A Teacher’s Guide to the BEST Decodable Readers
FAQ: My child knows all their sounds and is starting to sound out words. What books should I get for them to start learning to read?
My Answer: Decodable Readers!
Not all beginning reader books are created equally. In fact, many “beginning reader” books are marketed as such, but they really aren’t for beginners. When a child is first learning to read they need to practice the skills they have, and be successful at practicing them, so they will feel that sense of accomplishment and will want to return to the book and try again. But how do I know which books are decodable or not?
Let’s chat about the different types of readers out there:
Decodable Readers:
Decodable readers are books where almost every word in the book can be sounded out using phonics rules. They start with short vowel CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words such as cat, bat, hat, rat, etc. that children can decode, or sound out, with the letter sounds they have mastered. There will often be some very common sight words as well such as a, the, and, on, my, etc. Words that will appear very very frequently in their reading. Many of these words can also be decoded with phonics rules as well. Decodable readers should be introduced as skills are introduced. For example, if your child/students are working on short /a/ CVC words, then their decodable readers should be full of short /a/ CVC decoding practice. If you just introduced the digraph /sh/, then the reader should include decodable words that incorporate the /sh/ sound. When reading decodable readers, there should be no “guessing” at words. If children are guessing words and not sounding them out when reading decodable books, that is a sign that they are not yet ready for the skills in that book. They will need explicit instruction on the skill first, then can revisit that book.
High Frequency Readers/ Sight Word Readers:
High frequency word readers are very common. They are often branded and include your child’s favorite TV, book, or cartoon characters. They may include decodable words, however the majority of the text includes sight words, repetitive patterns, and words that must be guessed by using picture clues. While these books may be fun or engaging because of the characters, they are not teaching essential reading skills that are needed to become successful readers. The process of checking the picture and the first sound in a word, then guessing the word, is not a reading skill at all. It is actually a survival skill for readers who are having a challenging time decoding and should be avoided. High frequency word readers should be used when students are already fluent readers and decoders and are ready to practice their reading fluency rather than their decoding. These books will have repetitive patterns such as: “I see the cat. I see the monkey. I see the whale. I see the rhinoceros. I see animals!” Children may know the high frequency words, and may be able to read them fluently, but many of the words that come at the end of those patterned sentences are not decodable and are unfortunately leaving children guessing and creating a bad habit.
So now you’re wondering, what books does a kindergarten teacher recommend? I’d love to share. Let’s dive in!
Project Based Primary Readers:
Okay, I am going to toot my own horn for a second, I am writing my own set of decodable readers. I am excited to make materials that are affordable, follow a developmentally appropriate scope and sequence, and are engaging for new readers. I am working hard to create stories that have a storyline infused with the skills being practiced so readers will be able to discuss the books after reading. I have my short vowel set complete and I want you to have them! So, here you go! (All future sets will be listed in my TPT Shop, so check back throughout the year.) Grab your set here!
Bob Books
It is no secret that these are the ones that I recommend the most. Bob Books are completely decodable, they’re developmentally sequenced, they introduce skills and concepts appropriately and at a child-centered pace, and there are a lot of them! They also can be found in stores and online for really affordable prices which is a plus when selecting books for at home or in the classroom. I also found that my students selected Bob Books over the majority of the other books they were given the option to select within my classroom library. Check them out!
Primary Phonics
This is another very vast collection of quality decodable readers. They have also been around for decades and I personally remember reading them as a kid. They are a bit spendy, but each level comes with 10-20 decodables and they isolate individual phonics skills really well. So I definitely think they are more than worth it! Browse the sets here!
Junior Learning
They have such a VAST library of titles and one thing I really like about Junior Learning is how many nonfiction decodable readers they have available. Lots of quality photographs which were extremely engaging for reluctant readers. Because their collection is so large, you are truly able to find books for any reader at a variety of levels. Their books continue into upper reading skills past a typical decodable reader set. Here’s a set that was a classroom favorite!
Recipe for Reading Alphabet Series
I got my set of these readers from the “free” table and I understand why. The illustrations are all black and white and they might not look that engaging, however they are high quality readers with a fantastic pace of skill building as you progress from one book to the next, and the stories were actually engaging for the kids and less robotic than other decodable sets on the market. They’re a bit pricey, I am glad I got them from a donation table, but still worth it if you are looking for readers that are more interesting to read. This is the full set, but they do sell them separately.
S.P.I.R.E.
Another set that often gets overlooked because the pictures are black and white, but again another set where the story lines are actually engaging! For me I will pick a decodable with a decent storyline over colored illustrations any day. There are over 100 books in this series, and the scope and sequence is well thought out and takes the skills slow and steady. I will also say that they are great for faster paced readers too because of the story content. Often those students get “bored” more easily with decodables that feel repetitive or contrived, but these were more exciting for them to read. They are available to purchase for a Kindle here. (And individually a lot of them are free on a Kindle too!)
The Yak Pak
Full disclosure, they sent me their series packs to review, but I am not getting paid to say this… these decodables are fabulous! First off, they are set up like a comic book, which had my students OBSESSED and fighting over them. Each book is a complete series. So they are not just small little readers, rather an anthology type book full of the readers. So again, kids loved that because they were reading a “big book”. They also do a great job of providing a mix of decodable and high frequency words. Many decodable readers get caught up in not including high frequency words that are difficult to decode, but it is still important to weave them in and expose beginning readers to them.
Grab set 1 of decodable readers here!
Reading for All Learners
Okay, so the thing with these ones is the stories are very very slow. They are not that engaging, HOWEVER, the pace of these readers is perfect for a very beginning reader or a reader that needs the skills being taught to be in even smaller and more manageable amounts. There are very few words on each page, and the skills are extremely isolated. These were some of my go-to books for that small group of students who just were not moving at the pace of the rest of the class, but I knew they could still read if given the appropriate tools. And these were those tools! I am linking the B&W paper versions because they’re more affordable compared to their color version.
There are many many more sets out there, and some are definitely good quality, but I wanted to make sure and share the ones that I had used in my own classroom and teaching that I knew I could recommend in good faith. I really hope you find a set from this list that is perfect for your reader(s), and that your reader(s) can begin to build a foundation for a lifelong love of reading!
For additional sets of these decodable readers, check out my Decodable Readers list on Amazon.
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