes, this simple information book uses some non-fiction devices such as labels, headings and graphics to present the different weather conditions. The weather forecast on each two-page spread is given in a speech bubble, and the children in the book decide where they can play that day. The sentences repeat, with the changing weather condition as the reading challenge, in a question and answer format (‘What will the weather be like today?’). Prepositional language, ‘on the beach’ and ‘in the park’, is used as the children consider where they can play.
Weather words such as ‘rainy’ and ‘snowy’ are supported by the illustrations. The high-frequency words ‘play’ and ‘like’ are reinforced by the repetition, and two-syllable words like ‘inside’ and ‘today’ can be broken into known chunks for reading. On page 5, the children can play on the beach when it is sunny, and by page 7 the preposition changes to ‘in’.
What your child learns from it
The publisher’s teaching notes list these learning outcomes. A child who reads this book can:
- read simple words by sounding out and blending phonemes from left to right, including some two-syllable words made of known chunks;
- read a range of simple sentences independently, noting the use of punctuation to pose questions;
- find information in non-fiction texts.
How to read it together at home
The guided reading lesson printed in the book gives a simple routine you can follow:
- Begin by discussing the weather today in your region: can your child play outside at break time? Give your child the book and read the title.
- Say: this book is about different types of weather. Sometimes we can play inside, sometimes we can play outside.
- On pages 2 and 3, ask your child to track ‘What will the weather be like today?’ with a finger, and emphasise the question mark; look at the first letters of ‘sunny’, ‘stormy’ and ‘snowy’ to tell them apart.
- On page 4, look at the speech bubble that shows the weather lady is talking; use magnetic letters to break ‘today’ into two chunks and blend them.
- On page 5, find ‘We can play on the beach’ and spot the word ‘on’; note that on page 7 it changes to ‘in’.
Fun learning links beyond the book
For science, children can create weather charts to track the weather over a period of time, devising their own weather symbols. For role play, watch weather forecasts on television or the internet, then provide children with a large map of your country and have them role-play giving the weather forecast for the day.
About the Red band
Red band is the step where a child moves from pointing at every word to following the line with their eyes, reading phrases instead of single words.
Who, when, where and why
Whom: Prep children (about five years old). When: during the 2027-28 session, ideally at the start of each school day. Where: at school, at the window and in the garden. Why: to practise reading questions and answers, and to make a daily habit of observing the weather. Lahore Grammar School campuses follow almost the same book list, but a few campuses use their own list for some subjects. Send us your child’s campus on WhatsApp and we confirm the title before we dispatch.
Frequently asked questions
Who illustrated it?
Jonatronix, according to the publisher’s listing.
How many pages?
16.
What band is it?
Red band.
Want The Weather Today for the new session? WhatsApp us the class and campus and we will confirm availability, then send it by courier with Cash on Delivery anywhere in Pakistan, or keep it aside for you at our Lahore shop.
