ਵਾਹ!
The Race
Set 2, book four. The crow wants a race. The cow lies down. So he races alone, and your child shouts ਜਾ! to start him. New words: ਜਾ (go) and ਵਾਹ (wow).
Words you'll read
- ਗਾਂ
- ਕਾਂ
- ਹਾਂ
- ਦੇਖ
- ਪਾਣੀ
- ਜਾ
- ਵਾਹ
Your child's word in this book: ਜਾ. Each time it's coming, pause and let them shout it.
How to read this book
This is a controlled-vocabulary reader — a little book your child can read on their own. It uses only a handful of Punjabi words, repeated often, so a brand-new reader succeeds from the very first page.
- Read it together first, pointing at each word as you say it.
- Then let them read it back to you — sounding out the Gurmukhi.
- Reread it. Kids reread what makes them laugh, and rereading is how reading becomes automatic.
- Turn the English captions off (button below) once they know the story, for pure Gurmukhi practice.
What this book is really about
For grown-ups: the crow challenges the cow to a race to the pond, and she lies down in the grass. He races anyway, alone, and asks your child to start him: they shout ਜਾ! (go!) and he is off. He wins every time, because nobody else is running, and cheers for himself: ਕਾਂ! ਕਾਂ! ਕਾਂ! and ਵਾਹ! (wow!). Then the cow strolls over for a drink and gives him the last word, deadpan. Nobody learns anything. Your child just gets to say go.
“Cow! Cow! Look! Water!”
“Come! Come! Come!”
The cow lies down.
“No? No? Yes! Yes! Come!”
He needs someone to start the race. (Your turn: shout ਜਾ! Go!)
“Go! Go! Go! Go!”
“Crow! Crow! Crow!”
“Wow! Wow! Wow! Crow! Wow!”
The cow hasn't moved.
Again! (Your turn: shout ਜਾ!)
“Go! Go! Go! Go!”
“Crow! Crow! Crow! Wow!”
“Wow… crow… wow…”
The cow gets up.
Slurp.
“No! No! Crow! Crow!” He won. Didn’t he?
“Wow,” says the cow.
Words in this book
- ਗਾਂ gaan cow
- ਕਾਂ kaan crow
- ਹਾਂ haan yes
- ਦੇਖ dekh look
- ਪਾਣੀ paani water
- ਜਾ jaa go
- ਵਾਹ vaah wow!
After this book, your child can read 7 Punjabi words. Read it together, then let them read it back to you — the repetition is where the reading comes from.
Where to go next
- Sikh children's books Illustrated stories to read together — Fateh Singh, Simran Kaur, and the Gurus.
- Shabad Stories Bilingual bedtime books built around a single line of Gurbani.
- Punjabi picture dictionary Hundreds of everyday Gurmukhi words with pictures, to grow the words they know.
- Learn Gurmukhi Letters, matras and tracing worksheets — the writing side of the same skill.