Books with simplified spelling patterns, which beginning readers can tackle independently with success. Please choose a level at which your learner can independently read 95% of words, or 90% of words if they’re reading to you so you can help them with some words.

Decodable books I use myself:

• Beginning Reading Instruction and Advanced Reading Instruction books (UK) or click here for the Australian supplier
• Bob Books ipad apps, of which there are two, the first one is perfect for young beginners (US). Paper books are also available here.
• Dandelion Launchers (UK, for tinies, also available as iBooks which sound words out for you)
• Dandelion Readers (UK)
• Decodable Readers Australia (Aus)
• Dog on a log Let’s Go books and Chapter Books. A few are available as free downloads from Teachers Pay Teachers, and hard copy versions are available from Readings Books and many other mainstream suppliers.
• Dr Maggie’s Phonic Readers (US)
• Fitzroy Readers (Aus, also available with Audio CDs, and very affordably as iPad apps)
• Flyleaf books (UK)
• Free Reading decodable texts (US, free pdf downloads)
• High Noon Books (US) decodable nonfiction books, and high-interest, low level chapter books and other resources for struggling readers. Suppliers outside the US are listed here.
• Hooked On Phonics (US) also available as iPhone and iPad apps.
• InitiaLit books (Aus)
• Little Learners Love Literacy books (Aus), also available as iPad apps. You can look through these books on a video I have made here.
• Phonic Books Catch-Up Series (UK, suitable for ages 8 to 14+, the list below is in approximate order of difficulty, here are the Australian suppliers):
  • Moon Dogs 1, Moon Dogs 2 and Moon Dogs 3 
  • Magic Belt and That Dog
  • Alba and Totem
  • Talisman 1 and Rescue
  • Titan’s Gauntlets and Talisman 2
  • Amber Guardians
• Phonics stories for older learners (UK, suitable for older learners including adults)
• Pocketphonics Stories (UK, for iPad). Suitable for young children.
• Pocket Rockets (Aus), there are two sets, and one copy of each is now available here. I’ve made a little video about them here.
• Rip Rap books (Aus, for upper primary and secondary students who want to be able to read something a little gritty that doesn’t look like it’s for younger kids).
• Rip Rap Club books (Aus, for ages 7-12)
• Sound Out Chapter Books and Workbooks (US, suitable for older learners). Australian supplier is Silvereye, NZ supplier is NZ Council for Educational Research.
• Sounds Write Initial Code Books, and Extended Code Books (UK)
• Starfall computer and iPad based books, and printables (US)
• SPELD SA free, downloadable decodable books and associated worksheets (Aus). I use the books on my iPad, having saved them all into iBooks.
• TAP teen and adult phonics library for iPad (Aus, has US and UK spelling and vocab options)
• The Drop-In Series (UK, suitable for older learners, also available to download and print yourself, and have support materials)

Other decodable books I have read/heard about but don’t use myself:

• Abeka Basic Phonics, Little Books and Animal Friends Books (US)
• All About Reading (US)
• The Alphabet Series (US)
• Auburn University free decodable books (US)
• Blend Phonics Stories (US, free download)
• Bug Club (UK)
• Collins Big Cat Phonics (UK), available in Australia from Lioncrest.
• Dr Maggie’s Phonics Readers (US), also available from mainstream suppliers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble
• EPS Phonics Plus Readers (US)
• Fantastic Phonics (US, downloadable books)
• Floppy’s Phonics readers (UK)
• Funny Photo Phonics (UK)
• Garside Readers (US)
• Get Reading Right Synthetic Phonics Practice Books and Decodable Stories (UK)
• Get Ready, Get Set, Read! (US)
• Go Phonics decodable storybooks (US)
• Goal! books (UK, suitable for older learners)
• Half Pint Readers (US)
• Horizons 1998 Literature collections and textbooks (US)
• I Love Reading Phonics (UK)
• I See, I Spell, I Learn readers (US)
• I See Sam books (US, free download-and-print, also available as iPad app)
• Jelly and Bean decodable phonic reading books (UK)
• Jolly Phonics Readers (UK) also available in Australia from Modern Teaching Aids
• Kiwi Phonics (NZ)
• Ladybird Superhero Phonics (UK)
• Learning a-z (US)
• Letters and Sounds Phase 3 Readers (UK)
• Macadamia Readers (Aus)
• Mark’s Mad Phonics (UK, for ibooks, includes some free ebooks)
• Mature Reading Instruction books (UK, for adults, and a tutor guide is also available)
• Merrill Reading Program Student Readers Grades 1-3 (US)
• Modern Curriculum Press Phonics Readers (US)
• No Nonsense Phonics (UK, nonfiction, also available on Amazon)
• Open Court decodable books (US)
• Oxford Reading Tree Phonics series – 14 of these books are available as free eBooks
• Phonics Bug books (UK, grouped into 6 phases)
• Phonics Practice Readers by Modern Curriculum Press (US)
• Phonics Readers by Chris Morningforest and Rebecca Raymond (also available as eBooks)
• Phonics Readers by Steck-Vaughn (US)
• Phonemic Awareness and Sequencing (PAS) Stories (US, part of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program), available in Australia from Silvereye, ACER or ProEd.
• PLD curated packs of books for home: VC and CVC words or CVC, CCVC and CVCC words
• PLD curated packs of books for school: VC and CVC words or CVC, CCVC and CCVC words
• Power Readers (US)
• Preschool University Learn To Read Books (US, download-and-print)
• Primary Phonics and More Primary Phonics readers (US)
• Project X Code  Free sample eBooks are available here (UK)
• Project X Phonics (UK)
• Quackenworth Learn To Read Rhyming Stories and Learn to Read Vowel Stories (US, apps for iPad, Android and Kindle Fire).
• Ragtag Rhymes (UK)
• Rapid Phonics (UK, suitable for older learners). Items available in Australia are here and here.
• Read With Biff, Chip and Kipper: Phonics. 5 of these books are available as free eBooks (UK)
• Read Write Inc Phonics Books and Non-Fiction (UK) Free sample eBooks are available here and here. The Read Write Inc books for older learners are called Fresh Start.
• Reading a-z (US, downloadable books)
• Reading Elephant (US, downloadable books)
• Reading Genie (US, free downloadable books)
• Reading Mastery Independent Readers for students in Reading Mastery I and II: Grade 1-3 (US)
• Reading Rods (US)
• Reading Teacher (US, downloadable E-books, some of which are free)
• Red Apple Readers – Park Stories (US, for iPad and iPhone). Version also on Android.
• Rescue Series (UK, suitable for older learners)
• Rigby Star Phonics (UK?)
• Sam the Elf (eBooks)
• Simple Word Books (US)
• Songbirds Phonics. Free sample eBooks are available here (UK)
• Sound Discovery Readers and Storybooks – King Wizzit Series (UK)
• Spalding Readers 1 and Readers 2 (US), Australian supplier is here.
• Spell-Links reading library (US, downloadable)
• SPIRE Decodable Readers (US)
• SRA Phonics little books and poetry posters (US)
• Steps to Success decodable reader series (US)
• Sundance Phonics Readers (US)
• Supercharged Readers (US)
• The Word Monsters: Learn to Read iPad and iPhone app (US)
• Touchphonics (US)
• Wonder Books Nonfiction Phonics Series (US)
• Words and Pictures Fun With Phonics (UK)
• The Wright Skills decodable books (US)

The UK publisher Barrington Stoke also has books with enlarged font, simplified text and themes suitable for struggling older readers. Available in Australia via Allen and Unwin (on their website choose “Advanced Search” then Filter by Imprint – Barrington Stoke) or Seelect Educational Supplies.

The Dangerous Games books from Blake Education are written at about an eight-year-old decoding level but of interest to students aged 8-14, and they have other “Hi-Lo fiction” which can be a nice step in between between decodable books and mainstream books.

Decodable Big Books (note that books that are part of classroom programs have an interactive whiteboard version)

• Finger Phonics Big Books
• Fitzroy Readers Big Books

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