LGS & LACAS Class 1 – Omar Can Help (Red Band Reader) 2027-28

Omar Can Help by Lynne Rickards, illustrated by Moni Perez, is a Red band reader in the Cambridge Reading Adventures series. It is on the LGS Class 1 and LACAS Class 1 lists on this site. The sunny yellow cover shows three children in school uniform building a house from lolly sticks, with a pot of glue on the table. A book about helping suits five- and six-year-olds, who want to help with everything. This page is written for the 2027-28 session.

Exams Book House, Shop Number 4, Al Fazal Market, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, supplies it with cash on delivery across Pakistan and delivery to the Gulf countries.

Quick facts

• Title on the cover: Omar Can Help · Cambridge Reading Adventures · Red band · Lynne Rickards · Moni Perez
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Author and illustrator: Lynne Rickards (text) and Moni Perez (pictures)
• Band: Red band
• Cover picture: three children in school uniform building a house from lolly sticks, with a pot of glue, on a yellow cover
• Characters: Omar, Zara, Leila and Beno
• Shown on: LGS Class 1 and LACAS Class 1, and in School Readers → Cambridge
• Session: 2027-28

What is this book?

Omar is keen to help his friends Zara, Leila and Beno, but his best intentions often go wrong. When the roof of the girls' house is no good, Zara asks "Can you help us, Omar?" The refrain "Omar knew what to do" runs through the whole book: he puts one more stick in to hold up the roof.

On pages 6 and 7 Beno asks "Can you help me, Omar?". On page 10 it is snack time and Zara has brought a cake to share, cut into slices. Then, "Oh dear! Look at Beno's face." The story ends with a small surprise that children enjoy reading aloud.

Words and sentences

The language is a few simple sentence patterns repeated in different settings, with speech marks to guide expression. Regular words such as can, help and stick give children a chance to blend sounds. The vowel sound /ew/ appears, and compound words such as everyone and outside can be split into two parts.

What a child can learn from it

• Read simple words by sounding out and blending the sounds from left to right.
• Use the sentence pattern and the meaning to help with reading.
• Find, read and write common words that come up again and again.

A guided reading lesson to follow at home

• Read the title and point out Omar on the cover, with his friends Zara and Leila.
• Say: this is a book about Omar. His friends ask him to help, and he always knows what to do.
• On pages 2 and 3, find where Zara says "Can you help us, Omar?" and make your voice sound like a question.
• On page 4, practise the refrain "Omar knew what to do" with a finger under each word.
• On pages 6 and 7, find Beno's name and the same question inside speech marks.

Learning links beyond the book

For maths, Zara brought a cake to share: how would she cut it so that there is a piece for everyone? Cut a real chapati or a paper circle into equal slices. For design and technology, Omar helped fix the roof of a house: try roof shapes with sticks, card or building blocks and see which one stands up.

About the Red band

Red band is where a child starts to follow the print with the eyes and uses a finger only at difficult points, while reading longer, repeated sentences.

The Reading Adventures bands on this site

Cambridge Reading Adventures groups its readers into coloured bands, from the easiest to the hardest. Here is where this book sits, with the other readers on this site.

Why this book?

• A kind, funny story about helping.
• Repeated sentences help build confident reading.
• Easy links to maths (sharing) and design (building).

Who is it for, and when is it used?

It is for Class 1 children on the LGS and LACAS lists, about six years old. It is read at school in guided reading and at home as extra practice throughout the session. Ten minutes a night is plenty.

How to help at home

• Build a small house from ice-cream sticks and glue, like Omar and his friends.
• Read the refrain with a different voice each time.
• Share a chapati and count the slices.
• Find three words with the "ew" sound in other books.
• Ask: "How did Omar know what to do?"

Is it right for LGS Class 1 and LACAS Class 1 and session 2027-28?

On this site it is shown under LGS Class 1 and LACAS Class 1. If your school's 2027-28 list names Omar Can Help, this is the book. Send us your list on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we can get for you.

Buy it in Urdu Bazar, Lahore

• Shop: Exams Book House, Shop Number 4, Al Fazal Market, Urdu Bazar, Lahore 54000
• Urdu Bazar Lahore book shop number: 0317 4846676 (call or WhatsApp)
• Open: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM – 9 PM; closed on Sunday
• Delivery: all over Pakistan with cash on delivery, and to the Gulf countries

People also search for this book as

omar can help cambridge reading adventures · lgs class 1 reader · lacas class 1 reader · lynne rickards omar can help · red band reader class 1 · عمر کین ہیلپ

Frequently asked questions

What is the refrain?

"Omar knew what to do."

Who are the other characters?

Zara, Leila and Beno.

What is the phonics focus?

Regular words such as can, help and stick, and the /ew/ vowel sound.

What band is it?

Red band.

Is it on the LGS Class 1 and LACAS Class 1 list for 2027-28?

It is shown there on this site. Send your school list on WhatsApp so we can confirm.

Do you deliver outside Lahore?

Yes, all over Pakistan with cash on delivery, and to the Gulf countries. WhatsApp 0317 4846676.

Inside the book — contents and sample pages